At this point, I think Maria is about as close as it is going to get to the D.R.  it is supposed to start making its turn more northward,   in the south where the capitol is,  we are just getting some gusts,  and rain when bands move through,  but nothing major.    P.R. and its mountains took a lot of "punch" away from this storm, 

Congratulations, and good luck

Quote from: behlgarden on September 12, 2017, 10:39:00 AM

dang 185 MPH!!!

If I was forced to live in areas where we get hurricanes like this, I would build it out of structural CMU/Concrete only with 10 feet raised foundation as well. even then windows could blow up under such pressure.

I have always wondered why in the US many (the majority?) houses are built with wood or light materials even though you have many natural risks (hurricanes, tornadoes). In my country, even with the low revenues/habitant all the houses are built with concrete (and we don't have extreme climatic events like yours). Is it cost? or is there other advantages of light buildings?

Many modern homes use cement blocks for outer walls, and wood for roof,   there is some advantages to this,   one is of course cost,  but the other is insulation.  most homes use central air-conditioning,  we use gypsum board instead of mortar to cover the inside walls,  we put insulation between the two.  the steep roof, ( attic ) is also filled with insulation,  this saves a lot on heating and cooling costs.

Also should state that in Earthquake prone areas,  a wood roof is somewhat safer.  I mention this because here in the DR.  we use all cement everything,  walls, and ceilings,  roofs are just poured cement,  no insulation, so if you put your hand on the ceiling on a sunny day you can feel the heat.   in an Earthquake these flat slabs, can fall on you.    but of course the benefit is, being strong against winds.

After Andrew,  I was working down in Homestead, and noticed complete neighborhoods, mostly destroyed, but then right next to it you see another neighborhood, almost untouched.   why?   construction code, and techniques.  its not so much whether the roof is wood or not, but how it is built.  look at Key West , they got the brunt of the storm, and you can see many wooden homes intact,  not all wooden homes are created equally.

3:35Am  and Santo Domingo is pretty calm at the moment.   I don't expect more than 50 mph gusts here in the south of the Island.   I moved all my potted plants to the side of the house that has a narrow passage.  they should be safe there.   

I think by Thursday you guys will have a much better idea where this thing is going to go,   at the moment its moving west at a snails pace of 13 mph.   it is expected to speed its movement up once it is north of Puerto Rico,   and it is that movement,  how fast it goes and when its starts that will determine whee it will be by the weekend.

also the cone still gives it a chance to go over PR and DR,  if it hits these Islands the mountains will greatly reduce its power.  and probably steer it off its present course a bit.

Mother is in Hollywood ( east of us 1 ) and have told my sister that if it looks like it will hit there,  that they should evacuate,  more inland.  I have seen old pictures of Hollywood under a few feet of water.  just would not be safe for her. 

anyway,  every day that passes we get a more accurate picture of where Irma will go.   

Already the projection has changed from the 5pm to the 11pm update,   its now further west ,  if it keeps going,  it might miss Florida entirely, and go into the Gulf.
http://www.ventusky.com/?p=25.2;-75.8;5&l=gust&t=20170910/15

looks healthy to me also, you can have weeks and even months between growth spurts.   you might want to get a container that is a bit more deeper,  so the roots can grow down some more.   as others said,  keep well drained,  do not over water.   but don't let the soil dry out for too long also.  good luck.

What about garden gypsum? my understanding is that it does not affect Ph  because of the sulfate in it so it kind of balances the Ph a bit.   my understanding is that it helps with salts, and helps with compact soils,  I use it very sparingly in my container plants.    anyone else use this?

Just because the liver has stores of B12,  does not mean it just releases this in the blood stream when when you are not consuming B12.

The liver stores this because it works it into the mitochondria of cell in the making of ATP from fats.  ( Krebs Cycle ) I know are organs store B12,  our muscles have it also,  after all that is why meat has vitamin B12.    some of this tied up B12 might be released  when cells die.   Blood serum half life is about 50 minutes,  99% is excreted within 2 days.

but my main point was that every individual is different and has different needs,  I cannot say that one diet or the other will be best, for everyone.   some people might do much better on a vegan diet. that does not mean everyone will.

Every human is unique genetically,  we do not all process foods the same way,  nor medicines for that fact.   a Vegan diet might be perfect for some individuals,  but very unhealthy for others.  for example individuals with Homozygous mutation in MTHFR  will have  poor methylation cycle,  and have lower than normal b12,  and folic acid,  among many other problems. ( domino effect ).

there is NO VEGAN source of vitamin B12,   yes they can say algae this or Algae that,  but in reality the B12 is made by living bacteria.  humans have lost the ability to make their own B12.  100s of thousands of years ago.   being Vegan is NOT NATURAL .

As I mentioned,  a person can live a healthy life, as a vegan, and might even be healthier.   but what is ridiculous and dangerous,  is to say that all people will be healthier on a vegan diet. 

I agree with many that have mentioned the un-natural substances in our foods, enviroment,  and sugars,   low nutrient foods,  lack of sufficient minerals.   its not just one cause,  and these will effect each person in a different way depending on their individual epigenome.

The future of diet recommendations and medicine will be individualized,  based on each persons unique genetic makeup. 

I frankly do not care what people choose to do with their own bodies,  but when they try to create policy,  or attack others for following a "normal" diet.  that is a problem,  and there are a few that have a delusional goal,  of making the world Vegan.  which is not even logistically possible.  it is so naive for someone in a 1st world country spending a lot of money on imported fruits and veggies all year long,  specialty foods,   many of these vegans spend more in one day than some make in a month.  people that live in arid countries have goats that live off the plants that can grow in those areas.  you are not going to grow kale in the freaking Moroccan dessert.

lets take a look at the longest lived and healthiest people on the planet.  they  have some things in common,  none of which is being vegan.  Okinawa Japan.  for example,  mineral rich waters,  fish,  low pollution,  low stress.   etc.  not going to get into all the details.   too much of anything is bad of course.  of course,  eating 16oz BBQ grilled steak is not going to be good for your health.  but eliminating all meat is not the solution.

Recently watched a video on Truly Tropical channel on YouTube,  Chris says that the Pickering is Poly,  I have a tree, and never really bothered to check the seed, I always assumed it was Mono for some reason.

I was visiting the experimental station where some varieties are being evaluated,  wanted to see what was still holding fruit there,  and came across 2 beautiful looking Maya, that have fallen,  but they were perfect looking, the fruit is highly attractive, small.   I ate one,   the flesh was firm, not super juicy,  a little fiber close to the seed.

As for taste,  It had a  odd flavor, that took me time to pin down,  then it hit me,  it tasted like Mango with Barbados Cherries, I actually enjoyed this little mangoes. are there better mangoes? sure,  but this is a decent mango,  clean fruit, colorful,  I can see why it was chosen for commercial purposes.

Doing research on this,  this can be caused by extreme fluctuations in hydration,  from being very dry to getting a lot of moisture,  and also from extremes in temperature change.   given the fact you are up north, moving the tree in and out of a protected enviroment,  the tree is could be experiencing that shock,  rapid changes in temps, humidity and watering, even sunlight.   hopefully no disease has penetrated the cracks, and it heals underneath.   only think I can suggest is that you try to ease the transition when you move the tree. 

Only cases I have seen similar cracking,,  is in sun burnt trees here in the tropics.