I don’t know about you, but I haven’t purchased a single Christmahanakwanzika gift yet. These days, we’re all just so darn busy that it’s hard to take a breath until the bitter end. But I did think it would be fun to share with everyone some gift ideas that readers sent in and that are tailored to landscape professionals and/or growers. Some of these I've tried out (or own), some I've only seen on a demo and others I simply dream of. I hope you enjoy! 

Our first gift idea comes to us from the world of viticulture and should make any tree liner/whip grower salivate. The Pellenc Fixon Tying Machine is an awesome tool that can be used to tie/train whips to stakes. The one caveat is that it has a max stem diameter threshold of 1 in.—but most liners/whips fall below that threshold.


The Pellenc Fixion system is lightweight and can operate all day on a single charge, making it a viable option for liner/whip producers.
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Why do I love it? It’s FAST. Don’t believe me? Check this out. It can make 30 ties a minute—that’s getting it done! In fact, several vineyards in Georgia are trying it out and claim it's 60% faster than using any other tying method!

Not all gadgets have to be “new”—and this is one that's been around for a while and that I scoffed at as someone who prefers to try and cut fingers off with a knife while teaching grafting classes. But I finally bit the bullet and purchased one from A.M. Leonard and haven't been disappointed.

There are several things to be aware of, though. First, get a set that has metal handles rather than plastic, as the plastic gets brittle with age. Second, make sure to get a tool that has exchangeable blades or blades you can sharpen—a lot of the cheaper options don’t allow this. Third, it seems the best brands come out of Italy. Finally, make sure you select a product that matches the stem size you plan on grafting. My choice is always about the size of a pencil, but some like larger material.

Simple in design, but efficient and fast, handheld grafting devices are beloming more relevant in the trade.
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The real question, though, is: Do they work? The short answer is yes. My success rate with them is about 90%, whereas I was at about 75% using a knife. A lot of that is because they're so much quicker—and as a result, I can say to myself, I have two to three hours and that's enough time to get some serious numbers done. As a result, I dive in and don't put it off "until tomorrow."

When hand-grafting, it takes me about 90 to 120 seconds to make the graft, start to finish. With these, it takes about 60 seconds. The cuts are also much more uniform than I can perform with a knife, making matching cambium tissue up much easier.

I’ll admit I have a Felco problem ... as in I want everything they make. (Some of you have a John Deere green problem, so you can sympathize with me on this.) And when Dr. Amy Fulcher mentioned self-sanitizing hand pruners, my interest was immediately off the chart.

I went straight to the Felco website and voila—I found the Felco 19. Have I ever used this product? No. But I want them, especially after watching this video. And while I have no idea what these people are saying, I'm pretty sure it's, “Matthew Chappell, you need these, you want these, you will have these.” My reply: "Absolutely."

Is there any legitimate use for these hand pruners in ornamental horticulture that were developed primarily for orchard/vineyard production systems? I say, yes, especially if pruning specimen plants or stock plants/taking cuttings for propagation. Then again, the human mind can justify anything, especially my mind when jonesing for a new Felco toy. 

Who doesn’t want a drone? The potential uses are endless, as long as you follow FFA regulations. And the cost of this technology has dropped like a rock, allowing extremely good drones to be purchased for under $2,000. You may think that's a lot of cash for a toy, but it's much more than a toy.

The DJI Phantom 4 Pro Quadcopter packs a lot of options in an affordable unit.

I recently inquired with Dr. Joe Maja at Clemson, who's a drone expert. He indicated that for agricultural operations, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro Quadcopter is as good as you can get. Why? The user interface is easy, accessories abound, the warranty is great, flight range is outstanding (over 4 miles from the controller), a long flight time is achieved (30 minutes), it records in 4K video, and it stabilizes images with gyroscope tech (and much more).

Take a look at the quality of video it produces and images are even better. Now if only someone would donate one to me, all would be perfect this Christmahanakwanzika ...
ntom 4 Pro Quadcopter I recently inquired with Dr. Joe Maja at Clemson, who is a drone expert. He indicated that for agricultural operations, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro Quadcopter is as good as you can get. Why? The user interface is easy, accessories abound, it has a great warranty, it has a wide flight range (over 4 miles from the controller), has a long flight time (30 minutes), it records in 4K video, and stabilizes images with gyroscope tech (and much more). Now if only someone would donate one to me, all would be perfect this Christmahanakwanzika. 

I recently inquired with Dr. Joe Maja at Clemson, who is a drone expert. He indicated that for agricultural operations, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro Quadcopter is as good as you can get. Why? The user interface is easy, accessories abound, it has a great warranty, it has a wide flight range (over 4 miles from the controller), has a long flight time (30 minutes), it records in 4K video, and stabilizes images with gyroscope tech (and much more). Now if only someone would donate one to me, all would be perfect this Christmahanakwanzika. 

It’s amazing how far battery-operated equipment has come in the last five years, mainly because of the leaps taken in battery technology that have been driven by the solar and automotive industries. The Stihl MSA 120 C-BQ Chainsaw is one beneficiary of this improved battery technology and is a toy I love using. At first, it was hard to see how this could be better than the Stihl MS-271 that I still use regularly to eradicate sweetgum from my property. But it has a niche.

What’s that niche? A lightweight, powerful chainsaw for the grab-and-go quick job. At 8.4 lbs., it’s almost 4 lbs. lighter than my MS-271. It’s also eerily quiet, which is nice when I need to slice up a tree or “significantly prune” a shrub I'm ticked off with while my beautiful wife and children are sleeping. (For those of you with spouses and small children, you know what I'm talking about.)

Now, why won’t it ever replace my MS-271 completely? Because when I need alone time, nothing better says “leave me alone” than cranking up that MS-271. That and battery life is about 30 minutes and that isn’t jaw-dropping. Get me a battery that lasts an hour and I’ll be all in.  

Sometimes, a great product costs very little, as is the case with Stout’s Backsaver Grip. This gizmo isn’t complicated or flashy, but it sure makes certain tasks a lot more tolerable. Not as tolerable as watching my kids dig holes, but I'm realistic about the prospects of getting manual labor out of a 6 year old and 18 month old.

But I digress. The concept is simple: this widget attaches to the shaft of a long-handled tool like a broom, rake, or shovel and allows you to change the angle of your forward hand upward (or to the side if you wish). As a result, it's easier to put torque on the fulcrum (forward) hand, which allows back-bending to be reduced (especially for tall people like me, at 6 ft., 1 in.).

I bet it would be heavenly when shoveling snow, but I wouldn’t know because I live in the Southeast where snow is uncommon, and when it does snow, we all just get in our pickup trucks and have a party on the interstate.  

There are few landscape professionals who haven't taken a mower to the limits on a slope and most of us have done the “sudden lean” when that beast decided to go Evil Knievel on two wheels. Enter the Spider ILD02, a remote-controlled mower capable of traversing a 55-degree slope.

With a 48.5-in. deck, it’s a beast in environments where even workers with string trimmers would be hard pressed to reach. And I can only imagine how marvelous it would be on flat-ground, as I sat and sipped on an adult beverage while playing my new favorite game, "Cut the Grass."

I saw this demoed in Spain about four years ago and instantly fell in love. Upon closer inspection, it was more than just a novelty. It’s built to last, with a Kawasaki FS 691 engine and roll cage protecting all the major mechanical parts. If I had one complaint, it's that its speed lacks a bit, as it has a max speed of 5 mph. But if used as intended, I don’t know of a better tool to get the job done.   

Notes from the Edge of Sanity is taking a break to celebrate the holidays. But there are other important items that are time-sensitive and that I wanted to share with you. Ready—set—go!

• GrowerTalks/Dümmen Orange Young Grower Award nominations are now being accepted. This is an outstanding opportunity for young growers to showcase their talents and gain industry recognition! To be eligible, the grower must be under 35 years old. Finalists get a free trip to Cultivate’18 and, while they’re in Columbus, attend a special dinner with Anna Ball and other industry luminaries, as well as a breakfast and tour at Dümmen Orange. The winners will be announced at the Unplugged event during Cultivate’18, will be the subject of the GrowerTalks/GreenProfit September issue cover stories and serve as a judge for next year’s awards. The deadline for nominations is March 1, 2018.
• There’s an outstanding propagation webinar coming up, hosted by GrowerTalks. If you root cuttings, you make use of one or more of the three kinds of propagation media: engineered media or “foam” (such as Rootcubes); stabilized media or “paper plugs” (like Fertiss); and bonded media or “glue plugs” (such as Terra Plugs). But why choose one over the other? What does each offer? In this free webinar, guest expert Dr. Vijay Rapaka will share the details of all three kinds of propagation media. He’ll tell you how each system works, the pros and cons of each for various crops, and offer tips and tricks for maximizing your rooting. He’ll also go into extra depth about Oasis’ latest propagation media, Terra Plug.
• CULTIVATE registration is now open! Check it out here. They even have a “New and Improved” registration process!  

I hope each of you have a wonderful Christmahanakwanzika break, even if it is too brief (and take the time to tell others to sign up for the newsletter). We’ll be back to the regular ole’ Nursery & Landscape Insider later this month and focus on how the tax bill (should it make it) will affect your nursery or landscape business. Until then, peace be with you and thank you for all that you do to promote our industry.