I was out in the garden today doing maintenance. That’s my job. LaVille does the creating, and I try to do the maintaining. So I am deadheading—mainly Lantana—and it occurred to me that the job would be easier if I had a tool that would fit over my thumb and allow me to pinch off spent blooms. After lunch and the daily nap, I decided to see if there was actually such a tool, I googled “thumb garden pruner” and discovered that there were several models available. When I found they were available on Amazon, I went to the site and read over the comments on different brands. I chose a brand that offered a size option since my fingers definitely fit the large category—besides it was “Amazon’s Choice.” So my thumb knives will arrive in a couple days and I’ll give you a person evaluation.
Thumb Knives
I would give this device 4 out of 5 stars. My first problem was that I had trouble inserting my thumb. Although I ordered the “large” version, it was too snug. Perhaps it is designed for a woman’s large thumb—and indeed it fits LaVille’s thumb just fine. I measured the circumference of my thumb and it was 3 1/8 inches. Now before you call Guinness World Records, let you remind you that this is circumference. Remember how you get diameter out of circumference? Dividing 3 1/8 by 3.14, you get 1 inch. See—no freak here. So maybe that gives you some idea of the size you need. Anyway, as I tried to pull the device on, it separated. Re-attaching the two parts was a challenge, but I succeeded. The first plant I attacked was a gazania that had gone crazy with blooms. For a long time I attempted to severe the flower stalks by pinching between the thumb blade and my sleeve protected forefinger. It didn’t take too long for my forefinger to get sore. I thought that the thumb knife would be used in the same manner that I had used to deadhead by pinching my thumbnail against my forefinger. I discovered that no pinching is needed. You simply twist your wrist downward so that the knife edge presses against the stalk. So why is this device better than what you have been doing forever? First, you can cut the stalk deep in the plant by sliding your hand down the stalk. Then, since the cut stalk in already in your hand, you can simply move to another stalk without using your other hand. Also, since you are using only one hand, you don’t have to bend over as far to get both hands involved. Now I have to tell you that LaVille loves this tool. She was even using it without the forefinger sleeve. She said that in some instances she used the cutting edge to slice through a bunch of stalks she had gathered in her other hand. So she would rate the thumb knife 5 stars. If you choose to use the thumb knife, eventually it will lose its razor sharp edge. I can sharpen it for you if that ever happens. I guess I’ll have to say it’s “thumbs up” for the thumb knife.
Happy deadheading, Stan The Tool Man