Favorite tool for driving cut saplings into the ground for trellising

I have a tool design in my mind to make driving cut saplings into the ground to support vining/climbing vegetables in my garden.

The tool in my mind has a long handle and a clamp that tightens around the trunk of the cut sapling when you push down on it with your foot to drive it down into the ground.  I figure someone must make that, but I haven't seen one.

Does someone make a tool like this?  Or a tool to do this same job that works differently?

I end up using a long bladed shovel and then just push the cut sapling in and push down on the earth around it with my heal, but sometimes the ground is a bit looser than I'd like.  

Very interested in tool suggestions....thank you.

Interesting. It seems like maybe this tool could also be useful for putting various types of temporary electric fence posts in the ground..

I can picture a couple different versions, and it seems pretty straightforward to make.. but I have no time to play with the idea this year. Hopefully I will trip on this thread in a year or three..

I wonder if in the meantime a steel bar, like a 5ft wrecking/pry bar with a straight tip, might do a good job punching holes for your saplings?

Cut saplings shoved in the ground around here turn into trees. Two years back my bean pole trellis rooted itself and threw out leaves...

Greg Martin wrote:
The tool in my mind has a long handle and a clamp that tightens around the trunk of the cut sapling when you push down on it with your foot to drive it down into the ground.  I figure someone must make that, but I haven't seen one.

I can envisage what you mean and couldn't find anything similar in a quick web search. Maybe you've invented something new.
A smaller version would be handy for planting cuttings too. (as Michael alluded to). it would probably need a soft grip for planting live plants though.
I often find a post driver is too heavy to use easily on tall posts so something that grips further down would be really good. I usually have to pre- make a hole with a metal bar to give a lead in...

Greg Martin wrote:I have a tool design in my mind to make driving cut saplings into the ground to support vining/climbing vegetables in my garden.

The tool in my mind has a long handle and a clamp that tightens around the trunk of the cut sapling when you push down on it with your foot to drive it down into the ground.  I figure someone must make that, but I haven't seen one.

Does someone make a tool like this?  Or a tool to do this same job that works differently?

I end up using a long bladed shovel and then just push the cut sapling in and push down on the earth around it with my heal, but sometimes the ground is a bit looser than I'd like.  

Very interested in tool suggestions....thank you.

How about taking a machine that does the opposite (T-Post Remover) and using it in reverse?    Now for some Inkscape magic to design a foot operated version...

*Poof!*

Edit to add: You might even be able to make a super cheap one out of modified Mason Jar tongs.  Add some padded half-pipe PVC to grip the sapling's trunk on one end...maybe use a mouse pad affixed to the half-pipe for a rubbery grip?  Then use a rope connecting the bottom end of the tongs.  To operate, push down with your foot into the rope to pull the tongs together and the sapling downward into the ground.  The problem with that setup is the Mason Jar tongs are likely not sturdy enough, and using rope instead of the lever arms (depicted in blue below) would mean less leverage for a gripping force.

This sounds like the opposite of a T post puller.  I expect you could probably modify one with gentler jaws for wood.

How about a wood working clamp?
Clamp it about a foot from the pointy end and use it to put your weight on.

We used a step ladder and sledge to do a bunch of ground rods when I was an apprentice.
When someone finally brought us a post driver we were really happy.
One could make a driver for big wooden posts with a piece of 4" pvc pipe, some concrete, bolts and a bucket.

Are these saplings cleaned up and turned into posts or are trying to preserve the foliage?

There are bulb augers designed for cordless drills. I see them in different sizes. Maybe this would be helpful?

William Bronson wrote:How about a wood working clamp?
Clamp it about a foot from the pointy end and use it to put your weight on.

We used a step ladder and sledge to do a bunch of ground rods when I was an apprentice.
When someone finally brought us a post driver we were really happy.
One could make a driver for big wooden posts with a piece of 4" pvc pipe, some concrete, bolts and a bucket.

Are these saplings cleaned up and turned into posts or are trying to preserve the foliage?

I'm using small trees that I let grow until they reach 1.5" diameter and I often leave their branches on for vines to crawl over.  The saplings are much too small to use a top down driving method on, but your wood working clamp idea seems feasible since I don't drive too many of them.  Thank you.

Greg, would something like the San Angelo digging bar work for you? It's 6 ft long, about 20 lbs with a pointed end. Essentially you lift it up with pointy end down and slam it into the dirt. It sinks in really well.

We use it for starting pilot holes in hard soil for setting fence posts. It's about 1 inch in diameter so it would do most of the work for you without making the hole too wide, depending on your skill at hitting the same spot over and over.

We regularly dig down 30 inches with it although those holes are about 3 inches wide by the time we're done. We also used it to make shallower holes for setting saplings to make a trellis over one of our garden beds. It worked well.

Make sure to wear heavy boots if you use it. One wrong move and it will go through your foot.  Or at least part way...

It is my understanding that if you shave the bark off before putting the sapling in the ground that it will not grow.  I saw this on a video about coppicing and pollarding.  Will try it this Spring.  They were using it for hoops for row covers.  They also sanded all the rough edges so that it would not tear the row cover.  Seems like a lot of work but we better get used to it based on the price of pvc and metal pipe.

One more idea, but first let me say I agree with Robin, that having a pilot hole from some kind of digging bar sounds vital.

OP wrote:I'm using small trees that I let grow until they reach 1.5" diameter and I often leave their branches on for vines to crawl over.

That diameter is super helpful.  It reminds me of a large, garden tool handle.  So...

How about taking one of those generic garden tool wedge holders like this guy, and using it upside down.  Instead of bolting it into a wall, screw it into the smallest face of a sturdy two to three foot board.  Adjust the board length so that your feet can stand on it like a snowboard, with the gripping device at the front lip of the board.  Next, add some foot loops to your "snowtree board" so you can easily back off the sapling once it is pressed into the ground (via you standing on the board device).  Consider smoothing the tail end of the "treeboard" wedger so it can easily slide away from the tree to alleviate lateral pressure.

Something like this one (used upside down, affixed to a standing board) would provide a fairly elegant solution for a variety of diameter saplings.



(Edit to add: Depending on how much resistance the soil provides, the lateral forces transferred onto the thin plastic tool holder's edges might be too strong and cause it to break, so a metal or wooden homebrew or reinforced design may be better.)

Well, I make my trellises very simple using bamboo and steel bars. I punch the steel bar into the ground leaving around two or tree feet from the ground up.  As the bamboo is hollow I just fit the bamboo poles in the steel bar. I like to put two stones on the ground so the bamboo don't touch the ground avoiding it to rot fast. I tie the bamboo to the steel rod with wire to keep the trellis on the ground just in case of strong wind.

Michael Cox wrote:Cut saplings shoved in the ground around here turn into trees. Two years back my bean pole trellis rooted itself and threw out leaves...

When I have to shove saplings in the ground I shove them upside down. This avoid them from shooting.