Looks like an ingeniously simple, quick solution for training new grafts. I’m not turning up much in my searches. I’m thinking there’s either a specific product name that I’m missing, or maybe people just make them out of galvanized steel angle stock. The ones in the link look a bit more polished and with fewer sharp edges, so I’d prefer to buy if they’re not crazy expensive or only come in huge cases. Seems like the sort of thing that is either needlessly expensive or that can be purchased for less than materials would cost me.
So those remind me of the chemical spoon things in chemistry… Or they also look like the metal anchor stakes I use for my flower bed blocks so they don’t move
If you only need a few, perhaps making your own for free from a soda can could be economical. You could double layer it for more rigidity and bend the edges so they don’t cut you. Circumference of a 12oz soda can is 8+ inches so you can easily make one 8 inches long. Some beer cans or arizona tea cans have larger circumference if you need to create something longer.
Is there an advantage to those rather than just training on a bamboo stake? I guess it’s more convenient and maybe lets it get a bit more wind stress.
This is one of those where I’m sure you could go into the hardware store, look around for 10 minutes and find the right thing to break down to make them really cheaply…and then realize you spent your entire Saturday on what was supposed to be a quick project! Guessing you could get 100 out of an 8’ galvanized steel panel if the material was thick enough (the ones with 1.5" wide ribs, usually $20 for a 26" wide panel).
The advantages are speed, not having to wait for the shoot to be long enough to tie, and not risking breaking the shoot when tying off (it’s happened to me). I also think it would lead to less of a bend in the stem, as the shoot is forced to grow upwards pretty much from the start.
That sounds like a lot of work! I’ve never cut corrugated sheet metal, so I may be overreacting.
I did think of galvanized angle as an option. The stakes @EJh suggested actually cost less than a similar length of angle.
@sockworth the cans are an interesting idea. I’m a little Leary of the DIY approach on something like this, especially if it will take me more than 2 minutes apiece. I’ve made enough newspaper pots to realize that it can cost you a lot more once you factor in your time than if you had just bought the thing. That being said, I do enjoy a challenge, and you can’t put a price on that!
I wonder if you couldn’t take a piece of “semi-stiff” plastic about 8" long and 1/2 the diameter of the root stock and attach it with a soft tie, such as a grafting rubber or strip of cloth. Just wrap around the root stock to curve it?
Probably find the plastic in a craft shop or in some kind of packaging.
Ripping pvc pipe down the middle might accomplish the same goal and cost less. You could probably find odds and ends pieces on marketplace that people are throwing away (for free)
For health effect concerns? Galvanization is lead IIRC, so there are disadvantages for many products depending on how you think about it. I’m not advocating buying new pipe for this.
That said, many water lines are pvc pipe so it’s all about perspective.
PVC as water lines is one of those emerging “maybe we shouldn’t have done that” things. PVC itself is relatively benign, but its chemical precursor is extremely hazardous (remember the East Palestine derailment incident? that was vinyl chloride), and the various plasticizers they use to actually make it into pipe can be carcinogens, and it turns out they leach from the pipes much more than previously thought. Plus, I just don’t like the micro plastics you get when you cut it. I’m trying to find ways to use less plastic in general. If I do end up getting into the nursery business on the regular, I’ll probably use the heavier duty biodegradable pots. In my testing, they seem to last a couple seasons, more than enough to grow a graft or cutting out to salable size.
Galvanized steel is zinc coated, not lead. The zinc works as a sacrificial anode to keep the steel from corroding. Depending on the manufacturer, there can be some residual lead, but it’s at very low levels.
The other thing is, as I’ve mentioned before, I find that with something like this it might actually be more expensive to make it yourself, especially when you factor in your time. If you get enjoyment out of it, that tips the balance back the other way, of course. For example, I’m under no illusion that I’m saving money by gathering and processing black walnuts. Once I factor in my time, it costs me several times over per pound what it would cost to buy the shelled nuts. But I like doing it, so that’s what I do.
My mind went to lead because I see that warning on most galvanized things. Zinc is toxic in quantity as well… Not sure of the implications for transferability in this situation but people spend money getting it out of mine water.
I get the plastics concern. I’ve seen how much microplastic contamination exists even in drinking water from the tap under a microscope. They say there are half a million microplastic particles in every bottle of water people buy.
The book I’m listening to currently is called Gut Check. I believe it discusses microplastics being endocrine disruptors and offers many wonderful implications for our general health and wellness related to plastics exposure. I intend to put a thread together to discuss that book, it’s a game changer.
I think pieces of old window blinds would work. Just stick into the soil, no need to tie. But I’m looking to avoid plastics.
@danzeb the bamboo is more in line with my ethos, for sure. And it’s probably the fastest to shape if you have the right tools and know-how. I don’t have a ready and affordable source of larger diameter bamboo though. When I lived in Arkansas, I had access to plenty. Not so much any more.
I bet you could find bamboo at a local store. I’m in MI, and there is a hydroponics store 8 minutes away. They had a bunch in stock for use as stakes. I was able to get 8 foot, 3/4" diameter for $1.40 each. So if you dont mind taking a few minutes to cut them into pieces and then split in half, it would be super cheap. One 8 footer could maybe yield 16 at 12" long, which is 9 cents each.
Starting to sound like @sockworth’s idea might be your best option so far. Aluminum cans are easy to cut with scissors and folded to eliminate sharp edges.