Words by Jill Cutting
Ideal for removing unwanted plants whose roots have developed past the point of where they can be hand-pulled without risking a hernia, we were recently introduced to the Tree Popper!
The jaws of the tree popper clamp the weed at the base of the stem, then using the lever principal they pull the whole plant out of the ground, roots and all. Amazing!
They are ideal for removing unwanted plants whose roots have developed past the point of where they can be hand-pulled without risking a hernia!
This simple, yet effective one-person tool comes in three sizes and is designed to be an alternative to stem scrape and cut-poisoning methods of controlling woody weeds. Plus we were able to borrow it from our local Land for Wildlife group.
Small – weighing 2.5kgs is able to remove plants with a stem diameter of 5mm to 20mm
Medium – weighing 5kgs can remove plants with a stem diameter up to 40mm
Large – weighing a hefty 7.5kgs (you’ll need well developed muscles to use this one) can remove plants with a stem diameter up to 60mm. It is claimed that the large tree popper has the equivalent pulling power of 10 times the weight of the user.
We used the small and medium tree poppers to concentrate on the removal of Night blooming Jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum), Chinese celtis (Celtis Sinensis), Golden trumpet trees (Handroanthus chrysotrichus Syn. Tabebuia chrysotricha), Polka dot plants (Hypoestes phyllostachya) and Camphor laurels (Cinnamomum camphora).
They made reasonably easy work of removing the extensive tap root of the Golden Trumpet Trees Handroanthus chrysotrichus – note length of tap root in the photo.
They made an otherwise very difficult task just a tedious one.
Tree poppers are great to assist you with some of those more difficult jobs in the garden and on your property.
Have you got a handy tool or tip you’d to share with the Barung community? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you! Email megan@barunglandcare.org.au
Header image Jill Cutting, Peter Scharf & Linda Scharf with their tree poppers