Comments on: Dyeing for a Solution? http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/ Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:23:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Hope Comes in Yellow and Green - Asymptotia http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96749 Hope Comes in Yellow and Green - Asymptotia Mon, 10 Dec 2007 03:23:43 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96749 [...] I decided to do Griffith park for my Sunday morning hike today. It’s been a while - I’ve mostly been doing Runyon. I thought it would be nice to see how things were doing up there since I last went and saw them dramatically spraying the hydromulch to protect the ground from erosion until regrowth from the fire damage (see here and here). The (very) occasional rain we’ve had in the last couple of months seem to have begun something wonderful - there are hints of green somewhere. I saw this beautiful photograph at one point - which sort of says it all - only to find that my camera (which seems to be on its last legs these last few days) had died again. So I had to take it with my camera phone, and so it is a bit below par: [...] [...] I decided to do Griffith park for my Sunday morning hike today. It’s been a while - I’ve mostly been doing Runyon. I thought it would be nice to see how things were doing up there since I last went and saw them dramatically spraying the hydromulch to protect the ground from erosion until regrowth from the fire damage (see here and here). The (very) occasional rain we’ve had in the last couple of months seem to have begun something wonderful - there are hints of green somewhere. I saw this beautiful photograph at one point - which sort of says it all - only to find that my camera (which seems to be on its last legs these last few days) had died again. So I had to take it with my camera phone, and so it is a bit below par: [...]

]]> By: Clifford http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96735 Clifford Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:47:00 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96735 Also, ccp… For what it’s worth: It was not done on Monday…. I saw this on Sunday (as is also clearly mentioned in the post - you seem to have missed that too) and stood there for a while and took the picture. And i believe they’d been at it since before Sunday, and since Monday. Do have a read of the link I gave in the update (that I think you must also have missed). Cheers, -cvj Also, ccp… For what it’s worth: It was not done on Monday…. I saw this on Sunday (as is also clearly mentioned in the post - you seem to have missed that too) and stood there for a while and took the picture. And i believe they’d been at it since before Sunday, and since Monday. Do have a read of the link I gave in the update (that I think you must also have missed).

Cheers,

-cvj

]]> By: Clifford http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96734 Clifford Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:44:49 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96734 ccp:- If you actually read the post without pre-judgment, you’ll see that it began with humour and then I asked for information and discussion, and acknowledged that it was probably something being done for the right reasons. In fact I did look up hydromulch, and others added to the discussion too. The only snarkiness that came is that which you brought. Thanks so much for the information. -cvj ccp:- If you actually read the post without pre-judgment, you’ll see that it began with humour and then I asked for information and discussion, and acknowledged that it was probably something being done for the right reasons. In fact I did look up hydromulch, and others added to the discussion too.

The only snarkiness that came is that which you brought.

Thanks so much for the information.

-cvj

]]> By: ccp http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96733 ccp Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:42:59 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96733 You know, it’s one thing to be snarky about stuff like this, but it’s much better to be scientific about this and actually like, you know, look up hydromulching and hydroseeding and find out what it’s really about. I was actually up at Griffith the day they did this (Monday). Yes, the material is colored to be able to see where it has been done and where it hasn’t been done. It’s quite common to do this in areas where vegetation has been burned or damaged, particularly on steep slopes where the next rain would simply wash the seeds away. The color has nothing to do with being “eco” or trying to be cute or cool; it’s a way to see the material you’re laying down. I lived in the West for quite a long time and hydroseeding such as what you saw at Griffith Park is quite common and is, in fact, usually the ONLY way that damaged hillsides can be recovered. Doing it by helicopter is actually about the only way you can do it and make sure that all affected areas are seeded properly. Nothing mysterious or new age or weird about it. You know, it’s one thing to be snarky about stuff like this, but it’s much better to be scientific about this and actually like, you know, look up hydromulching and hydroseeding and find out what it’s really about. I was actually up at Griffith the day they did this (Monday).

Yes, the material is colored to be able to see where it has been done and where it hasn’t been done. It’s quite common to do this in areas where vegetation has been burned or damaged, particularly on steep slopes where the next rain would simply wash the seeds away. The color has nothing to do with being “eco” or trying to be cute or cool; it’s a way to see the material you’re laying down.

I lived in the West for quite a long time and hydroseeding such as what you saw at Griffith Park is quite common and is, in fact, usually the ONLY way that damaged hillsides can be recovered. Doing it by helicopter is actually about the only way you can do it and make sure that all affected areas are seeded properly. Nothing mysterious or new age or weird about it.

]]> By: Samantha http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96732 Samantha Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:41:37 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96732 I have to say when I saw this picture I first checked that it wasn’t April 1st (I get easily confused by time here, it’s always sunny!) because it frankly looks like a bad photoshop job. I have to say when I saw this picture I first checked that it wasn’t April 1st (I get easily confused by time here, it’s always sunny!) because it frankly looks like a bad photoshop job.

]]> By: Carl Brannen http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96731 Carl Brannen Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:40:27 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96731 When I saw the picture, I thought it was grass seed. Farmers often add dyes to the stuff they spray on land so they can tell where they’ve already gone. Doing it by helicopter seems excessive, but it seems that <a href="http://carsoncityinfo.com/Rehabilitation/Rehab.asp" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">they use helicopters</a> for this sort of thing regularly. When I saw the picture, I thought it was grass seed. Farmers often add dyes to the stuff they spray on land so they can tell where they’ve already gone.

Doing it by helicopter seems excessive, but it seems that they use helicopters for this sort of thing regularly.

]]> By: Lab Lemming http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96729 Lab Lemming Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:38:06 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96729 In the leadup to the Sydney olympics, they painted the grass for the soccer prelims in Canberra stadium green. Evidently in order to upgrade the field from rugby to soccer, they needed to returf it, and they imported subtropical turf to Canberra in the middle of winter- thus creating brown grass a few hard frosts later. The olympic officials were not too impressed. In the leadup to the Sydney olympics, they painted the grass for the soccer prelims in Canberra stadium green.

Evidently in order to upgrade the field from rugby to soccer, they needed to returf it, and they imported subtropical turf to Canberra in the middle of winter- thus creating brown grass a few hard frosts later.

The olympic officials were not too impressed.

]]> By: a cornellian http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96727 a cornellian Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:33:55 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96727 That stuff goes down all over the place at Cornell every spring as they try to revive the vegetation along the side walks that they killed with their excessive salt all winter. After a few good rains it goes away. As for the color, I assumed that was a marker to tell where they had put it…. That stuff goes down all over the place at Cornell every spring as they try to revive the vegetation along the side walks that they killed with their excessive salt all winter.

After a few good rains it goes away.

As for the color, I assumed that was a marker to tell where they had put it….

]]> By: Clifford http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96726 Clifford Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:31:09 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96726 Totally agree. erosion is bad. No argument there. -cvj Totally agree. erosion is bad. No argument there.

-cvj

]]> By: Jude http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96725 Jude Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:29:38 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2007/10/15/dyeing-for-a-solution/#comment-96725 When I lived in Phoenix one winter, a bank actually *did* spray paint the grass green. It fit with my view of Phoenix as a plastic, artificial place. I’ve seen this mulch used a lot around arid western Colorado, perhaps because of our last 20 years of too many fires. If you hike up to Storm King Mountain next time you’re in Colorado (the site where 14 firefighters died 13 years ago), you’ll see an odd mix of plants that they reseeded the area with–a sagebrush, a legume, and some grass or other. Before they reseeded it, we had a huge mudslide that closed Interstate 70. After the reseeded it, we had a minor mudslide. Anything that helps prevent erosion, no matter the strange shade of green, is a good idea. When I lived in Phoenix one winter, a bank actually *did* spray paint the grass green. It fit with my view of Phoenix as a plastic, artificial place. I’ve seen this mulch used a lot around arid western Colorado, perhaps because of our last 20 years of too many fires. If you hike up to Storm King Mountain next time you’re in Colorado (the site where 14 firefighters died 13 years ago), you’ll see an odd mix of plants that they reseeded the area with–a sagebrush, a legume, and some grass or other. Before they reseeded it, we had a huge mudslide that closed Interstate 70. After the reseeded it, we had a minor mudslide. Anything that helps prevent erosion, no matter the strange shade of green, is a good idea.

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