Pruning loppers advice please.....

[dmbwest]

Lopper update + second question please.

So the Fiskars loppers with the off-set like fulcrum have held up great for what feels like thousands of cuts..... Even for the way over spec, double hand pulling against chest cuts or the 2001, caveman like stump beatings. Maybe thats why they are ( one of ) the worlds oldest companys.

Have had a good look around property and am now contemplating weed wackers to take out some of the lower, softer stuff ..... Like the idea of blade spinning down there but will a stronger motor turning mono (or whatever it is) burn through itself or plants faster than a blade would ? Thinking of cutting wispy <.25" stuff and those fern clumps that one can almost tunnel through.

Thank you.

[dmbwest]

Lopper update + second question please.

So the Fiskars loppers with the off-set like fulcrum have held up great for what feels like thousands of cuts..... Even for the way over spec, double hand pulling against chest cuts or the 2001, caveman like stump beatings. Maybe thats why they are ( one of ) the worlds oldest companys.

Have had a good look around property and am now contemplating weed wackers to take out some of the lower, softer stuff ..... Like the idea of blade spinning down there but will a stronger motor turning mono (or whatever it is) burn through itself or plants faster than a blade would ? Thinking of cutting wispy <.25" stuff and those fern clumps that one can almost tunnel through.

Thank you.

[Les C]

[Does this thread belong in the gardening forum?]

Loppers: I haven't tried a lot of different types, but ACE Hardware has a bypass model with telescoping handles to increase reach and leverage. Model #7094378. Handles go from 18" to 31" with simple but firm twists of the grip.

Weedwhackers: Go to Doc Stanley's in Hilo (Manono St.). They will steer you straight. You can get models of whackers that have swappable blade & monofilament cutters. You may find what they recommend pricey, but if you're going to use it a lot, they know what is durable and effective. The right tool will depend on what you're going to cut with it. A bladed weedwhacker may cut small shrubs, but not be as good as a chainsaw for cutting small logs.

Waiwi (Strawberry Guava) is very shade tolerant and will resprout after cutting by root suckering. Some people like to spray the cut stumps to kill the roots. I don't know if Roundup has the right stuff for this. I've heard that for waiwi you should use a 10% solution of Garlon 3A on the cut stumps immediately after cutting. A similar, but perhaps less potent, form of Garlon is undiluted Brush-B-Gon (Ortho?). Before you decide to use a Garlon product, you may want to read the info at this site
http://www.pesticide.org/triclopyr.pdf

Some people have success with wrapping the top of the cut stump with black plastic to prevent resprouting. This is a much less toxic, though labor-intensive, solution.

Once you have cleared the waiwi, you will want to keep on top of the eventual ingress of other weeds, like kahili ginger, tibouchina, etc. What tries to follow in succession will depend on your elevation, microclimate, neighboring vegetation, seedbank, etc.

[bystander]

I have an anvil lopper I got from Sears. It's a Craftsman and can be taken back to Sears for replacement for any reason and that's why I bought it. It has yellow fiberglass handles.

[David D]

Fiberglass handles on any "handle" tool is the only way to go - stronger and more durable than wood or plastic.

David D

[haoleboy]

I've tried just about every kind of blade gizmo adapter for string trimmers. They are either expensive, fragile, suck or a combination of these. I prefer to use the biggest string possible (preferably at least .105" and carry a machete. If that doesn't work, have your chainsaw handy.

Aloha
Richwhiteboy


"I am content in my later years. I have kept my good humor and take neither myself nor the next person seriously."-
Albert Einstein