The invention disclosed is a plant maintenance apparatus to move along a plant or line of plants. The apparatus has a support frame to connect to a prime mover to move the apparatus. A sensing member is mounted from the frame, to contact and be deflected by the plant as the apparatus is moved. A sensor to senses the deflection and if the deflection is above a threshold it issues a signal to an actuator. There is a near ground member, mounted from and moving with the frame. The near ground member acted on by the actuator, so that when the threshold is met the near ground member moves to a first position away from the plant when immediately adjacent thereto, and then moves to a second position once past said plant. The result is the near ground member can treat a ground or soil or otherwise at or near a plant at least when in the second position, including disturbing any non-desired plants on the ground, whilst moving away from and not disturbing the plant which is sensed and above the threshold when in the first position.
