Gardening problems - new tools/gadget ideas

[tkelly-lord]

Hi all,

as part of my class I have to solve some garden related problems through product design. This could be anything from a task being too hard to do/ to reach/ break etc

- Can you think of any products (e.g. sprinklers, spray gungs, mowers, blowers etc) that could be improved in some way or could be better designed for certain gardening niche markets (e.g. different climates, large/small gardens, disabilities etc).

- Are there some problems which still haven't been solved through design and so designing a totally a new product for the travel market? Or adding a feature to a product to improve it in some way.

Thanks guys, really appreciate any help and would love to hear your responses.

Tom

[Jimgentracer]

I am looking for a novel and Cheap if not FREE way to transport the rainwater from my guttering to my greenhouse

I would prefer to use everyday objects that have been recycled?

Any ideas or direction would be great

I already know there are commercial products out there that can be bought for £15 approx but I was hoping someone has an ingenious way without spending or vast construction required

Please take in consideration I am also wheelchair bound and carrying of buckets is not really an answer

[gloria.p]

A mower that folds smaller somehow in order to be stored in a smaller space in today's overcrowded garages. Ditto a snow blower.

A pruner with telescoping handles to reach high branches or into the middle of our ~10 ft. wide semicircle of junipers.

Ratchet anvil pruners and loppers for arthritic hands.

gloria p

[Dan L]

I want a robot that can identify weeds and bugs and remove them and water the plants when needed. Like in the movies "runaway" and "silent running" :)

[Higgs Boson]

Improve the "spike" sprinklers such that they shoot out the spray evenly. I use these all the time for lawn and flower/plant beds,and am constantly exasperated because they spray so unevenly. A small thing, but a major annoyance.

[David Hare-Scott]

You are treading a well worn pathway here, like the one young Conan made pushing the Wheel of Pain. I suspect there is a rather perverse design teacher somewhere who sends all their pupils here. There may well be lessons for you to learn here but they are not necessarily the answers to the questions as given.

Instead of asking such an open-ended question why not spend some time with local gardeners watching what they do and how they do it and asking specific questions.

David

[David Hare-Scott]

How far must the water be carried? How much water? Some wheelchair-bound people are very fit with excellent upper body strength, is that you?

My first reaction would be to install pipes and a tank rather than push a container on wheels where you may have traction and control issues.

David

[beecrofter]

Make/design a long handle to hold and operate pruning shears.

Make /design a slide hammer spade to divide ornamental grasses.

[Sambo]

I've got the perfect project for you Tom! Forget all the long handled stuff. Long reach manual loppers, long reach hedgetrimmers, pole saws and weight bearing overhead backpack cradles have all been invented and I have most of the best of them.

The problem I have is transporting field grown rhododendron transplants that weigh in at 200kg+ over ornamental lawns and ponds etc. they are 'Instant' plants that customers demand and being shallow rooted, actually establish better than pot grown Rhodies.

At the moment I use plastic sheeting which I or we drag, but this inevitably scars the lawn and can pull your shoulders out of joint. Most of the time machines cannot get to where I need to transport them or get traction, mini diggers excluded. Failing a carthorse, what I need is a cheap hovercraft that will take a wide load and transport a

200kg-300kg root balled plant from the tailift of a lorry to the actual site where it will be hauled into place and planted. Oh and it should cost no more than a decent backpack leaf blower!

Another device that would be of use is some sort of device or tracked grab to hold large potted specimen stock such as large palms in

750litre+ pots, whilst you remove the plastic pot and plant the things, at the moment we use mini diggers, straps and man handling power. I suspect this one might be a red herring though as with the necessary weight and complexity of the kit you would need, you might as well use a backhoe or mini digger...

I am logging this post so as if you patent it I will sue! lol!

Good luck!

[tkelly-lord]

Thankyou for your replies and enthusiam towards this! What a great forum!

It is very tricky to find a suitable project.

The mower sounds like a nice idea, however maybe a lot for me to engineer in such a short space of time. Great line of thought tho.

Most tools now have been made with telescoping handles, and there some great pruners and loppers with rachett mechanisms.

I am intrigued by the spike sprinkler, will need to check if this is a running problem across brands of sprinklers and not just the one you have.

Thanks for the advice david, and I agree. However this is also a great starting for me.

Thanks for all the problems guys, more are welcome!!!!

[Billy]

It's easy to identify valuable plants from weeds. Valuable plants can be easily pulled out of the ground.