Autumn harvesting is a responsible process. To sell or process the fruits, it is important to harvest them without damage, so you cannot simply shake the tree, and if you pick each apple by hand, it will take too long to collect. To simplify the task, it is recommended to choose a suitable apple picker. This device helps to pick the fruit without damaging the skin or flesh, and significantly saves time compared to the manual method.

Purchased apple pickers

Fruit pickers for picking apples can be made independently using materials at hand. But it is much easier to purchase a ready-made version in a store. In this case, the gardener can choose from the following options:

  • Plastic "tulip". The device is made of dense plastic, looks like a tall glass with slots at the top, giving it the resemblance to a drop-down tulip flower. Place the apple fruit collector so that the fruit is in the glass, and the stalk is in the slot between the plastic "petals". Then you need to scroll the handle around its axis, and that's it - the plucked fruit can be carefully placed in the basket. This is a very simple and convenient design. The only difficulty may arise with apples that have a too hard and durable handle.

    Plastic "tulip"

  • Wire fruit collector. The design provides for a bowl made of wire strings. It turns out something like a grip - when the apple hits it, you just need to rotate this puller around its axis, and the fruit will be ripped off. Then the fruit is carefully placed in the basket.
  • The collet puller is another convenient hand-held design with a telescopic handle. This solution allows, if necessary, to adjust the length of the pole. As for the tip of the device, it is made from different materials. There are metal or plastic models on the market. There are also pullers, additionally equipped with a bag that allows you to pick several fruits at once, which greatly speeds up the process.
  • Fruit collector for apples with telescopic handle and gripper. Its operating principle is not much different from the models described above. The main advantage is the presence of a metal grip that resembles folded fingers. Thanks to this design, the collector can capture not only a large apple, but also smaller fruits.

Important! The device is not always equipped with a telescopic handle. In stores, you can find a fruit picker with a grip for apples, but at the same time with a fixed length of the handle. Therefore, before buying, this point needs to be clarified.

There are other options for collectors. For example, there are models with an additional line that allows you to grip the handle. Collet pullers can be equipped with a special knife for cutting cuttings.

DIY apple fruit picker

The easiest way is to order a fruit picker online or buy a ready-made one at the nearest shopping center. Moreover, there is a choice of models, and a very good one. However, many gardeners prefer to make a fruit picker on their own, since even improvised materials are suitable for this.

DIY apple fruit picker

DIY "tulip" fruit picker from a plastic bottle

Fruit picker

There are very simple designs, for example, the "tulip" described above with a plastic bowl.In order to repeat the finished model, you only need a plastic bottle (1.5-2 liters), as well as a sufficiently long fishing line (3 m). A pole or tube can be used as a handle for this design.

The plastic bottle is washed, the bottom is cut off to make a bowl. This can be done with scissors. The volume of the bowl is determined arbitrarily so that it is convenient to use it. Using a knife, slits are made in the upper part, reminiscent of the opening tulip petals. Then they take an awl and make holes in each of these petals so that you can stretch the fishing line through them. Its ends are then passed through the neck of the bottle.

Important! A through hole should be made in the pole where the bowl will be fixed. If it is not possible to make a hole, then you will have to use glue.

The line is threaded so that its short end can be securely fixed. And the long end should be such that it is convenient to squeeze the edges of the structure if necessary.

The fruit picker is ready, and you can check how well it works at the nearest apple tree.

In the same way, make a collection from the bottle "bowl". This is an almost primitive construction. In the same way as in the previous case, they take a one and a half liter plastic bottle and cut off the bottom of it. You just don't need to make petals, but you can simply cut out the edge with sharp teeth, making shallow cuts around the perimeter. For the handle, take a pole, tube or pole, on which the bowl is fixed with a nail or other fastening material.

Alternative pickers

Apple collections can be done differently. For example, the following options are possible:

  • Closed bottle remover. In this case, a round hole is cut closer to the bottom. On top of it, teeth are cut. The resulting bowl is fixed on a pole. Such a model will help to shoot several fruits at once.
  • Tin can remover. The material is more durable than a plastic bottle, so the collector will last longer and is suitable for larger and heavier apples. For these purposes, large banks are selected. The bottom is not cut off, but shallow lines are made with a knife, which are then pushed apart in the form of a wedge, using pliers for this. On the opposite side of this, holes are needed - a wire is passed through them and the structure is fixed on the handle.

    Tin can remover

  • Plastic pipe puller. You just need to find a large diameter pipe made of thin polymer material. With its help, it will be possible to shoot rather large apples. At the top of such a pipe, a hole must be cut in the form of an inverted Latin letter J, on the lower crossbar of which a blade is attached. From the bottom, the edge is cut off with cloves, they are heated and bent, forming the bottom. They are attached to the handle with self-tapping screws.

Many summer residents use other home-made structures, including those made from fishing nets. Some improve the options described above, adding, for example, linen bags to pick several apples at once. The only drawback of such products is the lack of telescopic handles. But, in general, they are quite convenient and are great for a small farm.