Mart Hale

Anne Miller wrote:Thanks for sharing this technique with the forum, Mart.

I am assuming that the air bubbler keeps the water from becoming stagnant.

Is your Air Bubbler the kind used in fish tanks?

Yes, that is what I am using, one that has 4 air outlets.

This is about the 3rd year of me using this bubbler with air stones weighted down in this 5 gal bucket with a hole cut in the side to let rain water out.

The cuttings are coming out well rooted after about 1 - 2 weeks of time in this setup,   what I am rooting is apple mint.

Looking forward to seeing your results....  

I would suggest a control group of just water alone just for a reference to compare to.

Other items i have seen tested to help in the rooting process is raw ( unheated ) honey, and cinnamon.      

Best of success in your experments!

Compressed air in storage tanks.    Amish use this,  one bought a rail road car, filled it vial compressor with air, then ran all of his shop and home with the compressed air.


Gravity Batteries.       Power plants will take excess energy and pump water to a higher level,  then when needed use that water with water turbines to make electricity.      Other variations is rail cars sent up hill then released with regenerative breaking  to charge batteries which are then charged by the time the get to the bottom of the hill.

Storing energy in ice or heat...        I have a thread here about sand batteries...


Storing energy chemically.       Some reactions like with limestone energy can be stored,   then released by adding water.

Storing energy organically.       Alcohol can be produced from sugar cane or potatoes,    then run in engine .    Engines also can run off charcoal / wood.

This said,   Lithium batteries still are chosen because of the percentage of energy in verses the energy out.        They are very efficient at the task they do than the other alternatives that I am aware of.

bob day wrote:I feel like it's time to update the tech that is already here, and the uses that remain quite obvious for the brave new world that is quickly approaching.Or will it be more like the star trek vision where people move freely between high tech and more earthy living, with money basically obsolete and a hardware system  that is always in surplus,basically free of waste and destruction.

So Waymo- driverless Taxis are well established in a few cities, tesla has been operating human monitored driverless cabs in Austin for employees and will open the service to the public  in June, with the idea that all teslas will have the driverless option (public and private) by 2027 give or take.  There is a bill in congress that will modernize regulations to standardize safety requirements through all 50 states for the new tech.

Tesla will start full production of electric semi trucks next year in Nevada, in a dedicated factory with a completion date by the end of this year.

Tesla has started several factories around the world producing mega batteries that replace Peaker plants basically offering a stabilizing power effect without the need for coal or natural gas to power the grid when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow. This was pioneered in Australia several years ago and was so effective it is being replicated across Australia and the rest of the world. Tesla has two factories in China, one temporary factory in California and another dedicated factory close to completion in California.

The humanoid robot "optimus" is becoming more adept at different tasks (snowboarding :-)) and Tesla will be producing several thousand this year. There are already 30 or 40 being tested at jobs in their factories and robot assembly lines are hiring workers as the assembly process becomes refined. When completed this robot will not need "cloud" access for it's intelligence but uses a powerful onboard computer to allow faster response times.

After several months my  lifepo (lithium) batteries are remarkable, using fewer bats they outperform the lead acid ones 2-1.  The biggest challenge with this chemistry is cold, and the bats can be damaged when attempting to charge them below32* F They can still be discharged down to 5* or so without damage,  and some come with internal heaters provided although these are more expensive.  Recent price reductions make them cheaper than lead acid, although with new tariffs that may change since most of them come from China.  The only challenge left is lifespan, and they are predicted to last ten years under moderate use, possibly 20 years in a solar system where total draining is less frequent.

Lead Acid bats get destroyed much more easily when draining them so i anticipate lithium will be better in this respect also. I purchased unknown cheap chinese brands and cross my fingers and knock on wood they will at least last a few years.

I used a propane refrigerator for many years requiring monthly trips to town for propane, but over the last couple years since I started the electric fridge, no trips to town for gas, steady reliable-free- more cold space, and the new lead acid bats were the weakest part of the system. during the winter the fridge power system (4 solar panels and 6 100ah bats)  would need to be turned off when bats got low, since changing out the lead acid for lifepo never a shortage (only used 4 life po 100ah, biggest problem is now with increased sun, I need a controller to reduce high voltage. automatic cut offs- are built in-the bats have controllers for this, but having a secondary controller is safer.

I'm Planning on getting an electric golf cart soon, and will likely be replacing those bats with lifepo also. I'll also be setting up a larger solar system with used panels, and the golf cart will become a large mobile power supply.

after so many years struggling with minimal power suddenly my cup runneth over,

remember, if you're not having fun, you've got the design wrong.

Tech can be used for either good or bad...     I believe we could use it for good.

Imagine robots using motors with blades destroying weeds, and planting crops in companion form...

The new world is coming at break neck speed....     Machines are making machines,   change is coming faster.

I imagine with the tarriffs,  the new factories built in the USA will be robot driven, not human driven....

It is a new world...

To quote Darwin ->

"It Is Not the Strongest of the Species that Survives But the Most Adaptable"

Being able to adapt to the change may be key to survival,   programming the robots to do permaculture  may be the way to survive.

In making the soil for the blocks.

Make the mix very wet, if too wet then add soil to fix.

Use 55 cut off tube with drill + auger to mix the soil.

Getting the seeds started,  use the spray bottle or 2 gal sprayer.

Mark the trays with the seeds as you won't remember what you put in.

Cotton balls can help start seeds.

Use the concrete pan with flat bottom for making the blocks swipe side to side and up and down

Before removing the block after the swipe,  press down to form block better.
with the plunger

Water only what the blocks need as too much water will drown the roots.

Peas do well, so do beans.  

Start plants in the shade as they can't take the sun, or water alot if in sun.

Well, use of the first spray I made, along with removing the leaves that were aphid infested helped alot.

I was able to harvest some cabbage from this, and I learned good lessons on preventative..

I found inside the grow bag there was a nest of ants that were farming the aphids.       That grow bag is now being held down with a cement block under water to finish off the ants.        

I still have cabbage growing in other areas that have other problems, with worms, but at least I am getting better at this war for my food.

Thom Bri wrote:I spent 83 hours last year growing 230 Lbs of corn. I can buy sacks of corn for $10 for 50 Lbs. So for $50 I could replace all my labor. A singe overtime shift would pay for all the food I grew last year. Gardening to 'save money' is simply silly in my situation.

I enjoy my job and it's an important job. But when they call me to work overtime I almost always say 'no'.

I have learned I cannot compete with a combine....     I love those machines  

I have had mixed results with the soil blocks,    the peas have done great in my aquaponics...

The beans I put in sprouted then died...      They were not covered and out in a humidity dome....     I am not adding vermiculite to the top and using a spray bottle on top to wet done the seedlings.

I have watched several videos about how to do soil blocks effectively,  picked up many good tips.

Bought some stainless steel cookie sheets to put the soil blocks on...    This method is really..... growing on me ha ha ha..