Meaning of Berry Picker
A berry picker is also called the Berry comb, or Berry rake. The tool is designed to purposely harvest berries and other fruit crops.
This small hand tool is specially constructed to ease the hassle associated with harvesting berries on the farm. Harvesting berries by hand picking can be a very difficult job, therefore to ease the pain of harvesting berries and other seeds of like nature, the berry picker is constructed for efficient and effective harvesting of berries.
The conventional method of harvesting berries by hand picking is not ideal because, it often leads to shock, damage to the fruit, and possibly damage to the plant. The berry picker is therefore a perfect solution to Berry harvesting.
The comb-like nature of the berry makes harvesting very easy as it helps remove ripe berries from their branches. The harvested berries descend into the inner space designed for storing the fruit until enough quantity has been harvested.
The tool is specially designed to reduce the risk of damaging either the fruit or the plant. The picker is an indispensable tool for harvesting berries on the farm because large quantities of berries can be effectively harvested within a short period, it helps in the selective removal of berries and gives the farmers greater control during the collection process.
The tools can also be used to harvest berries from bushes and areas where naturally harvesting berries would have been very difficult. The tool is well-designed and does not require special skills or technical know-how to operate.
Various types of pickers exist, which could be either wooden, plastic, or metal berry pickers of various sizes available in the market for efficient and effective harvesting of berries.
Description of the Berry Picker
The berry picker tool is a rectangular box with an open edge. the box has two side walls around it. The base carries the comb-like prong, while the surface carries the handle.
The tool is made of either wood, plastic, or metal. The berry picker is made of many finger link prongs like a comb, it has a small compartment for temporarily storing harvested berries, and a small handle for easy harvesting or carrying berries from one place to another.
The base of the tool has a finger or comb-like prong arranged horizontally at the base. The horizontal pole is crossed with another vertical rod that is about 5-6cm from the tip which helps to disparate the berry from the branches.
The comb-like prong attached to the base of the farm tools can be detached and refixed immediately after cleaning. The vertical crossed poles have small carrying components designed to temporarily hold the fruit while still picking or plucking.
Some are bags, boxes, or plastic buckets with a small curved metal rod or plastics attached to the berry picker for ease of plucking and carrying harvested fruits.
The tool comes in various colors such as red, yellow, and black as well as different patterns and sizes. The size, color, and shape are based on the discretion of the manufacturers or the users respectively. The tool is lightweight and can be easily carried from one place to another.
How to Use the Berry Picker
Use the rectangular hand tool with the comb or prong-like teeth. Hold the handle and use it to scoop the ripe berries.
The berry pedicel (i.e. the point of attachment of the berry fruit to the plants), hooked the fruits between the prongs like teeth of the berries pickers and applied little force to achieve harvesting. The tools can be used to harvest many berries quickly and conveniently.
Advantages of the Berry Picker
The following are the advantages of the berry picker.
- Large quantities of berries can be harvested with the tools in a short time
- It helps in the selective removal of berries,
- It gives the farmers greater control during the collection process.
- The tools can also be used to harvest berries from bushes and areas where naturally the berry harvesting would have been very difficult.
- The tool is well designed and it does not require special skills or technical know-how to operate.
- It helps to reduce fruit, and plant damage or harming
- It can easily be improvised ( I.e. do it yourself)
Disadvantages of the Berry Picker
The following are the disadvantages of the berry picker
- It may lead to the destruction of plants if not handled with care.
- The plant may experience shock if the fruit is forcefully harvested.
Uses of the Berry Picker
The uses of the berry picker are:
- Harvesting of Berry: The tools provide an excellent design for harvesting berries of different types. The prong-like teeth of the tool hang between the berry pedicel and branches and forcefully pull the fruit from the branches. The tools can also be used to harvest other fruits such as blueberries, blackberries, etc.
- Temporary Storage of Fruit: the tools especially those designed with bags and small space can be used to store berries and other fruit temporarily before taking the fruit rack. The prong-like teeth are usually hollow to allow air to circulate within the box. Harvested fruit such as berries, can be temporarily stored for a short time.
- Transport Fruit: the comb-like prong tools can be used to carry harvested berries from the point of harvest to the farmstead.
Maintenance of the Berry Picker
The following maintenance measures should be observed while using the berry Picker
- Wash the tool and sun-dried after use.
- Check that the handle is tightly fixed before using the tools.
- Straighten or replace the damaged prong before and after usage.
- Keep the wooden berry tool from termites.
- Metal berry pickers should be stored in a place free from sun and rain.
In conclusion
The tool has become an indispensable tool for harvesting berries on the farm. If you are a farmer, I would like to encourage you to shop for any of the berry tools available online, for effective and efficient harvesting of berry fruits on the farm.
This article has carefully online the concept of this berry harvesting tool to enable you to make an informed choice concerning the needed berry tool for your farm.