Abstract: A guard for protecting a plant, including a sheet of semi-rigid material having a top edge, a bottom edge, a first end extending between said top and bottom edges, and a second end spaced from said first end fastening means formed on said sheet for fastening said first end in overlapping relationship with said second end to form a tubular sheath for surrounding said plant.

Abstract: A vegetation maintenance system includes a soil extraction tool, used to diagnose and treat the soil surrounding an ailing plant, and a plant guard, for protecting the plant from external damage before, during and after treatment. The soil extraction tool consists of an segmented shaft carrying a tubular member having a sharpened, open lower end and a longitudinally extending opening. A plunger is provided for forcibly ejecting soil from the tubular member. The plant guard is a semi-rigid sheet of material having integrally formed fasteners for detachably securing the opposite ends of the sheet in adjustable, overlapping relationship to one another to form a tubular sheath for surrounding a plant.

Abstract: A method and device for protecting objects in storage from damaging environments including a collapsible bag with a sealable opening having a vacuum attachment, for evacuating the bag, and an injection valve, for injecting an atmosphere, attached.

Abstract: An auger-like apparatus for boring planting holes includes an elongate shaft carrying a spiral blade or screw flight at its lower end. Means are provided at the outer end of the cutting edge to protect a sprinkler conduit or hose which may be contacted by the apparatus. In one embodiment, the outer end of the cutting edge is rounded and tapered into the peripheral edge of the screw flight. In a second embodiment, a guard extends between the outer edge of the cutting edge and a subsequent spiral of the screw flight. The shank may be graduated and support a slidable snap ring. A graduated tape mechanism is also provided to gauge the spacing of the plant bores.