gardentools.co

By:  Marie Moody

Everyone wants to have the best garden on the block. Well, lets see if I cannot help a bit. Due to a bad back I needed to do some research on what tools will make it easier for me to plant my vegetable garden.  I started out with:

Garden Weasel – Mini Claw:

This tool is for cultivating, and loosening the dirt to get your garden started.  It also aerate and weeds.  Now a mini-claw is for a smaller area such as building a flower or vegetable garden.  What I like about it is it’s small enough to get in-between the rolls to get at those pesky weeds especially in the hard to reach areas where I cannot bend over & get at.

Great for hard-to-reach areas in beds

No bending or lifting involved

Cultivated soil absorbs water better with less runoff

Great for mixing fertilizer and compost into soil

MSRP:  $25.99

The Garden Weasel:
The 5-way cultivating tool that became  my best friend when I was planting my vegetable garden.   I didn’t have to get down on my hands, and knees to cultivate the dirt.  I’d just put it into the dirt & turn.   Now,  people have sent in reviews, and comments, pros and cons, and they put all that information, and came up with the best tool ever for people like me.  People like you.  This ultimate Garden Weasel is improved, and more solid than ever, from head to tines, plus it comes with a Lifetime Warranty.  What more can you ask for.

Durable, super-strong steel design, cultivates with half the effort & twice as fast!

Scissor-like action of bladed wheels, breaks up soil with ease and it kind of cleans itself with each turn!  This is good you don’t have to get your hands dirty & ruin that manicure.

Detachable tines & flexibility to work around rows & between plants!  Therefore, no bending again.

MSRP: $17.24
You can find both of these items at  http://www.landscapersstore.com

By:  Marie Moody

Fiskars Rotary Cultivator is a tool made with me in mind!  It’s long handle lets you stand straight up, and cultivate the ground you have marked off for your beautiful garden. So, let’s say you have about four rows, which means you really have six to cultivate.  What does this mean?  You’re cultivating the dirt for weeds (nasty little buggers).   I cannot bend over to pull the nasty buggers out, so the rotary cultivator is used throughout the summer on my garden.  Although my husband will get down there from time to time for me because he can pull them from the root.  Weeds rob your crop of water, light, and root space.  Therefore, you have to try, and keep them pulled or cultivated regularly.  Getting the root always is better course because then the weed population isn’t so bad.  If they’re allowed to seed, you may be dealing with triple the amount if not more instead of just a few.

Using the Rotary Cultivator you stand straight up, and just use a back and forth motion.  With its long handle you’ll be able to reach the corners, and those weeds can sprout, but they can’t hide not from me anyway!  It also reaches between Beds and Rows.  Three rustproof aluminum wheel sets rotates to loosen, and aerate soil. Remove center wheel for use around new rows; use just 1 to reach tight areas, and you can cultivate your garden with ease!   The Fiskars Rotary Cultivator loosens the soil and weeds in your garden faster and with less effort.  Specially designed, bladed wheels rotate to create a scissors-like action that breaks up your soil, and uproots weeds.

Features:

• FiberComp® head with three roller wheels
• Sturdy, rust-proof aluminum tines easily weed and aerate
• Strong steel shaft
• Handle ring for easy storage
• Overall length:  40 inches
• Lifetime warranty
• Dimensions: 5″ x 8.75″ x 40″

MRSP:  $27.99

By: Jodi Burnett

Three easy to use tools from Fiskars

Gardening is one of the largest hobbies in America and yet there are many people who are unable to enjoy it due arthritis. Trying to prune branches with arthritis is a frustrating task because of heavy, hard to use gardening tools. Fiskars recognized this problem and created an entire line of easy-to-use garden tools that have been commended by the arthritis foundation.  Each one of the following loppers has the Arthritis Foundation Commendation (http://www2.fiskars.com/Products/Ease-of-Use) and will take the chore out of gardening and bring back the relaxing activity you remember.

Fiskars PowerGear Bypass Lopper 18”( http://www.landscapersstore.com/fiskars-9625-powergear-18-in-bypass-lopper.html)—your stray stems and branches don’t stand a chance against this rugged lopper.  With these in hand, you bring 3 times more cutting force to the gardening table.  The secret is the unique gearing mechanism that takes over where a single pivot lopper leaves off.  The 18” bypass lopper is a smaller and lightweight choice that enables you to get into tighter places for close and clean cut pruning. The bypass lopper works best for green or living growth.

Fiskars PowerGear Anvil Lopper 15”( http://www.landscapersstore.com/fiskars-7972-powergear-15-in-anvil-lopper.html) —like the PowerGear Bypass lopper, this anvil lopper will give you three times the cutting power.  Unlike the bypass, the anvil loppers are better used for slicing through dry or dead growth. The anvil-like shaped head uses a flat blade to hold the dead branches while the sharp blade slices through.  The PowerGear anvil loppers have an ergonomic and slip resistant handle for comfort.  This lopper has a cutting capacity of up to 1 ¼”.

Fiskars PowerGear Lop-n-Saw (http://www.landscapersstore.com/fiskars-9161-lop-n-saw.html)—for hardier, taller tasks, you may want the PowerGear Lop-n-saw.  This PowerGear lopper has the same gearing technology for more force and less friction on your hands.  They have a bypass blade and can slice live growth up to 1.5”, but what makes the Lop-n-saw is a detachable 6” saw you can utilize rather than hauling an extra tool around with you.

Remember when using any lopper to keep your wrists in line with your arms and use your shoulder strength (http://www.northcoastgardening.com/2009/08/garden-safety-loppers/) to slice in order to take the stress off of your hands.  Using your shoulders means you will tire less easily and be able to continue your favorite hobby for much longer stretches.

By: Jodi Burnett

Spring is around the corner, have you taken a good look at your garden? No need to be scared, just give it a quick peek through the window.   If you can’t tell where one plant ends and another begins it’s time to tame the foliage beast. Don’t worry, with the right tools in hand you can tackle any gardening foe with ease and we’re here to arm you with the best weapon for the job: Garden Pruners.  Don’t laugh, the right kind of pruners can transform your yard from an eyesore to the envy of the block. You can’t just run to the nursery and pick up any pruners however; you need to have the right set of pruners for your specific job.  Our quick guide below will get you on track to deciding which pruners are the right tools for your job.

Ratchet pruners

Ratchet pruners are great for tackling large pruning jobs.  The spring loaded action helps you slice through thicker, woody stems or small branches on shrubbery such as roses or azalea.  Ratchet pruners (http://www.landscapersstore.com/ratchet-pruners.html)  use multiple squeezes to slowly slice through the plant without putting a lot of strain on your hands. The ratchet action will help carry you through hours of pruning without tiring you out. They are a great tool for those who have a weaker grip due to arthritis or smaller hands plus, with ratchet pruners you have the added benefit of looking tougher than you actually are.

Bypass Pruners

If there were a contest, bypass pruners would win the crown for popularity.  Bypass pruners are a good choice for all around pruning because the curved blades and scissor like action make for clean cuts on your plants.  As you squeeze bypass pruners over a stem, one sharpened blade slides through and bypasses a thicker, but unsharpened blade.  The cutting diameter varies on each set of bypass pruners so take into account what plants you will be pruning before purchasing a set.  A quality set of bypass pruners can be pricey, so you don’t want to purchase the wrong size.  You get what you pay for though, and a quality pair of bypass pruners will last you for decades if they are taken care(http://www.gardenguides.com/104191-sharpen-bypass-pruners.html) of properly.

Anvil Pruners

Anvil pruners get their properly fitted name because of the anvil-like look of the cutting blade.  With a small heave-ho these pruners slice through dead wood like its nobody’s business.  In the hand they are a bit bulkier making it harder to get a clean cut on the base of the branch.  The flat anvil helps to hold the branch steady so the sharp knife-like blade can get a clean slice without smashing the branch or woody stem.  In the pruner world, the anvil pruners (http://www.landscapersstore.com/anvil-pruners.html)are definitely praised for being so easy to use.

Floral Snips, Loop Handle, and Tree Pruners

If your children are complaining because they can never find scissors for their art projects because you keep leaving them behind in the yard, it’s time to get yourself some floral snips.  Because they are made for gardening, you can pop off the dead heads (http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/flowers-deadhead/) of flowers cleanly and easily, and your kids will have less green residue on their science collages.

Loop handle pruners are made to make your life, and grip, a little easier.  Rosebushes are thorny making for a bad day when your pruners slip into the depths of the poky bush.  Loop handled pruners help you hang on to those slippery garden tools while protecting the back of your hand from pesky thorns.  Final Score: Loop Handle Pruners: 01 Rosebush: 00.

Tree pruners (http://www.landscapersstore.com/tree-pruners.html) eliminate the need for ladders or extendable arms. Although you won’t be pruning any large branches with these (you’ll need loppers or a saw for that), tree pruners easily cut through 1-2” tree branches without you needing to find a ladder—you just hold the blade against the branch and tug on the string to slice.  For best results, please do not stand directly under the branch.

By: Kristina Petrella

Weeds, there are many different kinds.  Whether they be grassy weeds, broadleaf weeds, dandelions or some unnamed weed—anyone who owns a patch of grass has them and I’m sure at some point has had to deal with them.  While one might not care so much about weeds in their ‘regular’ acreage, any gardener will tell you that weeds are the bane of their existence, especially when they keep coming back!  One reason that weeds persistently reappear, even after a gardener’s best efforts to remove them is because many times when a weed is just pulled out by hand many of the roots are missed, leaving the most important part of the plant in the ground!

The best, non-chemical way to remove weeds is to employ the use of a weeder.  A weeder is a tool designed with a handle on one end and a sharp metal prong of some sort on the other end designed to pry weeds (including their roots) from the ground insuring no re-growth will occur.  Generally weeders are divided into the following two groups:  short-handled and long-handled.  Short handled weeders are to be used by bending over and scooping out the weed.  These are perfect for garden weeding and pulling weeds that have a root system of four to six inches at most.  Long-handled weeders are better for vines and plants with larger root systems that require a bit more leverage to loosen and remove.

Weeders range in price from $2.99 for a basic hand-weeder to $45.99 for a long-handled corkscrew weeder and are effective on many different kinds of weeds.  Some popular brands are Ames True Temper, DeWitt Garden Tools, Hound Dog Tools, Bully Tools, Fiskars, and Shanghai Worth.  All of which are available at Landscaper’s Store.  A quality weeder is an essential part of any gardener’s tool kit and one worth investing in.

By: Kristina Petrella

One of the perks of living in upstate New York is the foliage during the fall.  While I enjoy admiring the robust chili, burnt orange, and sienna landscape, I don’t enjoy raking the leaves up off my front yard.  I have a red maple in by backyard as well as a few other maples scattered throughout my front yard and every year it amazes me how so few trees can effectively blanket my yard with their recently shed foliage.

Around August I start seeing the brown bags for leaf pick up being stocked at the local store and while these are a good option for quick and easy disposal of your leaves, there are other, more sustainable options.  Leaf bags range in price from around $12.99 for a 10 gallon reusable, collapsible bag to $34.99 for a 32 gallon collection bin with wheels. These reusable bags are collapsible and can be folded flat for economical storage when they are not in use.  In many instances, the leaves can be deposited directly into the reusable bag, however if you prefer a cleaner approach to your leaf control, you can purchase biodegradable bags to insert into the cart prior to filling them with leaves.  Biodegradable bags come in several different sizes and can be used in place of typical plastic garbage bags or can be utilized when composting or when collecting other biodegradable material such as leaves or grass clippings.  Once collected, the hard part is over!  Now, you can either kick them to the curb (if you have leaf pick-up in your area) or, may I suggest composting them.  Composted leaves can be a great source of nutrients for a garden.

Yard care, especially leaf clean-up is a task that many people dread—especially trying to figure out the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of their clippings or leaves.  Leaf bags, such as the ones discussed in this article make an undesirable task much easier to complete.

By: Mónica Uribe

Your grass may be green and perfectly cut. What about the edges? Are they clean? Are the corners round and nice? Or perfectly squared? If they are not, a potentially beautiful garden can lose a good deal of its beauty.

A professional gardener has the skill to get great results with his skill and experience, and also with the tools of his trade; I remember watching in México a gardener who cut the edges with a machete, believe it or not. The result was very clean and precise; of course I don’t recommend that, unless you want to get rid of some toes. Another method I have seen is with the land mower, a traditional one, but just to get it to the right inclination to cut effectively is very difficult and of course impossible if that edge is next to a wall or a fence. Also to try to cut it with a hoe or a shovel will leave edges chopped and ugly.

When I found that edgers existed I was surprised, they range from the very simple models to the most elaborated or easy to use. Edgers can be divided in two sections.

Blade Edgers

Blades mounted on a long T style handle designed to cut unwanted portions of grass and soil by applying pressure with the foot, which makes them easy and relatively safe to manipulate. They are created to last a long, long time, providing they receive the appropriate maintenance, such as cleaning after each use.

Garden Weasel Edger

http://www.landscapersstore.com/edger-by-garden-weasel-91701.html

By: Mónica Uribe

I must confess that gardening is a new adventure for me and that I am learning new things everyday. Also I must confess that I am very fond of crafts and the idea of doing things with my own hands can get either good results or being a total mess. In terms of gardening and landscape, with practice, patience and learning about our plants and their needs we can create our little earthly paradise and appreciate them even more.

In my experience with crafts, you need specific tools for specific activities and certain crafts require of a certain level of detail that either can make them perfect or create a complete mess out of your creation.

It is the same with your garden. Using the right tool will give you the right result and there is a saying that says “Devil is hidden in little details” and there are few things as true as that.

Small details are not only related to the appearance of our grass or plants, then can also be things like the hygiene of our tools or not knowing much about the specific needs of  the plants in our garden (like which seasons are better for pruning them or their watering needs) and can become a huge problem.

But lets focus on the tools created for attending small details and the kind of details that we will have to attend: The most common small details that we will have to attend are the grass areas that the lawnmower is unable to reach and the branches that give an irregular appearance to hedges; To solve those problems, we use shears.