Knife Patterns for Plant People

S

Snow Walker

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Jul 3, 2014
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Yesterday, I read a post on another website about the purposes for knife patterns. Stockman for livestock people, trappers for hunters, etc. What about traditional patterns for people who work primarily with plants? I'm an "apple tree/grape vine/berry shrub who dabbles occasionally in vegetables" person.

I know the hawkbill is out there...I already own a Case hawkbill. It's great for some applications, but lousy for others. Victorinox also makes a florist knife, but I don't have one of those. The best cutting tool I have is a Felco pruner, but that's not a knife. I'm not interested in saw blades like on a Vic Farmer...I already have dedicated saw blades.

Is the sodbuster a plant person pattern? What other possibilities am I missing?

Thanks for the input!
 
What plant-y-like tasks does your hawkbill not serve, which another knife might? I've used a large sodbuster for pruning tasks and it works well and doesn't create any fatigue or hot spots.
 
I've always used whatever I had at hand for gardening purposes, usually a Sodbuster or Opinel. I especially like the Opinel for grafting purposes due to the phenomenal slicing ability of that thin blade.
Otherwise I prefer dedicated saws and shears more than any slipjoint; I'm not a fan of getting that much grit into any mechanical knife.
 
^^That is a neat knife, I have never seen that one before!

For me, I have a variety of yard knives but a sodbuster is a good general pattern for garden tasks:thumbsup:
 
+1 for Opinel. I often use a No. 6 for harvesting produce from our garden.

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This one has a modified blade, but I expect the standard blade shape would be fine, too.
 
There are some really nice knives made specifically for budding and grafting, Tina comes to mind, there was a thread here a ways back, where the nub on the back of this blade was talked about, but I am currently unable to find it,
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I believe the above pic is a bud graft knife, there are other types of grafting knives as well, a quick google search for Tina Knives will bring you to many examples of these task specific work knives.
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like the above example.

You might want to look into the Ettrick pattern: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/what-is-the-definition-of-ettrick.1119303/ check out that thread for tons of info.

Japanese floral knives can be interesting, they range from utilitarian to fancy,

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I have a couple of those Melita TAK knives, they have a nice thin grind and can take a wicked edge, great for cutting of a couple rose blooms :)
 
Other than the hawksbill pruner, the budding/ grafting knife, and the florist's knife, I can't think of a knife specifically intended for plant people. Except I think Opinel has a garden knife.
If you're going to be grubbing with the knife, a stainless-and-plastic Opinel might be a good choice. Or a sodbuster. Or a zytel-handled Case stockman or trapper. A sheepsfoot might be a good blade shape, kind of like a less extreme hawksbill. As a guardian of the lambsfoot, I must recommend that blade shape also.
 
Pruners. Budders/grafters. Machetes. Scythes. Cotton samplers. Melon knives / fruit testers. A wide range of kitchen knives: usuba, nakiri, paring, curved paring, serrated bread knives-bread is made from a plant, plus they are used for cutting hard-skinned melons and squashes. Almost anything with a straight edge - the sheepsfoot on a stockman was used widely for cutting off chews of tobacco (a plant). Whittlers, draw-knives and wood-carving tools are used for shaping wood (another plant product).

Most general purpose knife blade shapes cut fruits as well as they cut meat. From the earliest times going back to stone tools, the primary purpose of bladed items has been the harvesting, processing, and preparing of plants and animals for use as food, clothing, shelter. There are tons of specialized cutting tools for pretty much any task associated with those needs.
 
What plant task can you not accomplish with a stockman? Or a barlow, even? There isnt any propagation I havent been able to do with whatever knife I have on me, come to think of it. My favorites are sharp medium trappers. I like the long 'spey' blade for taking soft cuttings and trimming back unwanted shoots. It doesnt poke thru leaves and into stems when I reach into tight spots to do cutting. I like that. The point on the clip is a great tool to cut slots in cubes for stems, plus its suitable for any small hose and tubing work that might need done as well. For specific jobs like suckering and other work close to the dirt, a small fixed blade is best for me. No pivot to grit up, easier to sharpen, easier to hold with a wet or dirty hand usually than a folder too.
Aside from a few specifically designed knife-tools like grafting knives, hawksbill pruner blades, and the 'mushroom' knife (I recieved an Opinel version as a gift once, first I had ever heard of such a thing. Neat!), I don't think there are any other 'plant people' knives. Unless you wish to include Japanese traditional garden tools, many of those are knife-like in some way.

I think any stainless folder with blades you like to use for the tasks you like to do would make a fine 'plant-knife'. Also, that keeps you from paying some crazy 'niche-market' distorted price for a specially-named tool.
 
I don't think a Sodbuster pattern is a good plant knife. I prefer a clip point for such and especially for detail work that I might not use a pruner/clipper. The point comes in handy for me. I carried a sodbuster (GEC) for a couple months and came to the conclusion that they weren't for me and likely never will be.

For splitting root balls or potted plants, something a little more robust is needed. I use a Condor Bushlore for this. Sharpens up easy enough.
 
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