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Friday, 26 April 2013
Getting Wet
It's that time of year. Endless pots of thirsty plants, everything from cannas awakening from their winter hibernation to those aconites I divided last month, pulmonaria evicted from pathways they've seeded into and potted up, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Fine if the rain comes in suitably not-too-little, not-a-deluge, just right amounts at nicely timed intervals. Right, like that's going to happen. Whether it is inside my greenhouse or out in the garden, plants do want their drinks. Watering cans are a good choice for a few pots but anything more means drag out the hoses. And it's what's on the end of the hose I'm here to report upon.
Trigger sprayers are good until my hand gets tired of constantly squeezing the grip. You can lock the control with those tiny little knurled widget set in the gap on the lever. Maybe they readjust themselves or my well has variable pressure or whatever it is that means an adjustment is required between one time and the next use. I had a watering wand that was great while in use but it took two hands to turn the water on / off - one to hold the wand and the other to push the lever. So when I got a press release about the Dramm One Touch™ Rain Wand™ it sounded interesting. I called the company's PR person who graciously sent me not one but two to try out, both the 16 inch and 30 inch models. What's new and different about them is the easy on / off control at the base of the wand that flicks from one position to the other with the push of my thumb.
Hooked up the shorter version to the greenhouse hose and gave it a try. Easy peasy. It's off and then
with the flick of a thumb, it's on. (Paul was the hand model so I could photograph while keeping the camera dry.)
And the Dramm water-breaker nozzle that comes with the rain wand has a nice gentle flow. Made from aluminum, the wand is light weight. I would, however, drain it after use rather than let it sit with residual water in it. But that's just always been good practice for hoses and watering cans, and not just the rain wand. You can now color coordinate your rain wands with your flowers, if that's important to you The 30 inch version - which I think is my preference - comes in six different rainbow colors, while the 16 inch wand has four color options.
I brought the two wands to a garden club meeting last Wednesday and showed them off. From the corner of my eye I could see people nodding their heads as their thumbs twitched, wiggling the lever back and forth. A friend once wrote that Dramm must have horticulturists on staff, because they make products that work for gardeners. And this is another one that does.