Dean O

I’m considering trying to design a pad that will enable me to issue a quote to a customer (with terms and conditions on reverse), on a second page issue me with a copy of the quote and on a third page issue a description of work with a risk assessment template - for issue to a work team. anyone use anything that they wouldn't mind me looking at, or does anyone have any useful ideas thanks Dean

Thanks for the confirmation, that's good news.

present on a large lime close to a property. to me it looks more like a slime mould or something mycorrhizal making the most of the localised damp conditions and leaf litter at the base of the tree in amongst the epicormic. the customer has recently removed this epi and has spotted this. the tree is tpo'd but will have suffered from extensive root damage when the property was built, however this was around 14 years ago and currently looks in fine health. the client says that two other trees have been removed previously - shortly after the construction - as they were hollow one photo is a lump which broke off - it doesn't have the qualities of the charcoal that I normally would associate with that stage of deusta at this stage I have suggested that the tree may be worthy of a picus or bore (if suspected deusta) due to its location - but I'm not certain on the fungus i.d.

I was looking forward to doing a bit of research into this sort of thing at the apf this year, but we went on Friday and while walking through this section it was piddling it down (more so than the rest of the day) and I didn't explore can we re run the apf next weekend please.

I find that when a branch does give it very rarely parts company with the tree entirely so I wouldn't worry too much about one tearing you in half. the swings the thing to watch but as others have said a well positioned second line or lanyard or a redirect from above will reduce this - whether srt or not

Thanks guys should have explained better that the description of the fungus was given some weeks before the photo, twasnt the id rather the fact it was hf rather than what I had in my mind that threw me. the crown is in decline with very little epicormic, in your experience would HF be the primary here or is there likely to be something else in residence paving the way? (sorry I know that's a bit of a how longs a piece of string type question) thanks

just checking, photos have been sent to me by the owner just arrived on a vet oak in a private garden that a client wants to try and manage through its decline. fungi near to a patch of dead/necrotic bark and wood at ground level (suspected ground level change) some weeping on the stem visible earlier in the year which made me suspect HF may have been around, but no other obvious signs. the description given to me by the home owner of the fungus sounded more like merip or grifola so its thrown me,

if its anything like round here they'll be gone by morning.

visited a customer who wanted a lovely looking beech ravaged to save pigeon poo on their cars. ive suggested pruning back and installing a plastic owl to keep the pigeons away. bit outside the box perhaps but is it likely to work?

if its not sh**ing in the veg patch its killing with cats. give the carcass to the owner of the cat.

if the guy isn't turning up because of a heavy weekend or a lack of work ethic then this is simply not on and should be gotten rid of. simple as. the reason this subject generates so much annoyance from employers is because they often feel that they are the ones being taken advantage of. they work longer hours than their employees, take the responsibility when employees cause problems, ensure that work is quoted for, booked in arranged. kit is fixed, maintained, bought. rearrange a jam packed diary when employees call in sick and let good customers down. if an employer texted their guy(s) on a Monday morning saying: 'I'm ill today so jobs cancelled, I wont be paying you, and you'll have to work twice as hard to fit it in on Tuesday, oh and I cant be bothered to go and do those quotes either so there will be some unpaid days off next week too' then the employees work ethic would be unlikely to get a warm reaction.

when I said that the radiator was relatively clean - I meant the fins on the outside not the inside - I haven't inspected the innards at all. fuel tank has all recently been flushed, oil and filters changed. sounds like it may be the thermostat. Is there a simple way of testing? thanks for guidance all.

thanks guys. its in an old greenmech chipper could be electrical, its had a new control box recently and not been used much since so perhaps a gremlin. I believe the filler cap seems fine and the fan is constantly driven. my first thought was oil cut off switch but oil levels are ok.

thanks for the replies - how do I check the thermostat? (sorry not very mechanically minded) unfortunately there's no temp gauge, you can feel the heat coming off the machine and water is being discharged through the overflow/expansion tube at the filler neck. it seems to be cutting out after 20-30 mins of use. I assumed that there was a safety cut off switch cutting it off when the temp was getting too high? this led me to assume that the thermostat was in this loop and giving the signal to shut down? and this made me think that the water and coolant simply wasn't being moved round the system sufficiently to cool the engine. there's plenty of fluid in it (refilled with water and coolant), fan is working (constantly on as belt driven from engine) and radiator is clean (not spotless but relatively). thanks Dean

Engine seems to be overheating and cutting out. No oil in water so im hoping its not the head gasket. Anything else i should be checking? Guessing its the water pump? Any body know where I can source a replacement water pump?

from someone with no knowledge of mogs... can a shaft be put in place easily enough? or does it need a separate gear box to run it?

I was unsure as to whether to place this in the employment section, machinery section or here - I'm looking for someone with a hedge flail for some work in Bridgend (South Wales). the job is perhaps a little 'odd'. if anyone has any contacts or suitable machinery in this area please get in touch and I can explain what's entailed and arrange a site visit. many thanks Dean 07533418103

I was unsure as to whether to place this in the employment section, machinery section or here - I'm looking for someone with a hedge flail for some work in Bridgend (South Wales). the job is perhaps a little 'odd'. if anyone has any contacts or suitable machinery in this area please get in touch and I can explain what's entailed and arrange a site visit. many thanks Dean 07533418103

electric mesh fence helps as additional security to a pen but isn't fool proof if you forget to turn it on one night (oops) We've had a fox get in twice chicken wire dug bellow level with a layer of bricks and then a layer of turf over that. a slab under the doorway to the run to prevent digging. then a large hutch within the run with lockable door. It got over the top when at 6 foot so we raised it to 8 foot on batons - its a little floppy, which as others have said helps to make climbing tricky. I make sure they are shut into their hutch each night which is the biggest method of prevention. on the last occasion I fell to sleep forgetting to put the electric fence on or shutting them into the hutch. (which is obviously in the run) It seems that they made the most of getting out of the hutch early in the morning at sun up and were spotted. Foxy some how managed to undo the gate latch - he probably wouldn't have persevered if he hadn't seen them in the run, and the lack of protection that morning from the electric fence meant no deterrent.

Greentech's soil seems more suitable on the pH front - but is 'structural' - will/does this have any bearing?

thanks for the replies, I will look into greentech Jamie - thanks yes this has been considered, and normally I would agree, but in this situation, unfortunately, beyond the incorporation of suitable drainage (a la BS8545) and replacement soil (as the existing is, to use a technical term: sh*t) wider soil amelioration is not possible. the tree will be maintained at a relatively small size and so planting pit volume, and the use of a subterranean anchoring system seems to be the most suitable way of compensating for the factors you describe.

any recommendations for backfill for a planting pit? surrounding ground is post development, slaked clayey, gloopy and anaerobic so drainage etc has been thought of. theres no need for the soil to be structural as its a back garden location (rather than street tree) is there anyone who can supply a sandy loamy compost soil off the shelf. quantity required will be approx. 3 cubic metres. I didn't want to mix my own if I could help it. I looked at Melcourt topsoil but the pH seems a little high to me - at up to 8.2? thanks Dean

thanks for your help guys, Spruce pirate you addressed the issues with spraying prior to planting that i had in mind. the only other way round this i considered was having another operator following up and spraying around the shelters or scattering a residual which would help when the weeds got to growing. I hadnt considered the weevil thanks for the links 10 bears

Sorry perhaps my post was a little misleading I have an essay to write and the question is: Describe an appropriate planting method and post planting aftercare requirements for each of the following in a given situation: • 40-60 transplant – post clear fell weed covered site. by 'chemical site preparation' I meant - do you guys tend to spray weeds before you plant in preparation, or a year down the line? for the purpose of the essay I'm going to assume that the planting is carried out relatively soon after the clear fell so isn't 6 foot deep in bramble. many thanks for the replies

is it seen as best practice to spray a site to remove weeds from a clear fell site prior to planting a site with whips. or do you go in during the winter plant up then spray around them as after care? when? how often? (essay to write) many thanks Dean