MarcIssan

9 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Most herbicieds have been banned it they coantain any of these.

 

Yes I know.  Some, many, or all are non-selective like Round Up but none of the ones I am seeking contain any of these ingredients.   Also the last I heard, Glyphosate was exempt due to pressure from America.  It seems if Thailand bans Glyphosate they also ban produce with Glyphosate on them.  That excludes about $29 billion worth of agriculture imported from America plus the Glyphosate produced there.  If anyone has an update that is different than this on Glyphosate I'd appreciate the info.

2 hours ago, Denim said:

 

When I put our lawn down , apart from watering three times a day I also covered it up with thick netting  for protection during the hottest part of the day from 10 am to 4 am.  After about three weeks the turf had taken root and the netting was no longer needed.

 

as for weeds, I do ours by hand. If you want to get every single weed out at one go a very laborious business. I just do 5 minutes worth of weeding in the cool morning and another 5 in the evening. I just go for the biggest weeds visable. By doing this every day , after about a month hardly any weeds left. 

I wouldn't try any kind of weed killer since it might also kill off some of the grass.

 

 

I should have sprayed with Glyphosate first to kill everything before laying the grass.  The fill was fresh and I rototilled all the growth under several times then leveled the soil.  There were no visible growths of anything.  For sure most of the nutsedge was in my soil because the growth is pretty much limited to the sod edges and not so much in the center of the sod roll.  Pulling nutsedge is fruitless unless the nutlets at the end of the root are also pulled up.  Otherwise I will be pulling on the same grassy weed week after week.  I have pulled some as a test but never saw any nutlets and these will grow up soon for sure.

But I have found 3 herbicides that are safe with Zoysia and are effective on yellow and purple nutsedge.  The brands are Image Herbicide Consumer Concentrate, Ortho Nutsedge Killer, and SedgeHammer.  I'll use whichever one I can get the fastest as they

all are effective.

Well, the news is both good and bad.  The good news is that I finally know what the problem is and the bad news is that I have to hand dig the buggers out.  I have between 250 and 300 square meters of grass all in full sun!  But thanks for the final word on what the invasive grass is!  Many were guessing and telling me to try this and that.

I had a digging tool in the states that had a long shaft with a small fork at the end to loosen the soil around the root shaft but left all my garden tools when I moved here.  I'll locate a few like it, one for my wife and I plus 2 nephews.  I am 72 but still put in the hard work to build then maintain what is there.  If you have a photo and a source for the tool you found to work the best, send it along.

I put Malaysian grass in a shady area and it is doing well but it suddenly stops at the very edge that gets afternoon sun and that is where the Nutgrass starts.  I hand pull  the unwanted grasses there but the plot is only 3 meters by 14 meters so that is easily managed.

Regarding fertilizer, I'll look for some NPKS.  The stuff the grass company suggested is either all N or NP but no K or S.  Do you have a brand you like?  I have a local farm supply and can look around there.

So I guess that's it for now unless you find a photo of the tool you like or have any further comments. 

Thanks again.

22 hours ago, Michael Hare said:

I am not sure if Zoysia will tolerate those herbicides. Your suggested fertilizers of 16-20-0 and 15-15-0 contains no K. You need K in these poor soils. Mowing twice a week for a new lawn is over doing it. The tropical Zoysia lawns are nothing like the ryegrass, fine fescue or fine bentgrass lawns in cool temperate countries. 

Can I pick your brain a little?  

I am attaching some recent photos of the grassy weeds I am battling in the hopes you can properly ID the weed species or more importantly suggest an herbicide that can eradicate them. 

We have a local shop where I got Trimec  2,4-d but they don't know anything about MSMA or trifloxysulfuron which was suggested by Micah.  He admitted not knowing weed types that well but thinks these look like yellow nutsedge and if so said I may have to pull the mature ones out and rely on an herbicide to control new growth.  It might also be goosegrass...honestly I just don't know.  Gosh I hope don't have to hand pull the thousands of weed growths out...I need a spray.  Back home I used a broadleaf spray and it took care of everything but crabgrass and thankfully I had little of that.

I read where 2,4-d kills sedges thus I applied Trimec and so far 2 days later there is no yellowing of anything.  I also sprayed the flower areas surrounding the Zoysia with Glyphosate and the grassy weeds are yellowing a bit as of today but that is a kill-all herbicide which I have used before but not suitable for lawns.

So what herbicides are compatible with Zoysia and what types of plants do they kill?  Also, is there a pre-emergent granule I can apply to control new growth...or is that not necessary when using an herbicide?

Any help you can offer is appreciated.

Just now, MarcIssan said:

Yes they came to Udon but they have a 2-month long project at a local school to redo their football pitch so I was just the icing on the cake.  The sod came folded lengthwise into 3 folds.  As you can see it was a rich green and freshly cut.  I ended up with 50 square meters too much so I planted it in the back just to keep it alive in case I need to fill in some dead spots later.

Oh also, I forgot to mention they rolled it as the last step then I dumped water on it for 30 minutes.  It rooted in about a week so I cut the watering considerably.

On 5/4/2020 at 9:17 AM, Halfaboy said:

Did they come all the way down from bangkok to lay 300 m2 grass rolls in Udon ?

 

Was the new grass rolled up to make sure that there would be contact between the new grass and the old surface ?

 

Hope it all works out well....

Yes they came to Udon but they have a 2-month long project at a local school to redo their football pitch so I was just the icing on the cake.  The sod came folded lengthwise into 3 folds.  As you can see it was a rich green and freshly cut.  I ended up with 50 square meters too much so I planted it in the back just to keep it alive in case I need to fill in some dead spots later.

Michael,

Thanks for the comment.  You may be right and I guess time will tell.  I don't know the Zoysia grass so any new information is welcome.

I am actually following the advice from the owner (Queen) from Turf Grass Specialists which is where I bought the sod and of Micah Woods from Asian Turfgrass, a golf course consultant.  Both are golf course specialists which is how I made contact and each somehow deals with a variety of grasses for golf courses and football pitches.

Queen suggested a 2x weekly mowing to force the Zoysia to grow out and not up and she also recommended the fertilizer mix.  Her project manager brought the first bag of 16-20-0 and suggested the 46-0-0 which I think is way too high in N.  None of what they suggest has any K in the mix which surprises me.

Micah suggested the herbicide mix since that his what his golf course customers use.  He also suggested that mowing could reduce to maybe 10 per year once the grass filled in and watering gets to normal.  Before the rains I was watering 2-4 times a day but now that the roots have developed and the weather is cooler here and the rains have come almost daily, I cut watering to 1x / day unless it rains.  Micah also said that watering and fertilizer should be adjusted to control growth and once the roots go deep, watering could be just 2x per week.  Growth adjusts to water supply with wet months requiring more often mowing.  He suggested 15-15-15 and alternating to 16-20-0  for 2 months on for each which is what I'll do.

Both offer advice but neither offer the same advice...exactly so I am just sorting it out at the moment.

Right now I have an invasion of what seems to be yellow nutsedge and I cannot pull them out fast enough.  I need an herbicide for that but I am now told it works best on the young ones which means the larger ones get pulled I guess.  I  tried Trimec 2,4-d the other day so I need to wait 4-5 days to see if there is any change.  Pulling them is boring but that is what nephews are for!

Thanks again.  I appreciate the comment.  I caused me to ask more questions.

Marc

Thanks for the replies.  Yes I was very happy with the quality and the work done.  It looked great but the next day the temps got to 104 and much of it turned brown and the heat lasted a full week.  I watered 4 times a day and still it got worse.  Finally the Zoysia started rooting and turning more green.

The grass company had a football pitch project in Udon and were in town for that.  For sure that was the reason the crew showed up not just because of my small patch.  They came back 10 days later to fertilize and top treat with sand and it has greened up considerably.

But now the grassy weeds are coming up and I am not going to hand pull them so herbicides will be considered.  I just spot sprayed the areas with Trimec 2,4-d hoping to kill some off but MSMA and trifloxysulfuron are also recommended but I cannot find that here in Udon.

I am mowing  twice a week now with all the rain but hopefully I can get down to once a week.  I have tried to train the nephews in the art of lawn mowing but they just cannot grasp the concept of overlapping cuts and I end up with missed areas everywhere.  Tomorrow will be their second attempt so hopefully their results improve.

The grass seller suggested fertilizer that is 16-20-0 with a weekly application for 8 weeks then switch to a 15-15-0 for 8 weeks then back and forth.  This is resulting in much more hands on work than I expected and now I appreciate the work involved to keep golf greens so nice.

I invested in several plots of land around Udon many years ago and the best prices were from word of mouth by those about ready to lose the land to the bank from unpaid loans.  Also you might search banks who own land and houses due to repossession as you might find some nuggets at a good price.

Not all Thai women are gold diggers out to rob you blind but it only takes a second for that angel to turn into Medusa so protect yourself.  You can and should do a land lease if your intention is to build a house.  The last thing you need is to get tossed out of your house by the X while she shags the next guy just after borrowing the max she can only to lose the house to the bank a year or so later.  Land leases keep you in your house until the end of the lease period (plus extensions if you so add) and gives you the right to sell your house and the interest in the lease to a 3rd party without needing her permission.  Do this via an attorney to avoid problems later on.

First, you have no rights here in Thailand!  You can live here as long as you keep up your visa and you can spend money here but concerning assets other than a condo ownership, you have no legal rights if your marriage goes south.  You are not entitled to 50/50.  Thai laws are for Thai people and we are only guests here.

The only thing you can do that helps is to write an agreement with your wife regarding how your investment will be repaid in the case of divorce.  If prepared by an attorney, signed by both, notarized, etc and made legal you at least have that on your side.  It has more strength in court than a 'verbal' agreement and can add leverage.  Furthermore it prevents your wife (or x-wife as the case may be) from mortgaging YOUR house where it ultimately may become bank property if the loan is not repaid as agreed.  You can go to SiamLegal.com and buy a land lease form for DIY completion or again use an attorney to assure you get it right.

If you plan to build a house on her land with 100% of your money, I suggest you do a land lease.  That way, in the case of divorce, you have the right to live in YOUR house until the end of the lease and renewal periods plus you can insert your right to sell your house and the interest in the land lease to a 3rd party without the need for approval by your then x-wife.

Contracts are contracts and can be the basis of litigation but more importantly it gives you the peace of mind that if the marriage becomes troubled, you have some hope of financial recovery.

I bought a hoist from Do Home 2  years ago and it stopped working this week.  Does anyone know of a motor repair shop in Udon Thani or within 50 km of the city center?

I'm in Udon Thani and need an electric motor repair shop.  I bought a 1600 kg hoist motor from DoHome 2 years ago and used it very little but it stopped working.  It worked earlier this week then nothing today.    I took the gear reduction unit off and removed the armature and clutch mechanism and aside from a little rust it all looks OK.  Bearing are all sealed ones and freely spin.  I put it together and the motor works in one direction but not the other.  In the down selection, I hear clicking when I hit the button and hear humming but no spinning.  In the up direction it seems slow to start and to get up to speed most of the time and when the armature is in a certain spot it hums and tries to spin but nothing happens.

Does anyone know of an electric motor repair shop in or near Udon Thani?

Thanks

Regarding taxis...I stayed in Hanoi for a week and got ripped off one time on fare.  I called to complain and in the end the owner of the taxi said he rented out his taxi for the day and the other driver is the one that ripped me off.  I later found out their is a 'fast mode' or something where they can flip the switch and it speeds up the meter.  That happened to me and no one wanted to do anything other than blame Mr. Noname.  I was advised by the hotel to negotiate a flat rate in advance.  The hotel knows what the fare should be to use a a guideline.  That worked the rest of my time there.  Even still, one driver 'got lost' and drove around and around and when we decided to get out and follow Google, he demanded more money.  I gave him what we agreed and no more.  I too want to see HCMC...looks like a 2020 trip for me.

Ok thanks.  I'll do the same as I would like to know the makeup of the bore hole well.

MJ has shown to reduce seizures but I don't know the details.  The PM should read more rather than deny the science.

I'll try to find out.  A friend in Buriram is going through that now and ended up at the Govt office..without a permit etc.  They told him if the water is too bad they will not issue a permit and suggest he not use the water.  Permits for a well is 500 bt for 5 years then 250 every 2 years thereafter.  Not bad. But they also asked for info on the driller and he said some guy in a truck.  I'll ask him more.  But the govt office arranged the test at the University in Korat and when the results come in he returns to the office to discuss the test results.  I'd rather just bypass the Govt if possible...too many questions. I just want water for dishes, laundry, and showers.

I have a bore hole well 47 meters deep and heard the university at Khon Kaen does water tests that report details of hardness, calcium, VOC's etc.  Does anyone know who to contact or how to get the test done? I am in Udon Thani. The test completed by the Pure store lacked any detail making it hard to configure a proper water filtering system.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Ah the driver's license and banking are issues.  When you change the address with Medicare, ask them to send a replacement card.  All you need is one envelope that arrived via the mail that has your name and address on it.  A magazine, a gift in a box from your daughter, a letter, etc.   Then you can open a bank account and get a driver's license.

I cannot imagine why you would want to do that!  Talk about an added drain on your savings and social security.  But any citizen will not be denied entry into the country so you are safe there.  So all you need is money, then a place to stay, then food to eat.  Forget about pussy...Oh I forgot you are 80 so no worries.  As far as credit cards go, they are unsecured and you cannot be arrested for non-payment.  If you defrauded them in the process, that is a different issue and their interest in you would depend on the amount owed I would guess.  You will need to change your address with Medicare and social security but that's about it from my knowledge.

Sanctuary cities are mostly in the Eastern and Western states controlled by the Democratic party. There are a few exceptions.  Democrats oppose everything Trump does even when it is for the good of the country and the people.  They oppose The Wall and seemingly anything that upholds our laws regarding illegal immigration.  So if they want open borders, unfettered entry by immigrants outside of the legal pathways, and support a look-the-other-way regarding illegal entry into the USA and in dealing with those individuals when their illegal status becomes known by the police within those sanctuary cities, then why not send them all to those cities to let the politicians deal with them?  But that won't happen because some of the states where sanctuary cities are located are on the brink of bankruptcy as it is.  

Sure Trump poses an empty threat but its funny and would be poetic justice in the least.

America faces a huge dilemma regarding immigration.  So do many other nations of the world.   Either suck it up or enforce the laws or pass new ones if required.

Trump wants to enforce the laws and protect the borders but he has to deal with the liberal Democrats who seem more inclined to take back control of the government than they are in protecting our country, our way of life, and the sovereignty of the nation.  It is a political football, to say the least.

What isn't discussed much is the cost of illegal immigrants to the economy.  Here are some thoughts on that.

The Pew Hispanic Center estimated that 6–7 million immigrants came to the United States via illegal entry (the rest (600,000) entering via legal visas allowing a limited stay, but then not leaving when their visa period ended). There are an estimated half million illegal entries into the United States each year.

In 2017, FAIR's "The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers" report put the total cost of illegal immigration at $135 billion a year, while claiming undocumented immigrants paid only $19 billion a year in taxes. That leaves a net cost to local, state and federal governments of $116 billion a year.   FAIR estimated that there are roughly 12.5 million undocumented immigrants in the country. That's significantly higher — by more than 1 million people — than most other estimates.

At approximately $9,280 cost per immigrant per year to the US economy, if the approximate 500,000 illegal immigrants entering the country every year could be stopped plus the 600,000 annual visa overstays could be prevented, the US could save $10,208,000,000 annually. 

That means The Wall and further expansions could be paid for through taxpayer savings alone and added policies and police service could also be funded to better track those in the USA on visas of various sorts.

If we had systems in place like those here in Thailand that made it more difficult to disappear within the country, maybe some of the 12.5 million undocumented immigrants could enter the legal process or be sent back to their home country. 

I think there should be some special circumstances allowable for illegal immigrants who have lived here peacefully, have a family to support, have not committed certain crimes, and earn a living while legally paying taxes.  We should have an amnesty program or let them continue to live in the country while moving through the immigration process contingent on knowing their whereabouts, not being arrested for certain crimes, and on them staying employed a certain number of months per year, etc.  The moment they seek social benefits, get arrested,  or stop earning their way is when they get a plane ticket home.  Earn the right to stay is what I'm saying.

I bank at Bangkok Bank and have 2 accounts.  One is a US Dollar account and one is Thai Baht.  I started this over 2 years ago when I transferred Thai Baht to my account and was floored over the crappy exchange rate and the fees.  I had no control over the exchange rate and one large transfer cost me over $900 USD and the bank said using 2 accounts would have cost me 500 bt instead.  Now  I send US dollars then convert them to  Baht within Bangkok Bank and get a better rate than posted on their electronic board at the bank.  Plus the fees are less for both the incoming and outgoing wire and I can choose when I exchange dollars to baht based on the posted rates.

In case you have not found what you need, you might look at www.Superproducts.co.th.  If you are in or near Udon, I have a local farm supply shop that offers a decent discount but he will need to order in everything from them.  3-day delivery and he ships if you are not local.  Also he understands and speaks decent English if I talk slowly.  Let me know if I can help.

Antonymous, please supply more information on the air purifiers.  I'll get a couple of them today! 

I might need to get a really really huge one that can purify the entire area surrounding my house because my wife refuses to close the front doors!  That is another issue!  Do they come in different sizes?  Our bedroom is 27 SQM and the great room is 96 SQM.  Thanks for the help...I've got keys in hand ready to go!

Here in Udon Thani the air quality today is 153 PPM and is rated hazardous.  Looking at the fire map on FIRMS I can see why.  The entire country is RED..80+% of the country has had fires observed over the past 24 hours.  That little bit of green (where the arrow points) is the long/lat of where I live.  I think my area is green because the farmers have already burned all the nearby sugar cane and some as close as 40 meters from my front door.  Black snow has been falling all week.  Nobody came to our area when the fires were raging and the folks in our village take poor air quality as a fact of life.  Most of them smoke like a chimney as well and care little about long term health.  Maybe they figure they'll get whacked on their motorbike well before they have to worry about self-inflicted health issues.

My first year here (2016) I was on an 'O' visa and needed to do a visa run every 90 days. My first trip was to Hanoi and in my planning for the week away I met a guy at a bar in Udon who used to live in Thailand but left for Hanoi a few years ago due to the imposing rules and paperwork required here.  He loves it, says it is cheaper there, you get a longer visa right out and little to no trouble with authorities on visa issues.  He said it was like Thailand 20 years ago..but that was before my time.  He encouraged me to consider Viet Nam but of course my Thai wife said that is out of the question.  We enjoyed our trip and found the people very friendly and by and large many spoke fluent English. I'd move there under different circumstances in a second.  No worries!!