Best Hand Held Pruners

Have you ever noticed a blue spruce that has had the top or terminal buds removed? My intention when I began to write the Myth series was to encourage dialog and discussion on various gardening subjects.

Squirt a generous amount of dishwashing liquid to the bottom of the bowl, and run scalding hot water into it until it starts to overflow. If you're allergic to corn, try arrowroot powder or tapioca starch instead.

You can use the same male flower to hand pollinate other female flowers on the melon vine, but you will need to repeat the process of picking up the pollen from the male flower each time.

The difference is that the prongs on a rake create a right angle next to the handle, whereas a pitchfork is only slightly curved.Shears are large scissors that farmers and gardeners use to prune their plants.

The steel on my blacksmith tools has never given way though; somewhat surprising considering the huge amount of rough use I've given them over the last five years or so. I love my hand tools.

Find out about identifying and controlling twig pruner beetles in this article.These little insects belong to a family of beetles called “longhorns.” They get their family name from their antennae, which are slightly longer than their half-inch bodies.

If you have more than a few almond trees, renting a hive is the best way to ensure pollination.to your property by providing a source of water and planting other bee-pollinated flowers.Avoid using insecticides on your property, especially during the almonds'...

Maybe I should have tried hand pollinating my peppers., and other vine crops produce both male and female flowers on the same plant. During pollination, pollen is transferred from the anthers to the stigma, or the center part of the flower, resulting...

Produce could be shipped to urban areas and suburbs for families there to purchase. They were true optimists. They cared enough about them to bring these treasured varieties along.

Life is so far and beyond the stuff we carry, but it's hard to see that with all that clutter in the way. In reality we find ourselves endlessly chasing the proverbial end of the rainbow.

The stigma is situated in the center surrounded by pollen laden anthers waiting for the transfer of pollen.If you want to increase your citrus yield, you can put your plants outdoors and let the bees do the work, or if the weather isn't cooperating, do...

And that's how to hand pollinate citrus trees! Citrus trees like humidity, so adding a vaporizer may increase pollination rates. Is pollinating grapefruit trees manually possible and, if so, how to hand pollinate a grapefruit tree?First and foremost when...

In this instance, setting a fan to lightly blow through the crop will increase the chances for pollination. Generally speaking, they only need a draft of light wind or stirring of the surrounding air caused by the gardener walking nearby, or as in my...

Like bypass pruners, these have one blade that slices past a thick base as you close the tool.The second are called anvil loppers. If you let yourself snip with the loppers, like you might with scissors, your hands will get tired very quickly.

There's sure to be a table full of appetizers brought by our guests and heaps of other desserts, as well. Today's Christmas and a no-farming day for me. Basically, you want to aim for a light, open, airy tree shaped like a goblet, aka open in the middle.

In turn, this helps to get nutrients and water down further in the soil, which encourages deeper and healthier plant roots.Typically, the double digging technique is done only once in a garden bed.

You can hand pollinate zucchini and other squash by following a few simple steps.Hand pollinating squash isn't a difficult task, but it can be tedious. If you touch the anther, you will see that pollen rubs off the anther.

The anthurium will not re-bloom on the same stalk, so removing it redirects the plant's energy into developing new stalks.Stand back. Of rubbing alcohol before continuing to prune the plant.Remove wilted flowers by cutting the entire stalk off with hand...

They can also be used to remove small areas ofUsing a hand rake can make gardening in tight spaces and small gardens much easier and more efficient, and saves delicate plants from damage.

I've been blessed with a Mother in law who is a cherished friend and fellow gardener. Mothers have an incredible impact on all of us; some of us have, are now, and will be blessed by Mothers who teach the love of gardening and the appreciation for things...

If not, you may be able to get what you need locally! An infusion of comfrey leaves makes a good all-purpose cream for healing scrapes, bruises, and bug bites.Be forewarned not to use comfrey for deep wounds, as it will heal the outer layers of skin,...

There's no way to make weeding painless, but it can be made bearable, especially if you have the right tools. This is used as a fulcrum for leveraging weeds out of the ground.freestar.queue.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-300x250-ATF-1");...

The vibrations cause the flowers to release pollen.Techniques for hand pollinating vary, so use whatever method works best for you. One tomato plant is capable of producing a crop of fruit on its own, without the need of planting another one.Nonetheless,...

Sometimes the most difficult thing for gardeners to recognize is that we're not really in charge. With heartfelt generosity, Maddock freely shares the abundance of greens, beans, fruits and herbs by the bagful.

Tags Beginning Farmer Institute , farm business skills , National Farmers Union This meeting follows in the footsteps of the program's inaugural session held in September 2010 in Washington, D.C., which introduced new farmers to concepts that can't be...

This seems like pollination should be easy. As the tassel ripens, pollen is shed from the center spike downward to the lower fronds. Sure beats a lot of other garden chores and the rewards will be well worth the time.

No tool lasts forever, but fortunately, your hand saw is pretty easy to replace. The Handle Is Coming Loose I once had a hand saw that served me well up until the screws that held the handle to the cutting blade started coming loose.