Non-motoring > A useful garden gadget Car Deals
Thread Author: sherlock47 Replies: 23
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 Fri 6 May 11 07:21 
 A useful garden gadget - sherlock47
Having reached that stage in life where any activity at ground level is, at best, described as difficult, and being a sucker for garden gadgets, I was tempted into buying a Fiskars weed removal tool.
tinyurl.com/fiskars-weeder
Even cheaper at your local B&Q - with oldcard persons discount card.

Actually does what it says on the tin, unusually for a garden gadget!
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 Fri 6 May 11 07:55 
 A useful garden gadget - Clk Sec
If that's the one that's advertised on the telly, it seems to be very good at pulling out large weeds, but is it equally effective with the little blighters?
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 Fri 6 May 11 08:14 
 A useful garden gadget - sherlock47
My primary aim is the extermination of dandelions. It is good at getting the whole root structure of small and medium sized plants, large dandelions have a root structure that can go deeper than the extraction capability - ie the roots break at about 12cm below the surface. This may mean that they reappeaer next year! It is not so effective on what I call clumping weeds but theyare more receptive to chemical warfare.

It works best in lighter damp soil and I suspect that vigorous use at the end of a very dry summer in a clay soil may result in a test of Fiskars good reputation for customer service:)
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 Fri 6 May 11 08:37 
 A useful garden gadget - Clk Sec
Thanks pmh.
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 Fri 6 May 11 10:25 
 A useful garden gadget - bathtub tom
Dandelions wind me up too.

I keep a trigger spray of salt solution around. The salt's pretty corrosive and they don't last long, so I use whatever SWMBO's thrown out - the neighbours think I squirt Cif at the moment.

The only down side's the dead circular patches, due to this dry spell, but much cheaper than that tool.
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 Fri 6 May 11 10:32 
 A useful garden gadget - Iffy
...dandelions wind me up too...

I don't like to see them, either.

Seems to me there are more of the damn things than ever in recent years.

Some road verges in North Yorkshire are all but covered in dandelions, which they didn't use to be.
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 Fri 6 May 11 10:35 
 A useful garden gadget - Mapmaker
Lidl sell, from time to time, a very similar gadget that I have watched my mother use to great effect. Well under a tenner, of course.

Edit to add I see Mike managed to get to post this a few seconds before I did. Shame!


Personally I LIKE dandelions as I put them in salads. Mixed weeds are sadly now very fashionable whereas I've been putting hairy bittercress, dandelions and chickweed into salads for years.
Last edited by: Mapmaker on Fri 6 May 11 at 10:37
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 Fri 6 May 11 10:40 
 A useful garden gadget - Iffy
...Personally I LIKE dandelions...

That's because you live in grotty south London where the only grass is illegally smoked. :)

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 Fri 6 May 11 10:43 
 A useful garden gadget - Mike Hannon
.*******
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 Fri 6 May 11 10:44 
 A useful garden gadget - Mike Hannon
Ooops, sorry. All I did was give the French word for salad dandelions, which confirms what I always thought was an old wives' tale.
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 Fri 6 May 11 10:50 
 A useful garden gadget - Alanovich

>> Personally I LIKE dandelions as I put them in salads.

Which bit is edible/tasty? The big flat green leaves from the base of the stalk, or the yellow head?
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 Fri 6 May 11 10:56 
 A useful garden gadget - Zero
>>
>> >> Personally I LIKE dandelions as I put them in salads.
>>
>> Which bit is edible/tasty? The big flat green leaves from the base of the stalk,
>> or the yellow head?

www.care2.com/greenliving/eating-dandelions.html#
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 Fri 6 May 11 11:26 
 A useful garden gadget - Mapmaker
The green leaves - the younger and fresher the better so the standing up ones from the centre of the rosette rather than the tougher dark green ones - which can be steamed/treated like spinnach.

And the yellow head is delicious. Sweet almost. I cannot walk past a field of dandelions without a little nibble!
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 Fri 6 May 11 11:53 
 A useful garden gadget - Crankcase
Useful hint I've always adhered to when picking stuff from the outside to ingest, is "make sure it's above Alsation pee height".

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 Fri 6 May 11 10:34 
 A useful garden gadget - Mike Hannon
I bought a similar sort of thing, but without the automation, a couple of years ago from Lidl for about 4 euros. It works well on everything I've used it on, including dandelions. They're dying on their own now - the ground is like concrete here too.

ps: SWMBO thinks dandelions are pretty and little pleases her more than seeing a field or road verge completely yellow with them. She begrudged the 4 euros.
Last edited by: Mike Hannon on Fri 6 May 11 at 10:35
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 Fri 6 May 11 11:41 
 A useful garden gadget - sherlock47
>>>I bought a similar sort of thing, but without the automation, a couple of years ago from Lidl for about 4 euros<<

I bought a 'claw' some years ago. It must have been invented by a chiropractor who was trying to drum up business! 4 spikes, twist into ground, and then spend 3 weeks flat on my back- The marketing was great - the demo must have done in sand - the only problem was that the ground was stronger than my vertebrae, discs, and back muscles.
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 Fri 6 May 11 11:52 
 A useful garden gadget - CGNorwich

Dealing with weeds.

If they don't pose a problem leave them. Unless you own a bowling green weeds in the lawn don't really matter.

Where they are a problem, in the veg patch or flower border use a hoe. No plant can survive constantly being cut down even a dandelion, the secret is to hoe regularly before they seed. Dry weather is the time to hoe. Weed will quickly wither and die. An onion hoe is particularly effective between plants.
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 Sun 8 May 11 21:14 
 A useful garden gadget - Claire Murphy
I have a Fiskar weed puller. They are truly fantastic!
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 Sun 8 May 11 21:23 
 A useful garden gadget - Iffy
...I have a Fiskar weed puller...

I wouldn't have one of those if you paid me to use it.

Worse thing ever, it made more weeds grow.

I cannot stress too much how unwise anyone would be to buy one.

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 Sun 8 May 11 21:44 
 A useful garden gadget - Zero
>> I wouldn't have one of those if you paid me to use it.

Sounds ideal, pound a weed.

>> Worse thing ever, it made more weeds grow.

and have a well paid job for life. A career almost.

Bit like PUs people counting.
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 8 May 11 at 21:45
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 Sun 8 May 11 21:21 
 A useful garden gadget - sherlock47
...............................Unless you own a bowling green

doesn't everybody aspire to a bowling green finish? I just wish I could get the croquet lawn that good;)
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 Sun 15 May 11 11:23 
 A useful garden gadget - Dutchie
I use a hoe works ok.I have to tidy up tomorrow grass needs cutting looks reasonable but no bowling green.

Talking about salads why do the French put so much olive oil on?I like a salad with cucumber tomatoes grated cheese and the trimmings .And they charge you a fortune,for a plane salad .

We had a meal in Chartres and they charged 4 euros 50 cents for a few chips,next to the salad.
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 Sun 15 May 11 12:22 
 A useful garden gadget - Robin O'Reliant
You can get a very good weed puller for £16.99 if you have a Betterware catalogue delivered to you.
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 Sun 15 May 11 12:52 
 A useful garden gadget - corax
>> If they don't pose a problem leave them. Unless you own a bowling green weeds
>> in the lawn don't really matter.

Weeds in a bowling green don't pose a problem. You're cutting it at 5mm in the summer, which is more than many weeds can stand. One weed that does tend to survive is clover.

The bowlers are loving it this year with the green at work bowling so well and so early in the season - all down to the dry weather.
Last edited by: corax on Sun 15 May 11 at 12:57
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