[SOS-PCA] [EXTERNAL] Vacuum recommendation?

Wed Nov 13 11:09:36 CST 2024

Interesting.  Never thought of using this for collecting seeds, etc., 
that we want to throw away...

I can als see making a comb attachment to add to the business end of a 
vacuum to collect seeds that I care about - the comb brushes the plants 
to knock the seeds off, and the vacuum suck them up into the bag.  You 
can then empty out the bag, or just seal it and use the bag as your 
collection bag. BTW, in a previous job I was an instrumentation engineer 
for an Ag College. I see how we could set up a series of experiments to 
test out this as a collection method in the field. Let me know if people 
are interested...

BTW, my wife also uses a vacuum to pull off leaf-footed bugs from the 
tomatoes in our organic home garden.  This is a reasonably known organic 
way of removing pests from plants, but my wife independently came up 
with it in a fit of frustration with dealing with a particular obnoxious 
invasion...

   EBo --

On Nov 13 2024 8:27 AM, Chase, Jonathan B wrote:
> Hello Team,
> I recently wanted to remove seeds from a patch of invasive thistle 
> (Cirsium arvense) and bought a portable and rechargeable handheld 
> vacuum that did a great job of removing these seeds from the ground 
> without sucking up everything else around it and I wonder if this might 
> have some application for you, albeit above the ground, but perhaps not 
> depending on the situation. Here is the model I used (and of course we 
> are not allowed to expressly endorse any brand but this one did do the 
> job for which it was intended).
> [cid:0243b408-2b23-4ee4-8d7d-1eda76787473]
> Thanks
> Jonathan
> Jonathan B. Chase
> Remote Worker on Eastern Standard Time
> (Vegetation Biologist) NRSS/Biological Resources Division/ Landscape 
> Restoration & Adaptation Branch
> Cell Phone: 443-783-7725
>                                             
> ______________________________________________________
> Jonathan B. Chase (he/him), Vegetation Biologist
> National Park Service Region 3: DEN
> Washington Support Office
> (443) 783-7725, jonathan_chase at nps.gov
> 
> “The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.”
> -Charles Darwin
> 
> ________________________________
> From: SOS <sos-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org> on behalf of EBo 
> <ebo at sandien.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2024 18:51
> To: Velman, Wendy M <wvelman at blm.gov>
> Cc: Seeds Of Success <sos at lists.plantconservation.org>
> Subject: Re: [SOS-PCA] [EXTERNAL] Vacuum recommendation?
> 
> You got me to thinking... I wonder if a portable battery powered vacuum
> (with appropriate screen in the intake) would work.  If anyone in the 
> DC
> area wants to play with this as a DIY type engineering project, let me
> know.  Maybe we can compare it to a few other methods.
> 
>    EBo --
> 
> On Nov 12 2024 5:59 PM, Velman, Wendy M wrote:
>> Hi Molly,
>> 
>> Here in MT we purchased leaf blowers that can reverse the motors and
>> take out the chopper blades. Works amazing for sagebrush collection.
>> Not soliciting for them but we bought Stihl leaf blowers about 5+ 
>> years
>> ago and still using them. We have not collected any other species
>> except WY and Black sagebrush.
>> 
>> If you do use a vacuum, make sure to put something like nylon stocking
>> over the intake filter, otherwise you might suck things into the motor
>> and burn it up...
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Wendy Velman
>> Botany Program Lead
>> Plant Conservation & Restoration Program
>> (PCRP) and Pollinators
>> Montana/Dakotas State Office
>> 5001 Southgate Drive
>> Billings, MT 59101
>> Office: 406-896-5032
>> Fax: 406-896-5293
>> e-mail: wvelman at blm.gov<mailto:wvelman at blm.gov>
>> 
>> We're losing biodiversity globally at an alarming rate, and we need a
>> cornucopia of different plants and animals, for the planet's health 
>> and
>> our own. Diane Ackerman
>> 
>> 
>> ________________________________
>> From: SOS <sos-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org> on behalf of
>> Boyter, Molly J <mboyter at blm.gov>
>> Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2024 2:39 PM
>> To: Seeds Of Success <sos at lists.plantconservation.org>
>> Subject: [EXTERNAL] [SOS-PCA] Vacuum recommendation?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>  This email has been received from outside of DOI - Use caution before
>> clicking on links, opening attachments, or responding.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Hello collectors,
>> 
>> I am looking for recommendations for a small portable vacuum that 
>> could
>> be used to collect small aster seeds. This season we encountered a few
>> plants such as Stephanomeria that vacuuming might work well for. 
>> Please
>> share your pros and cons of any vacuum models if you can!
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> Molly Boyter
>> Botanist
>> BLM - Wenatchee Field Office
>> 915 Walla Walla Ave
>> Wenatchee, WA 98801
>> Office: 509-665-2137
>> Fax: 509-665-2121
>> mboyter at blm.gov<mailto:mboyter at blm.gov>
>> 
>> 
>> 
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