Gardeners Tips

‘Oh the old bamboo the old bamboo never-ever bother with the old bamboo’ That song reminds me to weed out the poor and damaged canes I have left over from previous seasons. Away with split canes that snag and frustrate and may carry disease.

In Praise of Canes

• A good long one will do better than a good short one – well not always as excess length waves around and looks untidy. Fortunately you can shorten canes with secateurs and the off cuts can be used for shorter plants.
• Why should Sweetpeas be forced to spend energy on climbing when I can help them with a good cane arrangement.
• Why should runner beans get top heavy and risk being blown sideways.
• Good gladioli and chrysanthemums will be better for a bit of practical and moral support
• Temporary solutions to problems can often be solved by judicious use of canes.
• Now my plants are able to perform with the aid of my new canes, string and net supports.
• I like the idea of mixing bamboo canes with more twiggy stems. I also like the idea of putting two canes across the middle of twin rows of canes for extra support and rigidity
• This year I resolve to support my plants better than ever before.

None Bamboo Canes

•  A Large Hazel has already provided a crop of stems to use as further supports. They can be woven in with other supports and look more natural than bamboo.
• Willow and hazel can be cross hatched to provide a frame work for shrubby plants to grow through.
• Pea sticks are often short slivers of bamboo painted a dark green. Useful for around 12″ of support.
• Nylon and other plastic ‘canes’ are obviously not canes but are long lasting and can do a similar job.
• New tree and shrub supports are more likely to be stakes and ‘gardeners should be choosers’ when it comes to the right strength of item for the job.

To my surprise Amazon now supply or arrange to supply canes in volume via the web – it makes transporting the 7-8 foot ones in my car a thing of the past.

The clue is in the name Seed Tray – this note is about seeds in trays and although they can double up for seedlings  the issues are different. Seed sowing probably starts in February and is reaching its height by the middle of April.

Seed Tray Review

• Old wooden seed trays with slats and high sides are still in use. They need care when cleaning before new crops are sown.
• Plastic seed trays from rigid polypropylene with drainage holes can be used time and again and are easy to store and clean. There is generally a pattern of ridges to improve drainage.
• I like to use the thin plastic segmented inserts like those in the photograph inside a normal seed tray .
  • It adds rigidity and makes for easy movement
  • They are cheap enough to be disposable but last a couple of seasons with care.
  • They vary in the number of cells, 3×5, 8×5 or 4×6 for example.
  • Each cell can be for individual seeds or used for several fine seeds. It makes pricking out and planting far easier.
  • The cells can also be used for growing on after pricking out. 15 or 24 good plants can be raised in one tray.
  • Do not put plastic inserts in a tray without drainage holes or the compost may get water logged.
• Seed trays can be used to hold individual pots in one place. Up to 15 square 3″ pots can be put in one tray and they are a bit deeper than a standard tray.
• Disposable or disinfectable, plastic  labour saving devices were not available to our parents and grandparents but take care how you dispose of them.

Alternative Seed Trays

• If you can find them old fish boxes can make good seed trays. The polystyrene variety helps to keep an even temperature. Some old fruit boxes can be adapted as seed trays. In both instances make sure there is adequate drainage.
• You do not need a tray per se,  any container with drainage holes will suffice. I use a lot of old plant pots for starter seedlings.
• Rubberised plastic trays usually in black are more rigid and I find them better than the extruded green plastic shown above.
• Home made compressed capsules, rolls of paper, even cardboard toilet paper tube can be pressed into service.

Seed Tray Tips

• Take care when watering to get all the area damp. Some composts and soils are difficult to get evenly wet
• Label your seed sowing with the date and type of seed sown.
• Sterilise your used seed trays in Jeys fluid or similar.
• To water from the bottom fill a larger container and stand the tray in the water until enough has been taken up by capillary action.
• Do not leave seedlings too long before pricking out. Long roots soon become stunted. Seedlings need space to develop roots.
• Carefully push out the cell contents from the bottom if using a plastic product. Otherwise a firm tap will generally loosed to compost.
• Be careful  small cells hold less soil and moisture.
• The edges and cells near to the drying sun can be hostile to seedlings.
• Exposure to sun and the elements can make some plastic brittle.
• Prick out and pot on as soon as possible (when two leaves are showing).

Special Seed Sowing Devices

• Matching the seed tray to the plant you are growing may dictate the tray you use.
• Sweetpeas need a long root run and trays tend to be too shallow. I use deep pots but you can sow in root trainers or home made paper tubes.
• Biodegradable peat pots can be used for plants that do not like their roots to be disturbed.
• Individual pots may be best for large or expensive seed.

Secateurs are an indispensable tool for the the tidy minded gardener and even me.

 Ergonomic  Features to Look For on Secateurs

• I like to be able to find the secateurs when I inevitably put them down despite the intentions of keeping them about my person. I good bright colour for the handles helps. I have lime green and red on my two favourite pairs and surprisingly the lime green stands out even amongst leaves and foliage.
• On a similar ‘ability to find theme’ I like the pair with a small loop at the end of one handle with a hole drilled in. This allows a string or wire to be fed through to facilitate hanging them in a suitable location.
• The grips should be moulded for fingers so a good purchase and transfer of power can be distributed. On my right handed secateurs the blade section has 4 finger grooves and the other handle is curved for the thumb and palm without a groove.
• The grips are often some form of rubberised or hard plastic which I find preferable to bare metal that strikes cold.
• Most secateurs have a thumb operated locking facility to keep them closed and safe when not in use. The idea is sound but you need to be able to operate this with the thumb of the same hand. A fiddly or unsafe device can be very frustrating.

Selected Secateurs

 Functional Features to Look For on Secateurs

• There are two basic options for the blades to bypass one another in a scissor type motion or for the blade to cut then hit an anvil like a chopping board. I like the bypass or parrot nosed version for the majority of soft wood and stem cutting. I find that leaves the plant wound less prone to damage. The anvil approach is good for twigs and dryer material.
• The blade and access to keep it sharp are key features. When buying new secateurs look for the best you can afford but focus on the blade.
• At the base of the blade at the junction of the other arm there is normally a notch that can be used to cut tough items like wire.
• The return (compression) spring to open the secateurs after every cut is generally held in place by two holes or protuberances near the top of each handle. They are key to the functionality and fun of using your secateurs  and if they spring loose you can spend ages looking for them. Keep them oiled and clean and if necessary stretch them to make a tighter fit.
• Blade replacements are faffy and I find it hard to locate supplies. Why don’t manufacturers supply spares with new secateurs.
• A Falco branded pair have a finger side handle that twists a quarter turn as you operate. I like this but am not sure it stops repetitive strain injury as I assume was the intention. I wont know unless I buy a new pair as this feature disabled itself and no longer works.
• I have not used ratchet or geared secateurs that cut in a number of stages but find that useful on my loppers.

Well used anvil secateurs

My Experience Using Secateurs

• There is a tendency to want to twist when cutting tough stems. This sprains the scissor action out of alignment and can cause irreparable damage. I have done this with many cheap pairs before I knew better.
• As you can see I have numerous pairs that are not all that clean. I do oil them and try to remember to wipe excess sap off the blades.
• I have a sharpening stone that I use frequently. I once sharpened the inner bit of the blade and then you could see light through where  gap should be. Sharpen the external edge.
• For  cutting thicker stems use a lopper or more robust shears.
• I have a good pair that occasionally nip the skin as I close them. As well as painful and frustrating I am also put out by having forgotten the makers name!

Gardeners secateurs tips