Cutting Edge of Underwater Weeding
If you own lake- or pond-front property, there’s a new underwater vegetation harvester called Water-Weeder, which can make quick work of those pesky submerged weeds.
The device, which can be used from a dock, shoreline or boat, works like a below-the-water hedge trimmer or sickle. It uses four-foot stainless steel blades to cut most types of aquatic vegetation. It is lightweight--about 8 pounds--and has an 8-foot aluminum shaft, with an optional four-foot section that can extend its cutting depth to 12 feet. The tool, with plastic and fiberglass handles and connections, is powered by a 12-volt motor that can run off a boat battery or a portable battery pack.
“Up until now, the only way to combat underwater weeds was with a large commercial harvesting machine” or with chemicals that could cause environmental problems, said Water-Weeder inventor Michael Schmidt of Waterside Products Corp. in Mahopac, N.Y., a lakefront community about 50 miles north of Manhattan.
He said the Water-Weeder, which took him three years to develop, is virtually tangle-free in operation, because its blades are mounted on special swivel joints that pivot in all directions. The blades can be reversed in motion, easily freeing snags. The harvester also comes with a special net to collect cut weeds when they float to the surface.
Water-Weeder costs $300, “about the price of a good lawn mower,” said Schmidt. It can be purchased by calling the company’s toll-free number, (800) 552-1217 or writing to Waterside Products Corp. P.O. Box 876, Lake Mahopac, N.Y. 10541.
Flying Flowers
There’s a new San Francisco company that specializes in sending fresh cut flowers anywhere by mail. But Calyx & Corolla doesn’t ship through your local florist; it mails flowers directly from growers nationwide.
“This concept has never been tried before,” said Calyx & Corolla President Ruth Owades . “I think it’s the right idea for today, with upscale Americans spending more time at home, entertaining more, and demanding new levels of quality and service in their lives.”
Calyx & Corolla puts out four seasonal catalogues each year, which can be ordered through the company’s toll-free line, (800) 877-7836. Owades’ previous venture into catalogue selling was Gardener’s Eden, a mail-order catalogue for garden items. She sold that venture to Williams-Sonoma.
Because her new company eliminates middlemen, Owades said it can offer flowers at “a good price,” and deliver them fresher to customers because most varieties can be shipped via Federal Express the day they are ordered.
For example, the firm can send 25 long-stemmed roses to a home, office, friend or relative for $88, which includes air delivery. Vases cost extra. Or, for $495, you can order a year of roses--12 long-stemmed, 18 classic or 24 sweetheart--to be delivered the first week of each month.
The Calyx & Corolla catalogue carries an excellent selection of floral varieties, including tropical, and will even offer Christmas trees, greens and wreaths in its fall holiday issue. All prices include air delivery charges.
Owades explained that a small “apartment size” tree, 3-4 feet, from a tree farm in Michigan will cost $50; a 6 1/2-foot Frazier fur from North Carolina, $95.
Step-by-Step Patios
Do-it-yourselfers will be interested in Patio Pal, new plastic brick-laying guides that keep bricks permanently in place and weeds from growing in between.
Each plastic form holds eight modular bricks so they will be spaced properly as you lay your patio or walkway. Designed by San Diego engineer Bob Goldman, Patio Pals come 10 to a package. The forms interlock and each space where the brick is to be placed has a drainage hole in the bottom of the plastic.
Once you have put your 2x4 edging around the space where you’re building the brick patio, fill it with sand and smooth so it’s level. Place the guides atop the sand and put a brick in each space in the form. Fill the joints between the bricks and mist.
“The plastic doesn’t slip once the bricks are in it, so you can’t make a mistake and the bricks all sit in place neatly,” said a spokeswoman for Argee Corp., Patio Pal manufacturer.
Patio Pals can be ordered for $8.95 per package, plus shipping and handling, from Argee Corp., 9550 Pathway St., P.O. Box 222, Santee, Calif. 92071; phone, (619) 449-5050. Company representatives can tell you how many of the forms you’ll need and the number of bricks, depending on the square footage of the patio or walk you’re building.
By late August, Patio Pals will be available in building supply stores, garden shops and home improvement centers nationwide.
The Ties That Bind
General Binding Corp. of Northbrook, Ill., recently introduced a new system to bind up to 30 pages of documents in their own folders.
The GBC 1-Step can turn out permanently bound reports, contracts or presentations in 60 seconds, once you’ve placed them in special covers used with the machine. The 1-Step is compact--only 12 inches square, 1 inch thick and weighing less than two pounds.
Company representatives say the system works akin to a car’s rear-window defogging system. Just as an electric current goes through the grid on the car window to defrost it, the 1-Step uses contact points to transmit electric current through the cover to melt adhesive and bind loose pages to the folder.
The special covers, which come in six colors and two spine widths, are available in packages of 25 for $24. Suggested retail for the 1-Step binder is $99 and it can be found in office supply or stationery stores nationwide. To locate stores in your area, call the company’s toll-free number, (800) DIAL-GBC.
