BYC gardening thread!!

[chickadoodles]

What kind of fruit picking tool do you all use for your fruit trees? I am looking at all kinds of pictures online trying to decide. But it would be very helpful if I had some input as to which ones you all have used and which ones you like.
Thanks

 

[lazy gardener]

With that technique you essentially negate any size to your original plant. All you have is a developed root system. It now will either send new shoots from the root system or new growth will show in the "crotch" where a leaf branch\node meets the stem, i.e. suckers. Any advantage in time would be slight if at all in my opinion, either way you are having to wait for your cutting or sucker to recover and establish roots. That's the point I'm trying to make. Small suckers typically respond better to being cut and rooted as well in my opinion. I grow single and two stem plants and am constantly pruning suckers all year long. I've also seen it done where you put a tube or collar of sorts on a well developed sucker say over 12 inches, fasten to said sucker, fill with dirt, and let it root while still attached to the mother plant. You then cut branch and remove said collar and plant your newly established plant. I frequently get flower buds and have even had fruit set on plants that still reside in solo cups if my plant out is delayed. Same with nursery plants. Those have potential to be first fruits, the chopping technique I assume negates that. Just another reason I would plant as is and just wait for suckers. Jerryse obviously has success with his technique, and thats great. However I dont think thats a typical approach.

And, that, my friend is the joy of gardening and farming. There is no one right way to do things. Without constantly experimenting and trialing new things, I would be very bored with the whole thing! Always trying to push the envelope in one way or an other.

What kind of fruit picking tool do you all use for your fruit trees? I am looking at all kinds of pictures online trying to decide. But it would be very helpful if I had some input as to which ones you all have used and which ones you like.
Thanks

Good subject to explore. I'm hoping to keep all of my fruit trees short enough that they can be harvested while standing on the ground. But will still benefit from some sort of long handled basket type of tool. Most likely will hunt around in my stash of goodies, and may make one!

 

[chickadoodles]

Quote: My husband has a telescoping handle so I guess I will be looking for a basket or cup type thing to go on the handle.

This pear tree is very old and had never been trimmed or anything. So it is pretty tall. My husband fell off the top of a 6' latter several times the last time he picked the pears. So this year I want to find a tool to pick them from the ground.

 

[lazy gardener]

My husband has a telescoping handle so I guess I will be looking for a basket or cup type thing to go on the handle.

This pear tree is very old and had never been trimmed or anything. So it is pretty tall. My husband fell off the top of a 6' latter several times the last time he picked the pears. So this year I want to find a tool to pick them from the ground.

Sounds like a good plan. Let us know what you come up with.

 

[dan26552]

Nice! I love squash.

talk about recycled!

I love crookneck and straightneck

LOL,

they ate the skins but not really the seeds, I've found about 20 volunteers they left behind.

 

[chickadoodles]

Quote: So do we.

That's good.

 

[chickadoodles]

Quote: Ok. I will. Thank's.

 

[dan26552]

So do we.

That's good.

 

[Bugseye]

I assume the new growth from the original plants comes in the form of suckers or new shoots at the soil level? Why not just root suckers? Suckers are new growth tips/stems anyway and it wont affect the original plant, no delay either. Suckers can also be rooted in plain water and then hardened off and planted that way. Topping the plant that small seems counter productive and totally unecessary to me. Peppers on the other hand respond quite well to being topped young. Forces more lateral branching as opposed to vertical growth and makes for a bushier, fuller pepper plant.

Hmm, so that poor seedling that I broke the other day: I can replant it to develop new roots, or am I missing something?

 

[jerryse]

Hmm, so that poor seedling that I broke the other day: I can replant it to develop new roots, or am I missing something?

Yes if it is tomato and some size to the stem . Teeny tiny ones probably no .