Feb 7, 2012

New device makes peach thinning a Cinch

When Phil Miller of Manistee, Mich., came up with the idea for a portable device to help take the pine cones out of Christmas trees, he immediately thought of another use for it. All it took was one season to see that his new invention had made thinning peach blossoms, well, a Cinch.

The Cinch thinner made its debut at the 2011 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market EXPO in Grand Rapids, Mich., and it generated some buzz not only among growers of fruit trees, but with breeders and researchers. The Cinch is a portable, string-style thinner that attaches to a handheld drill. The Cinch allows the operator to thin blossoms selectively on any tree, without having to thin by hand.

“I used special tubing that holds up to the use,” Miller said. “It is lightweight and is very effective, from what I’ve seen so far. There is virtually no damage to the trees.”

A peach breeder, and FGN columnist, was very impressed with the Cinch.

“This is an idea that makes me think, ‘Why didn’t we think of this sooner?’” Paul Friday said. “What I like most about this is it lets the grower decide how to thin. Those big rope thinners do a good job, but they tear up the trees and there is a lot of added expense of having to train the trees in a specific way to make them work.”

The Cinch is available in lengths of 3, 4 and 5 feet.

“It’s much faster than hand thinning, and lots cheaper than big rope thinners,” Miller said.

There are additional applications, Miller said. Peach blossoms have done well with it, but cherries, apples and nectarines could also be thinned with the Cinch.

“I was talking about this thing with Bill Shane from Michigan State University, and he’s looking forward to trying it out,” Friday said. “I also took it to the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia, to show it to the peach growers down there. Desmond Layne from Clemson University was very interested by it. I really think Miller is on to something here.”

For more information, call Miller at 231-723-2646, or via email.

By Derrek Sigler, Assistant Editor