Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: Digitalis on May 20, 2009, 22:44:14
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Most of my neighbouring plots have lots of canes in odd places, with empty plastic bottles on them.
What on Earth for?
They have nothing growing up them, from what I can see.
Some even have pill bottles on them!
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I have some too - various reasons - they rattle around and help keep off pigeons, or they protect eyes. And they prop up netting, so it's useful to have a few extra around, just in case.
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As it 'appens it is a quasi-legal requirement under EU laws - all to do with public liability..
.. and it does help to scare off birds and other pests when they move..
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Most of my cane ends are covered, either with bottles, or with bottle caps (I squish them on with a pair of pliers, works a treat). The other day, I was picking some greens, and gouged my arm on one of the *very* few uncovered canes. Still, better my arm than my eye. But they are near impossible to see from above.
I'd like to get some of those 'ball pool' balls to cover all my sticks - I do have a few old tennis balls in use and they look much better than bottles.
The other reason for them, C&D, is if you put netting over your beds, the bottles offer enough area to support the net without poking through it, and as they're smooth, it won't catch. I've taken all my nets off lately - which may prove foolish - saw another cabbage white butterfly today. :)
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I wish our neighbour used them - our plots are only separated by an 18 inch grass path and a couple of weeks ago, putting up our fruit cage, I managed to impale my thumb on one of his snapped off canes. Very large splinter went in beside my nail bed and emerged the other side of my thumb - ouch indeed!
Ours too are for the multiple reasons listed
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Some cut flaps up the side, bend them back so the wind catches them an makes them spin round causing them to make a rattling noise,
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Ower Tone had one go up his nose (very nasty) My daughters 3 kiddies come on to our plot and I would dread any one of them having their eye gouged out.I use a mixture of yakult bottles and fruit shoot bottles and also some play balls.
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Ow ow ow to cane accidents! :/
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i love the gentle clanking as I work the plot - reminds me of the seaside for some reason...
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Hellohelenhere - I've got those "pool balls" - I got 20 in a bag for 99p in the 99p shop. I have also heard that Asda were doing a two for the price of one offer on them - think they were in boxes of 100. I heated up a skewer and made some holes then cut out the shape of my post (using 3cm x 1.5cm) battons. Put them on to stop the wood tearing the netting. Works a treat.
twinkletoes
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I've used old tennis balls (just make a small slit or hole in them). Being fluorescent they looked pretty distinctive to begin with, but I have to say that after two or three years they're beginning to look a bit manky.
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It's more effective than a sign saying "please don't walk on my beds"
(http://www.emasks.com/images/PM6770630t.jpg)
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Somebody should have insisted our Headmaster put a bottle on the end of HIS cane for health and safety reasons............it would have reduced the bruising of my buttocks on several occasions. :-X
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Thanks for the tip, twinkletoes - I'll try the 99p shops! Balls are strangely hard to find, these days - toy sections (e.g. Tesco) have a million action figures but remarkably little of the basics.
Barnowl, you don't mean 'manky', surely, you mean 'tastefully aged'... :D
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i love the gentle clanking as I work the plot - reminds me of the seaside for some reason...
:) like the sound of the wind on boat masts and flag poles
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Wonderful. I have been wondering how to stop some plastic/fleece protection being damaged by canes. Have a few old tennis balls but no eough.
You can also cut the plastic bottles so they have fins stickling out so the whirl round in the wind. But this did not deter the pigeons from devastating the tops of my pea plants last year.
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we are lucky enough to have a tennis coach on our site so as a consequence after the last communal day our site looked like we were growing some strange gright yellow fruits everywhere!
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I got a pack of 100 (or was it 50 ???) from Sainsbury's last weekend £4-99 with 25% off. Came in a zipped plastic container cube bag that I can probably also use as a mini green house :)
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Play balls or tennis balls, was that, Kea? I quite like the idea of the multicoloured play balls, specially if I can get girly colours rather than red, blue and yellow. :)
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(You can also cut the plastic bottles so they have fins stickling out so the whirl round in the wind.) posted by Digeroo. Read this and tried it but they just blew off the canes ;D
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Helen, the Poundland ones have pink and orange ones in them too! ;)
Mine have faded a little over time
http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t87/ninnyscrops/DSCF1860.jpg
Linda
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Difficult to see the end of a cane, hence all the gizzmo's to protect eyes when you bend down to 'pull a weed' and such.
I got hold of a hundred or so 35mm film canisters. Burn/drill a hole in the lid....purrfect.
Also empty plastic bottles skillfully sliced make good bird scarers. (Already mentioned me thinks.)
All the posts sort of answer the original question.
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Oh ! this might be a good way of recycling the tennis balls my dog squashes up ! :) Debs
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Downtoearth, thanks for the tip! Got a couple of bags. :)
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I've been told that moles don't like the plastic bottles rattling on canes - except for our mole >:( >:( >:( >:(
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If like me you've just stared to(now know why i allways p*ss on 2 fingers :'() wear bifocals an empty Actimel on me Canes is a must,have got the scars to prove it. ;D