Planted all my big bananas yesterday

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:11 pm

And somebody already tried to steal them last nite!!!!
I staked them with trailer anchors the kind with the spirals for drilling into the ground,and rebar,tied with brand new cotton
1/4 thick rope,and they cut the rope on my biggest two bananas,they were fine when I left for work this morning 6am,so they must have been waiting for me to leave,but somebody must have scared them off,foot tracks were everywhere.
So tonite I retied them and water the surrounding ground really muddy,they go for them tonite,it will be real slippery,besides that are very heavy bananas,75 to 100 lbs.
Any body know of a inexpensive alarm system that makes lots of noise???
Don

ryan · Post by **ryan** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:39 pm

Tropicman,

Its good to hear that the your temperatures are warm enough that you can plant out your bananas. I still have a few weeks until the last frost. I can't believe somebody tried to steal your banana plants! What is wrong with people these days? I would suggest one of those really loud personal alarms. When you pull the pin the alarm sounds. The pin can easily be hooked up to some fishing line. You can buy them at some dollar stores. Good luck!

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:54 pm

It's really a shame that someone would try that

perhaps some of your neighbors may have seen whoever attempted this?

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:02 pm

Thanks Ryan
I'll go to the dollar store and look for them!
Lastyear my gazing ball was stolen and a couple of my basjoos were stolen as well.
Then if that don't beat all they knocked over my concrete bird bath and broke the bowl!
Also I have solar lights in those bamboo torch tikis,they took one of them as well!!!!

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:16 pm

Hi Steve,
If they did.nobody said anything!!!!
Get me one of those motion frogs that say ribbitt,when somebody walks by!!!LOL

Alchris · Post by **Alchris** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 5:54 am

After 2 breakins to vehicles, 2 attempted breakins to vehicles and 1 breakin to the garage all in 6 months, I bought a video security system. Nothing has happened to me in 6 months while the neighbors continue to suffer. That little red light on the cameras seems to keep the criminals away.

The neighborhood used to be pretty decent until they put a Tim Hortons 5 blocks south of us in the middle of the worst area in our part of the city. Now with cops taking their breaks at the Tim Hortons, the criminals have moved north into our area. The one time we spotted someone and called the cops, they arrived in less than 5 minutes- had a dog on the scene in less than 10 minutes and had the heli-cop-ter over the neighborhood in 10 minutes. The cops are doing their part and the local news media publish all video evidence of vandalism. Hopefully the little bastards will find it easier to work.

Allen

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 4:30 pm

My yard has a well lighted mercury vapor light that shines and lights up the whole yard,but even that doesn't discourage them,
I guess I need something that makes noise.
What I need is the lost in space robot,says warning,warning,don't come any closer,danger,danger!!!!LOL

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 4:17 pm

Unbelievable that people would try to steal your plants...and to break something as important as that bowl.

How about a motion-activated sprinkler? Get the buggers wet...a wee wire (electrified) at your perimeter...

and bzzzzzt.

I heard of a local fellow who put solar lanterns along the path to his house...they were stolen TWICE. Yup, he went out and got more, and they were stolen, too.

Maybe it's time to sleep days and stay up at night...

Barb

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 8:09 pm

LOL! Well I don't go to bed until midnight and get up at 3:30 am as it is,and then go and weld 9 hours a day,then come home and garden,and my other chores,seems there just isn't enough hours in a day!!!LOL
But I check my garden before I go to bed and the moment I wake up,that only allows 3 1/2 hors for them tom steal my plants!!!!LOL

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:28 am

Aint that the truth...not enough hours in a day.
Sounds like someone's watchin'...with only 3.5 hours to do their dirty deeds.

Plant vigilantes...unite (and nail the beggars).
I know when I get my "valuable" Wollemia nobilis next month, I will not put it in a visible spot for that very reason.
Barb

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 4:37 pm

It just a shame,you'd like to share your palnts with everyone to see and enjoy.
When they stole my gazing ball,they were just a few away from the front porch,so they will go to any lengths,to get what they want.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 6:15 pm

I heard on the news the other day that a community (Vancouver?) is planning to change "minimum frontage requirements" when a house is being built.

They'll allow people's homes to be closer to the sidewalk/road--because front yards are generally unused by people--giving folks a larger (private) back yard.

Maybe that's the answer for people planning new homes.
But then the creeps would be walking only 10 feet past the front door and window.
Ugh...

I think a 6-foot or 8-foot stucco wall around a back yard (instead of a fence) would be super but $$$$$$.
Just think of the microclimate that would create for our prized plants.

Barb

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:37 pm

I'd love to have a stucco fence,even if it was only 5 ft tall!!!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 9:23 am

Yes, it would sure protect from damaging winds!
Barb

Cali-wanna-b · Post by **Cali-wanna-b** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:10 pm

Any body know of a inexpensive alarm system that makes lots of noise???

He's not inexpensive, but I dare them to try and steal one of my plants...LOL.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu May 10, 2007 7:49 pm

oops goofed

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu May 10, 2007 8:11 pm

Cali, atta girl, here's mine. Barb

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Thu May 10, 2007 8:24 pm

Whoa!!!!!
Is his bark worse than his bite????
It puts the fear in me just looking at his picture!!!!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu May 10, 2007 8:29 pm

Ha ha, Don.

Looks can kill, you know!

I'll now mention that SHE is soooooo sweet, hasn't got a mean bone in her body (until after dark).
Just like her owner, ha ha.

Her goal in life is to catch yet another Quail. Eats it to the last feather. Yuck!
I always know when she's nailed one 'coz there's a feather stickin' out of her lip

Barb

Anyway, let's get back to finding an alarm for our friends!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri May 11, 2007 10:47 am

There are some interesting and reasonable $ products here:

http://nservices.com/motion.htm#Portabl ... on%20Alarm

And this How Stuff Works site was interesting...always wondered how alarms worked:
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question238.htm

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Fri May 11, 2007 9:02 pm

Thanks Barb,I enjoyed reading up on these,only thing I don't like is having to go outside and having to turn them off at nite!

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Fri May 11, 2007 9:19 pm

Maybe one of these

http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com ... ct_id=2573

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Fri May 11, 2007 9:37 pm

Thats an wet idea!!!!LOL
Has anybody seen a motion detector light that works off batteries???

Alchris · Post by **Alchris** » Fri May 11, 2007 9:54 pm

There are some really cheap battery operated units that I used on a ceramic cactus that I had in the desert. I screwed one half to a stake and used double sided tape to attach the other half to the cactus. The 2 halves are held together by magnets. If the two halves of the alarm are separated a high pitched sound is emitted.

Someone grabbed the ceramic cactus and the alarm went off. They dropped it and ran, breaking the cactus. By the time we got up and outside the culprit was long gone. Now I have a motion detection infrared video security system.

Allen

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Fri May 11, 2007 10:09 pm

Well with the price of food and gas going up,finally hit $3.10 a gallon here in Kansas,I think crime will be on the upscale,
I'm thinking of someway to protect what I have,and to keep kids from destroying what thieves don't make off with.
I was watching a program where they hired a burgular to give the public tips on how to protect there home,and now I find out
about a thing call lock bumbing,where they can file a key to break into any door lock.
Calling the police is know good there response time is 10 minutes or longer,makes it harder for them to catch a crook.
Guy from work told me to check oput the infrared cameras they use to set up and track the on going deer in the woods for hunting purposes,that way you can catch the crook in the act!!

Alchris · Post by **Alchris** » Sat May 12, 2007 8:43 am

The price of Gas is bad in Kansas. But we pull the oil out of the ground within 50 miles of Edmonton and refine it 10 miles from my house. The price at the pumps is $1.129/ liter which works out to about $3.55 US per US gallon. A recent study has shown that Canadians are being gouged about $.20/liter ($.60/gallon US).

The Alberta resource regulating agency is being asked to approve another heavy oil upgrader to thin out the oil sands oil. I have written to the agency requesting that they refuse to approve any new oil facilities until they have approved a new gasoline refinery which would cover 'excess summer demand' and remove the oil companies last excuse.

If that doesn't work, I am going to push to force the oil companies to meet the 2022 greenhouse gas standards by 2015. It's not like they cannot afford it.

If you are looking at infrared, especially on ebay, PM me. I bought a system and have it up and running.

Allen

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat May 12, 2007 11:53 am

Allen good for you for your stand on gas prices. Seems Murphy's Law prevails nowadays.

Just like bank rates...real quick to go UP (with the flick of a switch, it seems) but tortoise-slow coming down.

The "middle class" always gets ripped off, 'coz we're the largest population group...until of course, their policies send us into poverty.

Don't get me started on "1 taxpayer, 4 levels of government"

Can you post a manufacturer link for that infrared you bought? Do you recommend it?
Barb

Alchris · Post by **Alchris** » Sat May 12, 2007 2:22 pm

It works okay with one problem, static reception. I have not experimented with location as much as I want to as I installed them in late fall.

Mine is a wireless 4 camera exterior system without sound.

The static seems to occur when the cameras are mounted near metal eavestrough. The 2 cameras mounted away from the house/garage have the least static. I could take the 2 worse offenders and mount them on poles and see what happens.

I'll send you a PM with the vendor and the system.

Allen

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat May 12, 2007 3:23 pm

Agree that "offenders" should be mounted on poles!

PalmsNorth.com

Planted all my big bananas yesterday

Planted all my big bananas yesterday

Tropicman,

Portable motion activated alarms/chimes etc