Banana Tools

TommyMacLuckie · 09-07-2009, 01:35 PM

The DVD from Hawaii shows the dude popping suckers with some kind of bladed spud bar. Looks much easier to deal with than a shovel - where can I get one?

Also the dude pruning the fronds with that tiny hooked blade - I've tried using all sorts of things, recently a machete attached to a broken pole saw as well as a new pole saw with a really nice pruner on the end.

Neither of those will work as good as that tiny curved blade. Any idea where I could get one? Anyone here have one?

Bob · 09-07-2009, 03:43 PM

Hey Tommy, I got the cheapest banana knife on ebay and it works like a charm on the leaves and I'd guess the hands of fruit if I got that lucky. It is super cheaply made and I had to push in the wire binding and wrap with electric tape on the handle so the sharp spot didn't find me! Just a sharp blade on a wooden dowel but functionally it's pretty good. Works great on the home grown celery I just cut for a holiday bloody mary too!

pitangadiego · 09-07-2009, 09:15 PM

See Truper Tamper Digging Bar - Post Hole Digger - Ace Hardware There are several diff brands out there.

Richard · 09-07-2009, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TommyMacLuckie

... Neither of those will work as good as that tiny curved blade. Any idea where I could get one? Anyone here have one?

Agricultural supply stores have a wide variety of field knives for laborers. I bought mine at Crop Production Services.

sunfish · 09-07-2009, 11:06 PM

How about something like this.

pitangadiego · 09-08-2009, 01:28 PM

Sunfish,

Meaning no disrespect, but that is not a real banana tool. Wait till you have to pry out a good, rooted sucker. I have seen suckers as short as 6" that had so many roots, they wouldn't fit in a 15 gallon bucket.

pitangadiego · 09-08-2009, 01:34 PM

Found my pix of the tool.

The important features are the slender blade (less root disturbance of the parent plant), the sharp tip, and a stiff handle to withstand prying, when removing the pup. 3/4" steel water pipe is not stiff enough, but 1" will do.

I bought and made a number of tools before I broke down and spent the bucks to get this tool, and haven't needed to replace it in 3 years.

island cassie · 09-08-2009, 01:44 PM

Yep - we get something very similar here - not expensive but we have to fit our own handle.

sunfish · 09-08-2009, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pitangadiego

Sunfish,

Meaning no disrespect, but that is not a real banana tool. Wait till you have to pry out a good, rooted sucker. I have seen suckers as short as 6" that had so many roots, they wouldn't fit in a 15 gallon bucket.

I was refering to this. Also the dude pruning the fronds with that tiny hooked blade

D_&_T · 09-08-2009, 02:31 PM

Basically a hooked carpet Knife!

sunfish · 09-08-2009, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D_&_T

Basically a hooked carpet Knife!

It is like but a little longer a carpet knife. I think a serrated knife like this would have no problem cutting fronds.

momoese · 09-08-2009, 04:03 PM

I found one these at a yard sale and taped it to the end of a painters extension pole. With this setup fully extended I can reach the highest leaves easily. I keep it sharpened with an angle grinder using a 3" Roloc attachment with 36 grit grinding disc, or sometimes I just hand file the edge. I find that the 36 grit grinding disc works best because it leaves a bit of a serrated edge. I also use it to notch the back of the psuedo stems when harvesting the bunches.

ewitte · 09-08-2009, 04:25 PM

what I use

Jack Daw · 09-08-2009, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ewitte

what I use

Nice Ka-Bar, although I doubt that the manufacturer meant pruning bananas, when he stated on his website: All-purpose/Utilty knife for this model.

Simply Bananas · 09-08-2009, 05:10 PM

Perhaps you are looking for this:
BANANA KNIFE FREE SHIP - eBay (item 200289961486 end time Sep-14-09 15:58:20 PDT)

or

Vintage Remington BANANA KNIFE GC - eBay (item 290347332925 end time Sep-13-09 17:00:00 PDT)

or maybe this:
Vintage Lardon Lockback Folding Banana Knife - eBay (item 180404570591 end time Sep-12-09 15:14:22 PDT)

Simply Bananas · 09-08-2009, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pitangadiego

Found my pix of the tool.

The important features are the slender blade (less root disturbance of the parent plant), the sharp tip, and a stiff handle to withstand prying, when removing the pup. 3/4" steel water pipe is not stiff enough, but 1" will do.

I bought and made a number of tools before I broke down and spent the bucks to get this tool, and haven't needed to replace it in 3 years.

I dug this whole clump out with my digging bar.

They work great.

pitangadiego · 09-08-2009, 09:20 PM

I wouldn't leave home without mine.

austinl01 · 09-08-2009, 10:21 PM

How do you get enough force to push it through the corm? Is it easy to use and does it make a clean cut? If so, I'll invest in one. I think I've seen them at Home Depot.

TommyMacLuckie · 09-08-2009, 10:50 PM

Cool. Thanks y'all. I finally found a place to get pony shovels - maybe they'll have what I'm looking for.

Richard · 09-08-2009, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by austinl01

How do you get enough force to push it through the corm? Is it easy to use and does it make a clean cut? If so, I'll invest in one. I think I've seen them at Home Depot.

Yes, a 4-inch concrete scraper.

09-07-2009, 01:35 PM	#1 (permalink)
TommyMacLuckie Howboutcha! TommyMacLuckie's Photo Gallery Location: Mandeville, Louisiana Find me on the map! Zone: 8B Name: Tommy Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 427 BananaBucks : 195,250 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 7 Times Was Thanked 375 Times in 202 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Banana Tools The DVD from Hawaii shows the dude popping suckers with some kind of bladed spud bar. Looks much easier to deal with than a shovel - where can I get one? Also the dude pruning the fronds with that tiny hooked blade - I've tried using all sorts of things, recently a machete attached to a broken pole saw as well as a new pole saw with a really nice pruner on the end. Neither of those will work as good as that tiny curved blade. Any idea where I could get one? Anyone here have one?

09-07-2009, 03:43 PM	#2 (permalink)
Bob Orang Puteh Bob's Photo Gallery Location: Morris plains N.J. Find me on the map! Zone: 6a Name: bob Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,527 BananaBucks : 193,692 Feedback: 12 / 100% Said "Thanks" 9,531 Times Was Thanked 4,054 Times in 1,692 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 565 Times	Re: Banana Tools Hey Tommy, I got the cheapest banana knife on ebay and it works like a charm on the leaves and I'd guess the hands of fruit if I got that lucky. It is super cheaply made and I had to push in the wire binding and wrap with electric tape on the handle so the sharp spot didn't find me! Just a sharp blade on a wooden dowel but functionally it's pretty good. Works great on the home grown celery I just cut for a holiday bloody mary too! __________________

09-07-2009, 09:15 PM	#3 (permalink)
pitangadiego Senior Member Location: San Diego, CA Find me on the map! Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,457 BananaBucks : 121,129 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 2,625 Times in 901 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Banana Tools See Truper Tamper Digging Bar - Post Hole Digger - Ace Hardware There are several diff brands out there. __________________ Encanto Farms Nursery http://encantofarms.com We Be Bananas http://webebananas.com

09-07-2009, 11:06 PM	#5 (permalink)
sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 776,940 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,590 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: Banana Tools How about something like this.

09-08-2009, 01:28 PM	#6 (permalink)
pitangadiego Senior Member Location: San Diego, CA Find me on the map! Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,457 BananaBucks : 121,129 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 2,625 Times in 901 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Banana Tools Sunfish, Meaning no disrespect, but that is not a real banana tool. Wait till you have to pry out a good, rooted sucker. I have seen suckers as short as 6" that had so many roots, they wouldn't fit in a 15 gallon bucket. __________________ Encanto Farms Nursery http://encantofarms.com We Be Bananas http://webebananas.com

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09-08-2009, 01:34 PM	#7 (permalink)
pitangadiego Senior Member Location: San Diego, CA Find me on the map! Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,457 BananaBucks : 121,129 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 2,625 Times in 901 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Banana Tools Found my pix of the tool. The important features are the slender blade (less root disturbance of the parent plant), the sharp tip, and a stiff handle to withstand prying, when removing the pup. 3/4" steel water pipe is not stiff enough, but 1" will do. I bought and made a number of tools before I broke down and spent the bucks to get this tool, and haven't needed to replace it in 3 years. __________________ Encanto Farms Nursery http://encantofarms.com We Be Bananas http://webebananas.com

09-08-2009, 01:44 PM	#8 (permalink)
island cassie island cassie's Photo Gallery Location: Dominican Republic Find me on the map! Zone: 11+ I guess Name: Island Cassie Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3,170 BananaBucks : 352,169 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,708 Times Was Thanked 2,078 Times in 873 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 416 Times	Re: Banana Tools Yep - we get something very similar here - not expensive but we have to fit our own handle.

09-08-2009, 02:31 PM	#10 (permalink)
D_&_T 3rd winter growing indoor D_&_T's Photo Gallery Location: Northern Indiana Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Name: Dan Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 877 BananaBucks : 28,464 Feedback: 4 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,437 Times Was Thanked 259 Times in 169 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 342 Times	Re: Banana Tools Basically a hooked carpet Knife! __________________

09-08-2009, 04:03 PM	#12 (permalink)
momoese Banana grower momoese's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Zone: zone 10 Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 7,571 BananaBucks : 5,456 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,705 Times Was Thanked 10,830 Times in 3,289 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 721 Times	Re: Banana Tools I found one these at a yard sale and taped it to the end of a painters extension pole. With this setup fully extended I can reach the highest leaves easily. I keep it sharpened with an angle grinder using a 3" Roloc attachment with 36 grit grinding disc, or sometimes I just hand file the edge. I find that the 36 grit grinding disc works best because it leaves a bit of a serrated edge. I also use it to notch the back of the psuedo stems when harvesting the bunches.

09-08-2009, 04:25 PM	#13 (permalink)
ewitte ewitte's Photo Gallery Location: Houston Zone: 9 Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 449 BananaBucks : 46,809 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 194 Times in 107 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Banana Tools what I use

09-08-2009, 05:10 PM	#15 (permalink)
Simply Bananas Formerly known as porkpi Simply Bananas's Photo Gallery Location: James Island SC Find me on the map! Zone: 8b-9a Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 854 BananaBucks : 270,608 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 478 Times Was Thanked 1,191 Times in 335 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 458 Times	Re: Banana Tools Perhaps you are looking for this: BANANA KNIFE FREE SHIP - eBay (item 200289961486 end time Sep-14-09 15:58:20 PDT) or Vintage Remington BANANA KNIFE GC - eBay (item 290347332925 end time Sep-13-09 17:00:00 PDT) or maybe this: Vintage Lardon Lockback Folding Banana Knife - eBay (item 180404570591 end time Sep-12-09 15:14:22 PDT) __________________ Afterall...doesn't everyone want a bigger Banana? Our Banana Videos On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCii..._p_tJVXZOHAdRA

09-08-2009, 09:20 PM	#17 (permalink)
pitangadiego Senior Member Location: San Diego, CA Find me on the map! Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,457 BananaBucks : 121,129 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 2,625 Times in 901 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Banana Tools I wouldn't leave home without mine. __________________ Encanto Farms Nursery http://encantofarms.com We Be Bananas http://webebananas.com

09-08-2009, 10:21 PM	#18 (permalink)
austinl01 Got pink bananas? austinl01's Photo Gallery Location: Little Rock, AR Find me on the map! Zone: 7b/8a Line Name: Austin Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,288 BananaBucks : 145,922 Feedback: 13 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,590 Times Was Thanked 904 Times in 395 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 507 Times	Re: Banana Tools How do you get enough force to push it through the corm? Is it easy to use and does it make a clean cut? If so, I'll invest in one. I think I've seen them at Home Depot. __________________ Austin Arkansas River Valley Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

09-08-2009, 10:50 PM	#19 (permalink)
TommyMacLuckie Howboutcha! TommyMacLuckie's Photo Gallery Location: Mandeville, Louisiana Find me on the map! Zone: 8B Name: Tommy Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 427 BananaBucks : 195,250 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 7 Times Was Thanked 375 Times in 202 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Re: Banana Tools Cool. Thanks y'all. I finally found a place to get pony shovels - maybe they'll have what I'm looking for.

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