chilli Posted February 3, 2009 Do you prefer to work in the garden with gloves or bare hands? If you use gloves, what jobs do you use what kinds of gloves for and why? Do you use any other special gardening clothes, or do you just wander around in your boxers? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ballzac Posted February 3, 2009 Personally, I always forget to wear gloves and sometimes regret it if I'm handling a lot of soil and my hands chap. Generally though, I'm only working with cacti, and I find that gloves make it harder to avoid the spines, and if you get stuck with one and it snaps off it can be a lot harder to get out, so usually no gloves for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Legba Posted February 3, 2009 I start naked and cover things as i go dependent on what gets blistered but it cannot be stress enuf how i am not an example to follow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yawning Man Posted February 3, 2009 ^^^ lol When it comes to the small fiddly things i prefer to go without gloves. Plus i like getting my hands dirty. But if it's more garden maintenance type work e.g weed removal, pruning and using shovels, then i like to wear gloves. As for clothes i still have my work clothes from an old job i use. But just any old clothes will do. Cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted February 4, 2009 gloves when pruning evil bouganvillains, roses, or anything with lots of sticky sap... handling heavy bits of concrete, rock, wood. that's about it not counting chemical use. just those normal leathery gloves, i think they might be pig skin even. you're required to wear them for brisbane city council but after they get muddy it's like slipping your hand into a lump of bark. i don't believe in over-protecting oneself, lest one become soft, but sometimes PPE really pays off, and it's good to garden in overalls or long work gear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
incognito Posted February 4, 2009 (edited) i HATE wearing gloves while gardening they are annoying and make my hands sweaty, ive worked on rosefarms, and removed blackberrys, handled countless cacti without gloves without suffering any serious injury. pain seems to make u more dextrous. however i do recommend wearing gloves when handling bamboo, as i found out to my fingers detriment(12 stitches later) when i was working for torsten. nastiest 'gardening' injury ive ever suffered. that stuff can be sharper than a razer. BEWARE! was worth it though, mullumbimby has the sexiest young asian lady doctor that works in emergency that u will ever lay eyes on. if ever ur gonna injure urself, do it in mullum heaps of water and a broad brimmed hat , blundies, sock protectors and im all sorted. Edited February 4, 2009 by incognito Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted February 4, 2009 that's quite a claim man, well done. most people can't lay a finger on a rose without being stung. it's not worth it having a thorn break off in your skin and get infected (which they do) so i reckon gloves are the go for thorny bushes. the whole 'wear gloves while gardening' thing probably comes from the idea of soilborne diseases, and when was the last time you heard about somebody nearly dying from handling soil?! about three years ago actually, but that was from potting mix which probably contained treated sewage and worse. it's probably quite a serious risk but one that most people including myself happily ignore. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted February 4, 2009 gloves for hand-ripping big weeds too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
incognito Posted February 4, 2009 that's quite a claim man, well done. most people can't lay a finger on a rose without being stung. it's not worth it having a thorn break off in your skin and get infected (which they do) so i reckon gloves are the go for thorny bushes. lol like my old boss used to say 'roses only grab you if u dont love em' Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chilli Posted February 5, 2009 that's quite a claim man, well done. most people can't lay a finger on a rose without being stung. it's not worth it having a thorn break off in your skin and get infected (which they do) so i reckon gloves are the go for thorny bushes. the whole 'wear gloves while gardening' thing probably comes from the idea of soilborne diseases, and when was the last time you heard about somebody nearly dying from handling soil?! about three years ago actually, but that was from potting mix which probably contained treated sewage and worse. it's probably quite a serious risk but one that most people including myself happily ignore. Actually I have only recently started using gloves, I used to generally handle cacti and roses without them, but I am realizing it is not the best for my hands! The guy at the cactus greenhouse here does everything barehand, and all he is doing is pretty much picking up cacti all day, he reckons he doesn't get hurt now, his hands must be pretty callused though, and I'm a bit of a pooncey artist who likes to protect his hands. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted February 5, 2009 man, fuck roses anyway. apparently you have to love them or they will stab you. they grow too much in brisbane, and who has the patience to learn how to prune all the different types properly? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chilli Posted February 5, 2009 man, fuck roses anyway. apparently you have to love them or they will stab you. LOL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ballzac Posted February 5, 2009 They smell nice though Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
incognito Posted February 5, 2009 man, fuck roses anyway i love roses. i could sniff em all day and then some. come winter time im gonna put a cactus garden in at my folks place. pruning roses is not rocket science man!!! its the same premise for pruning anything really. a local rosefarm here (canowindra) prunes em with a big chainsaw , cut them all of15cm at the ground. my only issue with them are the pest and diseases they attract, but that is more than compensated by fragrant blooms Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ballzac Posted February 5, 2009 Also can be used in cooking. Nice in desserts and liqueurs and what-not. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites