What is a fruit picker and what types are there?

Fruit and berry pickers, available in various designs, can speed up and facilitate the process of harvesting fruits and berries. These can be purchased or made yourself.

Features of the device

To simplify and speed up the fruit-picking process, manufacturers offer a variety of tools called fruit pickers. Some help pick fruit from a height, while others help quickly gather berries from the bush.

Features of fruit pickers:

• all of them recreate the actions performed by human hands when picking fruits and berries from branches;
• Almost all devices are equipped with structures that grasp the fruit and then tear off or cut off the stalk;
• Some models provide for the constant release of picked fruits, more advanced versions have containers - bags or baskets, in which a certain amount of fruits or berries are placed;
• Devices that require remote collection become more convenient if they are equipped with a telescopic handle.

How to choose a fruit picker?

How to choose a device for picking fruits and berries:

• Fruit characteristics. Apples, pears, and other large fruits are best picked with cup-shaped models. They ensure careful removal of each individual fruit.
  For smaller fruits like cherries and sweet cherries, cutting tools are suitable, allowing for quick separation of stems from branches. Berries are harvested using special scoops, which ensure rapid and massive harvesting.
• Price. Both inexpensive, easy-to-use devices and expensive brand-name devices are available. The advantages of the latter include high-quality assembly and construction materials, durability, and efficiency.
• Height of the object. This parameter is important when choosing a fruit picker. Pay attention to the length of the handle. It determines the type of fruit you can pick. Considering that the ripest and sweetest fruits grow at the top, the longer the handle, the better.
• Weight. Holding a fruit picker can be tiring if it's too heavy. The lighter the tool, the better. To keep weight down, tools are made of lightweight yet durable materials such as aluminum and its alloys, or plastic. Models with wooden handles are not recommended.
• Method of removalIt is advisable to choose designs that allow the fruit to be harvested without damaging its integrity.

Popular brands of garden tools

Many companies manufacture garden tools. If a gardener wants their tools to last a long time, they should choose products from reputable brands. Garden tools from German manufacturers are the most popular.

The most famous manufacturers of fruit pickers are Gardena, Skrab, Fiskars, Green Apple.

Gardena

This manufacturer offers everything you need for gardening, including fruit pickers. Gardena is recognized as the best brand in the European gardening tool market.

This company offers the following types of fruit pickers:

• Crown. The most popular, simple, and functional option. It features a crown of teeth that allow you to grab the fruit and pull it free from the stem. There's a small bag at the bottom that catches the picked fruit. An example of this model is the Gardena Fruit Picker Combisystem. It costs around 2,000 rubles.
• Wire fruit collector. It has about a dozen wire "fingers" connected by fishing line, which act like a grasping hand. An example of this design is the Gardena Combisystem Rollsammler with a 130 cm plastic handle. This model is unique in that it is designed for picking fruit from the ground. It costs approximately 3,600 rubles.

Green Apple

Another well-known German brand, Green Apple has been producing gardening products for nearly 80 years. The company offers ergonomic, reliable, and durable gardening tools. All Green Apple fruit pickers are made of highly durable materials that can withstand long-term use.

 

The brand offers telescopic fruit pickers for harvesting high-growing fruit. The handle is adjustable from 138 to 254 cm. The handle is made of aluminum. The price is approximately 1,400 rubles.

Mastertool

A company founded in Ukraine offers tools, including those for the garden. Master Tool sells several types of fruit pickers with telescopic handles ranging from 2 to 4 meters in length. There are crown-style models with a bag, a plastic basket, and a three-pronged fruit picker with a claw. Prices range from 700 to 1,600 rubles.

Fiskars

This is a global supplier of garden tools and other home and garden products. The brand adheres to strict Finnish standards and uses only the highest quality and most durable materials.

Fiskars offers fruit picking baskets designed for the careful harvesting of large fruits. They feature a wide mouth and a cotton bag. They are available with both standard and telescopic handles. Prices range from 1,500 to 2,500 rubles.

Palisad

This brand offers gardening tools in the best German traditions. Their products are widely available on the Russian market, but many are exclusive to the Russian market. All tools are made from safe, high-quality materials and are functional and easy to use.

The Palisad brand offers the best value in its price category, despite offering similar features. All products are ergonomic and safe, manufactured using cutting-edge technology.

Scrub

This is a domestic company that supplies the Russian market with a wide range of tools, including gardening tools. The company sells its products under the SKRAB brand, which is registered in the EU.

The brand offers a fruit picker for individual fruit picking. Sold under the name "Garden Telescope," the product is 3 meters long. The aluminum handles are equipped with a locking mechanism for comfortable use. Prices range from 1,000 to 2,300 rubles.

Types of fruit pickers

Manufacturers offer fruit and berry picking devices that vary in purpose, design, reliability, and capabilities. A wide variety of fruit picker models are available on the market, and the choice depends on the intended purpose.

Cutting with a bag

They feature a classic design with a ring and knives that separate the fruit from its stems. The harvested fruit ends up in a bowl or a larger container designed to accommodate one or more fruits.

These fruit pickers are designed for individual fruit picking. Using them, a person carefully "bites" the stem off the branch, after which the fruit lands undamaged and softly in a fabric bag. The picker removes the "catch" from the bag and directs the device to the next fruit.

Advantages:

• maximum simplicity of design;
• carefully tearing off the fruit together with the stalk;
• careful handling of fruits placed in soft fabric or mesh bags;
• Possibility of height adjustment with a telescopic handle.

Flaws:

• the need to master and implement the correct technique of fruit picking;
• low collection speed;
• significant expenditure of energy – you have to strain your arms and experience physical exertion while picking fruit.

Using cutting fruit pickers takes time, but they allow you to pick fruit that is impossible or extremely difficult to reach with a stepladder.

Mechanical with grip

These designs use "fingers" to grasp the fetus. Control is provided by a lever located at the other end of the device. The elements are closed by tension on a cable made of plastic or metal.

These devices allow fruit to be picked from great heights. The maximum distance from the head to the fruit is 2 m. The handle is usually telescopic to facilitate picking fruit at different heights.

To remove a fruit, a three-fingered mechanism is brought close to it and a lever is pressed. The "fingers" close, separating the stem from the branch.

Advantages:

• low price;
• ease of use;
• long handle;
• the plates are covered with rubber on the inside, which allows you to carefully remove the fruit without the slightest damage;
• you can pick large fruits up to 20 cm in diameter;
• Versatility – the device can be used to retrieve various objects, such as a tennis ball that has landed on the roof.

Flaws:

• damage to branches during operation;
• Slow assembly speed and physical effort required – there are models weighing up to 1.2 kg.

In the form of a plastic tulip-type bowl

These tools allow for the careful removal of fruit. They are shaped like a "tulip," with the edges divided into "petals." These tools are the most popular among gardeners and are used exclusively for fruit picking. Fruit is separated from the branches by rotating the handle in a circular motion.

The tulip handle can be standard or telescopic, plastic or wooden. You can even make your own if you like.

Pros:

• maximum careful harvesting of fruits;
• simplicity of design and low cost;
• convenient work.

Cons:

• unreliable design - if hit or jerked, both the bowl itself and the handle can break;
• Working with such a device requires physical strength and time.

Wire collet fruit picker

This device is designed for harvesting large fruits and has long been popular with gardeners. Like the "tulip" fruit picker, it has a fairly simple design, but the harvesting principle is somewhat different. Here, the fruit is removed not by turning the handle, but by pulling the string.

The wire fruit collector is assembled from wire elements with curved loops at the ends. Its shape resembles a closed bud.

Bringing the fruit picker to the fruit, the picker first releases the line to open the "bud." Once the fruit is in the fruit picker's cavity, the person pulls the line taut, and the loops close. The fruit is then trapped inside the closed "bud."

Pros:

• simplicity of design;
• You can make or select a handle at your own discretion;
• the wire is covered with plastic, so the fruits are not damaged when picked;
• cheapness.

Cons:

• the line may get tangled in the branches;
• my hands get tired;
• You can only pick one fruit at a time;
• If you release the line too early, the "bud" will open, the fruit will fall out of it and hit the ground.

Metal with basket

This fruit picker can be used to harvest not only large fruits but also small ones, such as plums, nuts, and the like. The fruit is separated from the branches by the reciprocating motion of the wire cutters. The material used is metal wire.

The picker lifts the fruit picker onto its handle and "rakes" the fruit, like leaves. A foam pad is placed at the bottom of the metal basket.

Pros:

• You can collect several fruits in a basket at once – the quantity depends on their size;
• the fruit picker can be mounted on any suitable handle – simple or telescopic;
• does not damage fruits when used correctly;
• simplicity of design.

Cons:

• If you are not careful, you can damage the fruit with the cutters;
• painstaking work requires time, effort and attention.

Instruments with a damper

These devices are used exclusively for picking berries. Their operating principle allows for quick and easy combing of dozens or even hundreds of berries in a single stroke. Thanks to its fine teeth, the device removes even the smallest berries (blueberries, lingonberries, and blackberries), and a flap prevents them from spilling.

Pros:

• berry picking is greatly accelerated;
• minimal trauma to plants;
• ease of assembly and ergonomics;
• easy to clean.

Cons:

• some of the berries are crushed;
• a lot of leaves and debris fall in;
• the ripest berries burst - it is better to pick them by hand;
• It is inconvenient to collect berries from the lower branches - it is also recommended to pick them by hand.

When using berry pickers, proceed with extreme caution and avoid excessive force. Using sudden movements can damage not only the berries but also the plants themselves.

How to make a fruit picker with your own hands?

Most fruit-picking devices used by gardeners and amateur gardeners are simple in design. With a little imagination, you can make a fruit picker from scrap materials at any time.

For berries

There are many options for homemade berry picking devices. The quickest and easiest way is to make a fruit picker from a plastic bottle, but there are also more robust designs made of metal and wood that can be used long-term.

To make a berry picker from a plastic container, you will need, in addition to a suitable bottle, a wooden stick, rope, and a sharp knife or scissors.

The procedure for making a plastic device for picking berries:

1. Mark the location on the bottle where the hole will be located.
2. Secure the tool to the stick with a rope so that one end touches the bottom of the bottle and the other remains outside.
3. Using the mark you made earlier, cut out a square hole, approximately 5x5 cm.
4. Cut large teeth into the plastic from the bottom.

To make the following fruit picker, you'll need sheets of steel, fasteners, and a piece of steel tubing. You'll also need metal shears, a hammer, and other tools.

The procedure for making a metal fixture:

1. Make a drawing on paper according to which the steel parts will be cut out.
2. Cut out the lower element of the fruit picker – the bottom, and the body – from a steel sheet.
3. To make the cutoff piece, take a separate sheet of steel. Measure the width of the receiver—this is the main dimension of the element being cut out. Fold one edge of the sheet over.
4. Make holes on one side of the cutter. The diameter of the holes should correspond to the thickness of the wire. Leave a gap of 4-5 mm between them.
5. Cut the metal wire into 100 mm long pieces and thread them through the holes you drilled earlier. Secure them in place by welding or bending them with a hammer.
6. Bend the resulting wire rake to create a rim. This will prevent the berries from falling out of the fruit picker.
7. Assemble the body of the device, connecting the parts with pre-prepared fasteners.
8. Screw the comb to the body.
9. Make a handle from a steel tube or plate. Or use a ready-made handle, such as a door handle. To reduce slippage, wrap it with electrical tape.

The body of a metal fruit picker can be lined with wood or plastic panels. This increases safety by switching the device to a "gentle mode" of operation. This lining protects both the berries and the plants from damage.

To learn how to make a berry picker, watch the following video:

The procedure for making a wooden device:

1. Saw off two identical wooden circles with a diameter of 6-7 cm.
2. Make holes in one circle, leaving 1 cm from the edge.
3. Sand the wood to remove burrs.
4. Make a comb out of the skewers by drilling holes of a diameter corresponding to their size. The intervals between adjacent skewers are 0.5 cm.
5. On the second circle, make exactly the same holes.
6. Place two circles on top of each other. All holes should line up.
7. Insert skewers and space the circles 15 cm apart.
8. Secure the frame with glue.

This type of fruit picker is convenient for picking small berries – blueberries and bilberries.

For fruits

The simplest fruit picking device can be made from a regular plastic bottle with a capacity of at least 1.5 liters. This DIY project takes 10-20 minutes to complete.

Manufacturing procedure:

1. Cut off the bottom of the bottle.
2. Split the cut into petals, like a tulip fruit picker.
3. Make a hole in each petal.
4. Thread a fishing line or cord through the holes – the fruits will be picked by pulling them.
5. Place the neck of a former bottle onto a pre-selected handle. You can use a mop handle or any garden tool handle.

A plastic bottle can be used to make a fruit picker with a container that can hold several fruits at a time. The distinguishing features of this plastic design are a bottom and a 10 cm (4 in) jagged hole cut into the side of the bottle.

Rules for the operation, care and storage of fruit pickers

Fruit pickers are used and stored with consideration given to the material they are made of. Their simple design makes them difficult to break, but it's important to consider the strength of the materials. Plastic items are quite fragile and should be avoided if dropped, impacted, or subjected to other mechanical stress.

How to store fruit pickers:

• Plastic. These products don't require any special storage conditions. They are stored in regular sheds. Simply wash them after use. If the devices have removable parts, replace them as they wear out.
  If the device is homemade, after use the handle is placed in a utility room, and the bowl, made from a plastic bottle, is disposed of.
• Metal. Such devices are stored in accordance with the manufacturer's requirements. All metal components are thoroughly cleaned and wiped with a rag. This helps prevent corrosion.

Fruit pickers can't completely replace manual labor, but that's not their purpose. They simply help speed up berry picking and allow you to reach high-hanging fruit more quickly. Fruits located on lower branches are easier to pick by hand.

Frequently Asked Questions