Reuben's Horticultural Services

03/09/2026

Just got my Cant Hook come felling bar, for rolling large logs and aiding trees to fall without cutting through the hinge. I plan to use it mostly for cutting neutral fibers, but i do fell the occasional tree.

03/09/2026

Garden cleanup in Marsden.

16/08/2026

Reading my copy of "To Fell A Tree" by Jeff Jepson. I find reading his books to be extremely informative, as they contain alot of tips and tricks they don't teach you at TAFE.

For instance, his description of limbing technique. When i last updated my Level One chainsaw ticket last year, they had a terrible diagram for it. The one Jepson provides is much easier to understand.

Also, they dont teach you about Spring Poles in the level 1 or 2 chainsaw ticket here in Australia. Jepson provides a pretty comprehensive explanation of how to deal with them (a series of shallow cuts above its point of most tension would be my go to where possible).

13/08/2026

Did you know the glovebox of a Tradesman's ute can be used to store a depth of knowledge? There are a series of books around the size of an A5 page that specialise in technical knowledge of a particular trade. They take the form of technical manuals that touch on the most essential knowledge on a particular topic. I carry two manuals on Integrated W**d Management, two books on Horticultural Tree Work, a book on soil improvement, and a first aid manual (because its best practice to have).

08/08/2026

Got my copy of the NSW W**d Control handbook the other day. Unfortunately, the QLD Government doesnt produce anything like it, but its got some useful info that both makes sense and correlates with what I've learned practicing up here.

It states that the ideal windspeed for spraying with a low drift nozzle (such as the coarse droplets i spot spray with), is between 7-14 km per hour. Thats a little different to the 5-15 I was taught at TAFE a few years ago, but its not much variance and within the same logic. Interesting it states that so called "atmospheric inversions," such as a clear calm morning are the most dangerous time for spray drift, and states a slightly windy condition is a good time to spray. Best keep that in mind.

It also explains that vapours can cause serious herbicide drift if they are released during a time for high temperatures. This is another reason not to basal bark trees with diesel mixes during the heat of the day (aside from how hot that PPE makes the wearer).

17/07/2026

All jokes aside about the cover photo of this book on control methods for invasive plants; it was an interesting read. Some of the information was not suited to Australian conditions, but there was a good bit of information about the ways w**ds spread, and how to contain them.

The main reason I purchased this book was because it was one of the few on the method of Integrated W**d Management that could easily fit into a glove box. There are a few other publication from Australian institutions (most notably the Grains Development Corporation), but few designed for a ute's glove box discuss the scientific method as such.

The main thing I leaned from reading "Integrated W**d Management - A Toolbox for Different W**d Control," has been the rates at which different animals pass out viable seed after digesting them. It appears most animals pass out around 5%-10% viable seeds, but chickens in particular only pass out 0.2% viable seeds. I conducted a bit of further research, and it seems this is rather unique to chickens (neither ducks nor geese are as effective at disintegrated seeds, despite my hopes they would be better for the soil).

17/07/2026

17/07/2026

"Soils for Landscape Solutions" is a through explanation of the process of soil improvement. It is a good resource for Tradespeople as it helps us identify common soil problems (such as "subgrade" soils, or the irrevesible effects lime has on a soil), find solutions to them ("compost can always be brought in to add organic material"), and helps us in the process of constructing a soil (did you know that these days they call a mixture of coarse sand and conpost an "artificial growing medium" even though this is pretty much how they make premium garden soils). A good resource to have handy in the glove box.

10/07/2026

"W**ds of the South East" is Australia's premier guide to identifying w**ds (At least between Brisbane and Hobart). It relys on the shape and colour of the flower to determine the w**d's species so that appropriate management techniques may be drafted to the control them.

08/05/2026

With the cool season setting in, now is the time to treat your w**ds before they start spreading seeds again in Spring. Contact me on 0412 438 544 for your free Integrated W**d Management Plan. Offer does not include free travel.