There’s been at least one instance of the nearest thing to spontaneous combustion that I can think of here in East Anglia … long dead grasses touching a metal electricity pylon which was too hot to touch on a day we had temperatures over 42C in the shade in this garden … the grasses charred … the breeze whipped up the embers and the next thing was a field of standing wheat and at least two homes were gone … just five miles from here …
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The drier it gets, the more prone it is to the smallest thing starting a fire. Locally it's fireworks, bbqs, cigerettes. It might be hard-ish to purposely start a fire with one bit of broken glass but our local park is filled with bits of broken bottles and there is a lot of grass land. Multiply months of scorching sun, a festival venue of 200 acres, decades of broken bottles with drugged up idiots and you have our neighbourhood.
The two things have struck me most are the phlox and the slugs. Certain plants are struggling, esp those that have only been in the ground for a few years or less. The Filipendula, thalictrum, perennial sweet peas, heucheras, veronicas, parahebes and others have been alive here but unhappy without extra water. But the white Phlox (Avalanche) seems to have barely batted an eyelid. Bath water has promoted extra flowering, but they weren't withering without.
Last night I snipped 30 slugs - nearly all "Spanish". There are crowds of them. Drought (gravel, sand, dust) seems to not put them off at all. No doubt a wet spring and summer would have led to a greater explosion. It's a good time to try and get on top of the plague. I notice they are mating at the moment. Has anyone else seen that?
There’s been at least one instance of the nearest thing to spontaneous combustion that I can think of here in East Anglia … long dead grasses touching a metal electricity pylon which was too hot to touch on a day we had temperatures over 42C in the shade in this garden … the grasses charred … the breeze whipped up the embers and the next thing was a field of standing wheat and at least two homes were gone … just five miles from here …
With respect, I would suggest that's probably anecdotal. The metal would have to be well over 200 - 220c...at least. Pylons, rarely..in fact very rarely to be honest, can drop a spark that in theory would be a source of ignition. Another possibly..again somewhat tenuous, but still possible would be an unearthing rod. Dry grass and and wind is deadly combination though if your a fire...ask any Australian.
It maybe … @Chris-P-Bacon … all I know is that a news report stated the fire brigade used a drone to trace the source of the fire and it was found at the base of the pylon in the middle of a field of what had been standing wheat and it was put down to an overheated pylon igniting the grass. Perhaps I’ve misunderstood it … but it wasn’t somewhere people would’ve been picnicking or even walking.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
When we first came here we had a lot of huge Arion rufus slugs in our garden and on damp mornings they’d be out in mating pairs in the longer wet grass … amazing handsome creatures that did little damage. Sadly they seem to have been replaced by flamin Spanish ones. 😢
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I thought slugs had to hang by a mucus thread to mate. The Spanish slugs will thrive in this weather, must be hot in Spain. Heat is not putting my snails off mating either, more so now.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Pylons, rarely..in fact very rarely to be honest, can drop a spark that in theory would be a source of ignition. Another possibly..again somewhat tenuous, but still possible would be an unearthing rod. Dry grass and and wind is deadly combination though if your a fire...ask any Australian.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I like to notice things, yes. Learn, investigate, explore...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The Spanish slugs will thrive in this weather, must be hot in Spain.
Heat is not putting my snails off mating either, more so now.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.