Bonsai Injuries

[Cajunrider]

The palm frond on Canary island date palms can be 12' long. The outer 90% of the frond is soft and feathery and relatively lightweight.

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However the base of the frond - the inner 4' or so - is rigid and completely stiff and covered with spikes. These spikes come to a needle point and are so stiff they can drive through thick leather. Even when green they are not bendable. In the event of having to survive in the wilderness I would use them as needles, spear tips, etc.

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When I trim my trees, you have to remove the fronds one by one, very carefully. Then I cut the sharp thorny end off and throw it in one green can while I chop up the frilly (much longer) section into multiple parts and throw it into another can. I think my palm trimming days may be over however since the five palms I own have now grown too tall for me to safely trim with a pole saw from the ground. I won't climb a palm to trim it - that's what money is for

This reminds me of the time one of these went through a big vein in my arm, the bleeding continues for an hour and the hematoma went all around my arm. I was in a hurry removing fronds torn by hurricanes.

Most recent bonsai injuries include big cuts from the bucking bronco carver and wood cut from a sharp wedge meant for my BC. The wedge cut was yesterday.

The big one I'm trying my best to avoid is the hernia from moving Batman.

 

[Kodama]

I became a member of this thread last summer when cutting down a nursery can with a box cutter in the right hand and turning the can with the left. Yeah..wrist got in the way. Instantly put pressure on it and prayed. Thankfully it was a clean blade and missed any vitals. Respect the blade! Be careful out there bonsai friends.

 

[vesper818]

And they say mame bonsai are the most difficult. Reading this, and knowing my tendancy toward klutzitude, I really don't mind watering 3 times a day...

 

[Colorado]

Last October I herniated a disc in my lumbar spine picking up/putting down a big trident maple. X-ray, MRI, and 6 weeks of physical therapy later it’s much better.

The maple was totally worth it

 

[Cajunrider]

Last October I herniated a disc in my lumbar spine picking up/putting down a big trident maple. X-ray, MRI, and 6 weeks of physical therapy later it’s much better.

The maple was totally worth it

This is my fear with Batman.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Got lucky today, filled this sprayer with insecticide/fungicide to hit my hawthorn. Pumped it up good and thing blew in my hand on my way to the tree. No injury, but got soaked by the chemical. It was LOUD.

 

[Cajunrider]

Got lucky today, filled this sprayer with insecticide/fungicide to hit my hawthorn. Pumped it up good and thing blew in my hand on my way to the tree. No injury, but got soaked by the chemical. It was LOUD.
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I only use stainless steel sprayer now. Their mode if failure is leakage, not blow-out. Plastic containers are prone to unpredictable catastrophic failure.

 

[vp999]

Got lucky today, filled this sprayer with insecticide/fungicide to hit my hawthorn. Pumped it up good and thing blew in my hand on my way to the tree. No injury, but got soaked by the chemical. It was LOUD.
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At least no need for mosquito repellant for you for a while

 

[hemmy]

At least no need for mosquito repellant for you for a while

It could be a superhero origin story!

 

[Shima]

I had a large JBP on a very heavy lava rock. I called it "my hernia pine." I sold it after the operation.

 

[Lorax7]

Got lucky today, filled this sprayer with insecticide/fungicide to hit my hawthorn. Pumped it up good and thing blew in my hand on my way to the tree. No injury, but got soaked by the chemical. It was LOUD.
View attachment 502120

This reminds me of a YouTube video I saw recently about a farmer who mistakenly drank a little bit of herbicide. Scary stuff. Good thing your chemical exposure was external so you had a chance to get it washed off your skin before it could be absorbed In significant quantities.

 

[Colorado]

This is my fear with Batman.

Be careful out there!

 

[Cajunrider]

Be careful out there!

Tell me about it. So far I have had two encounters with water moccasins. They don't like me digging up their trees.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Here's a good one! My brand new masakuni pruning saw went through that boxwood like butter, and kept right on going . . .

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A little human cut paste (aka superglue) and all's well.

I saw that coming.

 

[Carol 83]

So dumb. I was moving my new BRT from the east side of the house to the south. I was picking at some loose bark, not paying attention, when BOOM, I went down hard. I tripped on the sidewalk and fell hard right on the edge of the sidewalk on my side. I skinned up my arm and leg and may or may not have cracked/broken a rib/ribs. Whatever I did it hurts like hell. Luckily, the tree landed pot side down, so no damage there.

 

[vp999]

And they say mame bonsai are the most difficult. Reading this, and knowing my tendancy toward klutzitude, I really don't mind watering 3 times a day...

Have you been in Novato long? I went to San Jose middle school when I first came over to the US from VN. Lovely town.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

So dumb. I was moving my new BRT from the east side of the house to the south. I was picking at some loose bark, not paying attention, when BOOM, I went down hard. I tripped on the sidewalk and fell hard right on the edge of the sidewalk on my side. I skinned up my arm and leg and may or may not have cracked/broken a rib/ribs. Whatever I did it hurts like hell. Luckily, the tree landed pot side down, so no damage there.

Hopefully nothing more than the scratches!! Sounds painful!!

 

[Carol 83]

Hopefully nothing more than the scratches!! Sounds painful!!

Thanks. Yeah, it hurts to breathe.

 

[Ruddigger]

I was assisting my sensei with wiring during a demonstration for Phoenix Bonsai Society this Spring, when my hand slipped off some 6 gauge and the end of it left a 3 inch scratch on my wrist. For some reason it scarred, now it looks like I tried to kill myself.

 

[namnhi]

So dumb. I was moving my new BRT from the east side of the house to the south. I was picking at some loose bark, not paying attention, when BOOM, I went down hard. I tripped on the sidewalk and fell hard right on the edge of the sidewalk on my side. I skinned up my arm and leg and may or may not have cracked/broken a rib/ribs. Whatever I did it hurts like hell. Luckily, the tree landed pot side down, so no damage there.

So sorry, Wish the damage isn't as bad as you described.