Harvesting is the most enjoyable time for a gardener. However, it is very important to collect the fruits without deforming them and without damaging the skin, because otherwise they will lose their presentation and will be stored less. To prevent this from happening, you should use a convenient fruit picker, the main function of which is to collect fruits. You can buy such a device ready-made or make it yourself from scrap materials.

Types of fruit pickers

A high-quality fruit picker will make the work easier and help keep the apples in a marketable condition. There are different types of such devices. They can be roughly divided into 3 main groups:

  • Fruit pickers equipped with cutting elements that are attached to the end of a long handle. They are needed in order to cut off the fruit, which then falls into a container located directly next to these elements. In order for the cutting parts to be driven, special rods are needed. This category includes a collet fruit collector (but only that variety that is equipped with a special knife). For all their practicality, such models have drawbacks. Firstly, it is quite difficult to keep the long handle suspended for a long time. Secondly, it takes skill and patience to carefully cut an apricot or apple, and then catch it in the container of the fruit collector.
  • Fruit pickers resembling a mechanical arm made of wire. Most often, it implements some kind of solution that allows you to squeeze metal "fingers". For example, it can be a line or a fairly long twine. You can find such a wire picker in any shopping center. It is easy to use and convenient. However, it also has its drawbacks. In particular, when picking fruits, such a wire structure can easily hook and break a tree branch, which only adds to the hassle of the gardener.
  • Fruit pickers without cutting elements, made in the form of a bowl. Most often they are made from soft plastic or rather elastic textiles. This group includes, for example, tulip-type fruit collectors, which actually resemble a drop-down flower. "Petals" are cut into the bowl; it itself is attached to a long handle. It is enough to make the fruit fall into the bowl, the stalk hooks onto the cut of the petal, and then all that remains is to turn the device around its own axis. As a result, the cutting will break off and the fruit will enter the bowl intact.

Important! The simplest types of structures from the third group can be made independently, moreover, from scrap materials, including plastic bottles, pipes, and even cans.

Fruit picker

How to choose a picker

Fruit picker for apples

If we are talking about large enough fruits, such as a pear or an apple, tulip collectors are ideal. Much smaller berries are a completely different matter. Here a picker with a grip is unlikely to work, another option is needed. Previously, for such purposes, they usually simply used hooks with long arms, which were used to shake branches. But in this case, cherries or cherries fell directly to the ground, albeit on a spread tarp, and could be damaged. Now for such purposes, devices with cutting elements and bags fixed next to them are more often used.

Important! Much depends on the height of the tree, because it is quite difficult to keep a fruit collector with a long handle on weight all the time, but with a short one it is not suitable for tall trees. The way out of this situation is a telescopic fruit picker. It features a special handle design that extends when needed.

Review of the best models of fruit pickers

Fruit picker for berries

One of the best models for the personal plot is the Skrab fruit collector, designed for the piece collection of a wide variety of fruits and equipped with comfortable grips. This device can be used to harvest apples, apricots, plums. It weighs about 1.2 kg. In fact, this is a universal telescopic fruit collector with a 1.77 m bar and the ability to increase it up to 3 m.

The advantages of the model are the rubberized surface of the grippers, which allows you to collect fruits without spoiling their surface. The gripping diameter is 60-130 mm. The aluminum rod is very convenient to operate. It is a three-piece construction that weighs very little thanks to the alloy it is made of. In addition, this bar is equipped with a comfortable rubber grip for the hand. Thanks to this solution, the fruit collector can be used even with a large garden area, because the hand practically does not get tired. Moreover, there is also a metal pistol handle equipped with a lock.

Fiskars fruit collector

The Fiskars fruit collector is a more complex device. Basically, this is a pole-saw, to which a kind of textile fruit basket is attached. The advantage of this model is that several fruits can be removed at one time. The telescope handle extends up to 4 m. It is very convenient, and the manufacturer used materials for its manufacture so that the palm does not slip.

Note! The bar is quite heavy, but the basket itself weighs only 220 g.

How to make a fruit picker with your own hands

Fruit collector Gardena

It is not difficult to make a fruit picker with your own hands. You just need to choose the right materials for the job. The simplest option is a model made from a plastic bottle; it does not even need a drawing, since it is already clear how this bowl will look when attached to a long pole.

Just before you make a picker from a plastic bottle, you need to think about whether it will be open or closed. In the first case, take a bottle with a capacity of 1.5-2 liters and cut off the bottom (the neck is attached to a pole). Along the top edge, you can make cuts that will resemble tulip petals. In each of the segments obtained, holes need to be made with a thick needle or awl - a fishing line is pulled through them, with the help of which these petals are "controlled", squeezing and unclenching them.

How to make a fruit collector with your own hands when it comes to a closed model? This question is of interest to those who want to collect several fruits at a time. In this case, you need to cut a round hole not in the bottom of the bottle, but next to it, right on the wall. The upper part of such a hole is made serrated.

How to make a fruit picker with your own hands

Important! In both cases, the bottle is attached to a pole or pole with nails or at least glue. It is not difficult to make such a fruit picker with your own hands, but it is not very durable. If you plan to use it for several seasons, it is better to take a tin can.

Rules for the operation, care and storage of fruit pickers

The rules for the operation and storage of such devices depend on what material they are made of. If we are talking about such a design as a hand-made fruit picker from a bottle, then in this case it is not even necessary to store it. The pole or pole can be left in any utility room, and the "bowl" itself can be thrown away.

The storage of finished fruit pickers is carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's requirements. In particular, metal parts must be cleaned of dirt and wiped dry so that they do not corrode.Plastic pickers are even easier, they can simply be washed according to the manufacturer's instructions. Some models have removable parts that have to be replaced as they wear out.

Fruit pickers can greatly facilitate gardening work, so their choice or manufacture must be approached with the utmost seriousness.