jonnynobody
Well-Known Member
There's always so much chatter and conversation about lights, fans, etc. that really aren't used as tools in the garden once they're installed. They don't move. We don't use them as tools on a daily basis. They're just there like a lamp in the corner of your living room. As I was working through one of my most hated garden tasks yesterday on a day I didn't feel like doing anything and my back was killing me I started thinking about the tools I was using that I simply couldn't live without. Then I started thinking how cool it would be to share my 3 favorite tools I use nearly every day in the garden that are cheap and widely available to everyone. Then I started thinking how cool it might be if everyone else shared their 3 favorite tools that they use. Here it goes:
#1) Artificial sinew wax string $10.94 for a 300 yard roll. I use this to tie off branches to garden stakes, make my own yo yo hangers, and do low stress training on young plants. It's such a wonderful thing that I always keep an extra roll on hand and I installed a roll on a toilet paper dispenser in front of my nurseries for easy access. It's that fantastic. No kidding. Because of the wax on the string you can create a tight tie off without knowing how to tie knots. I've never in my life been able to effectively tie knots. I can tie a simple loop through twice and it holds solid. Great stuff. Then if you want to untie it you can grab each side of the knot and pull. It will separate and you can reuse it which I do frequently.
Simple yo yo hanger with sinew wax string and dollar store large paperclips. I have a couple hundred of these bent up paper clips in a bowl. As I approach harvest and the branches get heavy I attach string to the clip then tie it off to one of the screw in hooks that I install in the bottom of the floor joists which is the ceiling of my flower room. The same could be done in a grow tent using the poles. Instead of screw in hooks you could order a pack of key chain rings off amazon for $5-6 and string them through your poles. Then you can tie off your home made yo yo's to the key rings. Heck you could even lock them into place with a simple zip tie or leave 'em free swinging so you can easily make adjustments prior to harvesting. I got tired of spending $16 on a pack of 10 yo yo's. They're highly convenient, but vastly overpriced. Sinew wax string, paper clips, and a ceiling fastener of some kind is far superior and cheaper. Pretty no? Highly effective? Absolutely!
#2) Kerosone liquid transfer pump for $14.97 @ home depot. I use these as a cheap method of emptying the water in my plant's drip saucers after watering which is a significant problem for water to waste hydro growers. You either have to plumb the waste water to a drain or you have to pump it out. There isn't a 3rd option. No matter how large the drip tray is it will eventually fill if you do not evacuate the water. These little guys are so freaking fantastic I have 5 or 6 of them on hand spread out in my flower room and nursery areas for easy access. I keep a stock of Rayovac D batteries on hand for maintenance. As you can see in the above photo I have 3 of them in a container mounted to my basement wall in front of the nurseries for quick access and storage.
#3) A good set of scissors. Wiss 7 inch utility shears for $14.97 @ home depot. I really can't emphasize this one enough. I cut support string constantly, and cheap scissors that don't effectively cut are unacceptable. They will drive you nuts and piss you off when you don't have the time to deal with a stupid problem such as scissors that won't cut while you're already doing back breaking work that you don't feel like doing. I don't mess around with cheap crappy scissors. Wiss. Lifetime warranty. Fantastic scissors. I have 3 or 4 pair on hand spread throughout my grow areas.
I didn't intend to do a #4, but as I started thinking I really feel the following is worth mentioning, particularly for growers such as myself that are using dry fertilizer salts. They rarely mix easily even with hot water. How much time do you have to sit there and stir or shake the stuff? I realized quickly that I was not going to stir and shake for 20 minutes every other day to mix my fertilizer, and I knew I wasn't changing fertilizers. The solution? #4.
#4) Quality blender for mixing dry fertilizer salts. Oster Versa 1100 for $165 @ walmart. You certainly don't have to spend $165 on a blender, but if you are using dry fertilizer salts in a hydroponic growing method I would highly encourage you to make life easier on yourself and get a basic blender to make your life easier. I weigh my salts, add to the blender of hot water, and mix for 15 seconds. Done. Next salt. Quick and efficient. Who has time to sit and stir or shake for 20 minutes? I originally got this a few years ago for "juicing" and living healthier. That shit lasted for about a month. It's much more useful to me as a fertilizer mixer.
Are any of these recommendations ground breaking or a reinvention of the wheel? Absolutely not. They're just things that can and will make your gardening tasks easier and less frustrating. I look forward to seeing the gizmo's other growers use to make their lives easier
#1) Artificial sinew wax string $10.94 for a 300 yard roll. I use this to tie off branches to garden stakes, make my own yo yo hangers, and do low stress training on young plants. It's such a wonderful thing that I always keep an extra roll on hand and I installed a roll on a toilet paper dispenser in front of my nurseries for easy access. It's that fantastic. No kidding. Because of the wax on the string you can create a tight tie off without knowing how to tie knots. I've never in my life been able to effectively tie knots. I can tie a simple loop through twice and it holds solid. Great stuff. Then if you want to untie it you can grab each side of the knot and pull. It will separate and you can reuse it which I do frequently.
Simple yo yo hanger with sinew wax string and dollar store large paperclips. I have a couple hundred of these bent up paper clips in a bowl. As I approach harvest and the branches get heavy I attach string to the clip then tie it off to one of the screw in hooks that I install in the bottom of the floor joists which is the ceiling of my flower room. The same could be done in a grow tent using the poles. Instead of screw in hooks you could order a pack of key chain rings off amazon for $5-6 and string them through your poles. Then you can tie off your home made yo yo's to the key rings. Heck you could even lock them into place with a simple zip tie or leave 'em free swinging so you can easily make adjustments prior to harvesting. I got tired of spending $16 on a pack of 10 yo yo's. They're highly convenient, but vastly overpriced. Sinew wax string, paper clips, and a ceiling fastener of some kind is far superior and cheaper. Pretty no? Highly effective? Absolutely!
#2) Kerosone liquid transfer pump for $14.97 @ home depot. I use these as a cheap method of emptying the water in my plant's drip saucers after watering which is a significant problem for water to waste hydro growers. You either have to plumb the waste water to a drain or you have to pump it out. There isn't a 3rd option. No matter how large the drip tray is it will eventually fill if you do not evacuate the water. These little guys are so freaking fantastic I have 5 or 6 of them on hand spread out in my flower room and nursery areas for easy access. I keep a stock of Rayovac D batteries on hand for maintenance. As you can see in the above photo I have 3 of them in a container mounted to my basement wall in front of the nurseries for quick access and storage.
#3) A good set of scissors. Wiss 7 inch utility shears for $14.97 @ home depot. I really can't emphasize this one enough. I cut support string constantly, and cheap scissors that don't effectively cut are unacceptable. They will drive you nuts and piss you off when you don't have the time to deal with a stupid problem such as scissors that won't cut while you're already doing back breaking work that you don't feel like doing. I don't mess around with cheap crappy scissors. Wiss. Lifetime warranty. Fantastic scissors. I have 3 or 4 pair on hand spread throughout my grow areas.
I didn't intend to do a #4, but as I started thinking I really feel the following is worth mentioning, particularly for growers such as myself that are using dry fertilizer salts. They rarely mix easily even with hot water. How much time do you have to sit there and stir or shake the stuff? I realized quickly that I was not going to stir and shake for 20 minutes every other day to mix my fertilizer, and I knew I wasn't changing fertilizers. The solution? #4.
#4) Quality blender for mixing dry fertilizer salts. Oster Versa 1100 for $165 @ walmart. You certainly don't have to spend $165 on a blender, but if you are using dry fertilizer salts in a hydroponic growing method I would highly encourage you to make life easier on yourself and get a basic blender to make your life easier. I weigh my salts, add to the blender of hot water, and mix for 15 seconds. Done. Next salt. Quick and efficient. Who has time to sit and stir or shake for 20 minutes? I originally got this a few years ago for "juicing" and living healthier. That shit lasted for about a month. It's much more useful to me as a fertilizer mixer.
Are any of these recommendations ground breaking or a reinvention of the wheel? Absolutely not. They're just things that can and will make your gardening tasks easier and less frustrating. I look forward to seeing the gizmo's other growers use to make their lives easier
