this post was submitted on 26 Oct 2024
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Possum Lodge Skunk Works

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Possum Lodge: The lodge from The Red Green Show. A handyman (or woman's) paradise where if it ain't broke, you're not trying and duct tape fixes everything.

Skunk Works: A pseudonym for Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Program. Originally a nickname based on the "Skonk Oil Factory" from Lil' Abner, the Skunk Works is the [unofficial] name of Lockheed's research and development arm. The Skunk Works has been responsible for numerous technical innovations, especially pertaining to aeronautics.

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This community is dedicated to the best examples of DIY engineering. To the handyman (or handywoman) in all of us. Maybe you're proud of your creation or maybe you're serving up a cautionary tale. Whether mechanical, electrical, or architectural, if you've built something to make your life easier, or just because you could, no matter if it belongs in the Skunk Works hall of fame or in an episode of the Red Green Show, we want to see it.

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Leaf Vacuum (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 4 weeks ago by jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works to c/possumlodgeskunkworks@sh.itjust.works
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If necessity is the mother of invention, laziness is the grandaddy.

I have almost a half acre which gets covered in oak leaves during the fall. I have to get them all to the burn pile on one end of the property which usually involves blowing them into separate piles and transporting each pile to the burn pile a bit at a time.

I figured there has to be an easier way to do this. I used a leaf blower/vac, a 4" flexible hose, and an insulation disposal bag that I had leftover from another project. It works pretty good. Actually better than the vacuum does with the shoulder bag probably because the airflow isn't as restricted.

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[–] WhyDoYouPersist@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

That makes sense, thanks! Neighbors and peer pressure I've found are one of the most difficult hurdles to overcome when it comes to restoring or maintaining native ecosystems, for those who are interested in doing so.

Good point about the fire safety aspect. It's interesting: prior to human disruption and development, wildfires were a massive key to the sustainability and reinforcement of health for native flora and soil. Most cities won't let you perform prescribed fires on your property to try to emulate that (for good reason, of course!). Because you're removing the leaf barrier during drought, the next best thing to conserve moisture in the soil would be locally produced mulch. A good rule of thumb is to mulch at least a couple inches deep all the way to the drip line of the tree (where the roots extend to and even beyond), just imagine a line dripping straight down from the very outer circumference of branches on the tree. And as another user said, never put any mulch or other organic matter within a few inches of the trunk to keep decaying matter and the organisms it attracts away from the tree tissue.

The pest control aspect theoretically should work itself out by keeping the native ecosystem as intact as possible. Too many pests means an abundance of food for beneficial predators such as wasps, dragonflies, songbirds and birds of prey. Of course if you're referring to pests as meaning invasive species that outcompete natives, that's much trickier.

I'm sorry for the wall of text and unsolicited advice but it is a passion of mine so it's hard to shut up once I start. That stuff is literally worth it's weight in gold to the natural world; you might even want to try composting it as another option, but anywhere you move it to will be all the richer for it.

In any case, I appreciate the engineering of your jolly green giant leaf sucker and I hope it serves you well if you continue transporting the leaf litter.