Well once again resurrecting this thread - now that spring is upon us. To refresh - we're in Eastern Mass, have KBG/P Rye/Fescue mix with bentgrass patches throughout. Also some patches of what I think is Orchardgrass. Planning to apply Tenacity (which I know is very effective on bent, and marginal on Orchard..) Question is: when exactly? Yes we've covered that it can be used pretty much anytime - but I'm assuming more effective when grass is actively growing? Which - we seem to be just entering that time. Point is - I'm eager to get it down to start killing, but don't want to waste it if it's too early. The grass is definitely awake now - but not necessarily thriving yet. And - I'm thinking the answer to this might be obvious - but other than wasting the precious Tenacity, is there a reason why I wouldn't spray the whole yard with it? In a tank sprayer, but I mean try to hit everywhere. I can identify so many patches that it's hard to tell where one patch ends and the desirable grass begins... Thanks much -

Well, the project is completed for now (photos below). Chicory: I harvested roots from first-year chicory plants that were started indoors from seed. A minimum of five plants are needed just to do a small experiment. A LOT of plants are needed to make a decent amount for continual use. Dandelions: I simply went out to the yard and garden edges and dug a bunch of dandelions. I live on a farm with a big lawn that I don't obsess about manicuring, so no chemicals are used. If you spray chemicals where you intend on digging dandelions, be aware of the risks (I would advise you not to harvest in those areas). I dug approximately 25 plants, which was enough to experiment. I harvested roots after several hard frosts. It is my understanding that cold weather improves flavor of some roots (such as horseradish) so I followed this general principle. By all means correct me if I am wrong in this thought process. The following is the process for both chicory and dandelion: 1.) Educate yourself. Know the possible risks of any new food product you intend on consuming BEFORE you consume it. I bear no responsibility. 2.) Harvest roots. 3.) Soak in cold water to loosen dirt. 4.) Clean roots but do not peel. Remove root hairs. I think a little bit of dirt is good for you so I don't worry about getting all the nooks and crannies clean. 5.) Wipe roots off. 6.) Cut roots into approximately 1/4 inch long rounds or chunk larger roots. 7.) Place on screen or parchment in center racks of dehydrator. 8.) Dehydrate for approx. 4 hours or until hard and dry. (I think they can still be pliable in the center but mine weren't.) Rotate racks halfway through the process for even drying. 9.) Spread single layer on cookie pan. Roast at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, mix and turn the pieces every ten minutes. 10.) Allow to cool somewhat then grind or powder. 11.) Spread grounds or powder on cookie pan and roast for 10 minutes at 300 degrees. Stir it once at 5 minutes. 12.) Allow to cool then do a quick grind if caking has occurred (or mortar and pestle). 13.) Place product in a sealed glass container as soon as possible to retain flavor - use a proper size jar for the amount to minimize air space. 14.) Use and enjoy. Amount to use is definitely a personal preference. I used 3 leveled teaspoons for one cup of boiling hot water. As a coffee additive I mixed two thirds coffee to one third chicory but I might make it stronger next time - I love stronger flavored brews. I intentionally powdered as opposed to making grounds, for purposes of experimentation. Doing this allowed me to make a quick brew in a cup for testing purposes. It still works with coffee grounds and doesn't get through the coffee filters. Result: Both chicory and dandelion made palatable, pleasing, stand-alone beverages that were a bit on the bitter side. I read that bitter means it wasn't roasted long enough to properly caramelize the carbohydrates, which I suspect is what happened. Next time I will do the initial roast for a longer period or a higher temperature or both. I think the grounds or powder should be much darker than what I ended up with. Coffee with chicory was simply delightful. While they are very similar, it is my opinion that dandelion had a much earthier aroma while roasting versus chicory. Chicory also seems to have a more concentrated flavor than dandelion. I am afraid that might be a personal bias because my entire life I have been taught that dandelions are evil weeds that ruin lawns and serve no useful purpose. I will have some family members do a blind taste test to get their opinions of the two - and I have no intention of telling them that one is dandelion. ;) You can't beat free weeds, so use them. I think that a person could harvest and roast both chicory and dandelion, then mix the two together 50/50 to make the better flavored chicory go farther without affecting the quality that much. It is my intention to do this in the future. Summation: Very interesting project. Easy to do but a little harder to do correctly (like most things in life). Surprisingly good tasting beverages. Worth doing again but I need to experiment with roasting temps and times. Have fun! -Tom You can click on photos to see larger, but you will be redirected to another site. Roasted chicory root pieces: Ground (powdered) chicory: Roasted dandelion root pieces: Ground (powdered) dandelion: Comparison of the two roasted powders and beverages. Obviously very similar - very similar flavor as well. My preference is the chicory beverage but I intend on continuing with both. Chicory is on the left, dandelion on the right. Full strength brews of each - no coffee added.

'now I judt have to fimd the best application to fight the cercospora' Synthetic fungicides containing any drastic ingredient in the class of stobilurins (e.g. pyraxostrobin, azoxystrobin, trifloxystrobin etc), don't let Henry know I told you about it, or copper based fungicides if you want to be somewhat more 'ecological' and a quite bit safer yourself. Can't help you with specific brands since I'm not resident in the US but over here Cabrio, Switch and Flint would fall in the first category (the same would fight botrytis blight also). Best method (regardless of health concerns and the like) would be to alternate between strobilurins and copper. Disclaimer: A bit of fungal disease should be acceptable to anybody growing roses in his/her garden in my view. So use sparingly.

Considering insulative sheathing has made it's way into prescriptive minimums, I think it's more of a requirement than allowment. The "+" value in wood framed wall R value below denotes insulative sheathing prescriptions. Typical framing results in walls where 20-30% of a wall's total area, has no cavity insulation, which drags down the entire wall area's performance. For owners or designers after the most "R per inch" insulative sheathing is more effective than cavity insulation as it better encapsulates framing and structural components. This potentially increases airtightness, reduces thermal bridging and keeps structural components warmer, reducing chances of condensation and rot. The last feature may be why codes are beginning to adopt insulative sheathing as best (minimum) practice and calculating the minimum insulative sheathing is important for wood framed walls in cold climates. In the warmer climate zones of 2 and 3, a 2x4 wall with 1/2" of insulative sheathing outperforms a 2x6 wall and is thinner. As for Open Cell foam in roofs, I agree it's a relatively new practice posing risk and the same is true for Closed Cell. That's why many experts recommend insulative sheathing on top of roof structural sheathing and why the traditional unconditioned attic is appealing, as long as it has an airtight ceiling plane (tough part) and a thick layer of loose fill insulation. Roof leaks are typically more common and damaging than condensation and I think closed cell complicates discovery and repair more than open cell, but in cold climates I would prefer closed cell. Martin's article sounding the alarm about modeling studies is useful, but I think the onus mainly falls on field results and the vast majority of open cell roof decks seem to be working fine, other than the unfortunate reality that most spray foam installations are below code minimum performance. A good friend of mine is building in TN and we just went through all this. He was able to get good pricing for a flash coat of closed cell against the bottom of the roof deck, followed by filling the rest of the rafter cavities with open cell.