Perla IrishAre you fond of plants? or are you a gardener? If the answer is yes to these questions, then having a proper kit of garden tools is necessary for shaping your garden into a worth-looking art piece. Before purchasing garden tools, you must have adequate knowledge about them.
The tools may have different specifications and price ranges and selecting these tools depends both on your pocket and the nature of the garden.
The more coherent the tools are according to your garden size and type, the more attractive will be your garden. Therefore, let us learn about some vital garden tools for gardeners.
Gloves
Gloves are one of the most important tools for a gardener as, without this tool, gardening may be entailed with lots of thorns and allergies. Therefore, to enjoy this wonderful hobby, you must have an adequate pair of gloves.
An adequate pair of gloves should neither be bulky nor be poorly fitted as it would affect the seedling plantation and may cause irritation.
Moreover, its fabric should be water-resistant and breathable to keep the hands comfortable and cool. The longer cuffs are also essential as they will help you to protect your wrists and forearm from burning or other allergies while gardening. It is also noteworthy that you must store the gloves safely in a place that neither receives sunlight nor is prone to insects.
Hoe
It is one of the most ancient and multipurpose agricultural and horticulture hand tools used for shaping and clearing the soil from weeds. Shaping the soil constitutes piling soil near the base of the plant, digging narrow shallow and furrow trenches for planting seeds.
There are different types of hoes and your garden type guides you about the selection of the most suitable hoe. For instance, a veggie garden may require a wide sturdy hoe whereas perennial gardens need a thin and delicate hoe.
While choosing the most suitable hoe, you must look for a hoe having a comfortable handle, long reach, sharp blade, and easy-to-use.
Hand Trowel
It is also an important hand tool that is involved in digging, smearing, smoothing, and moving the particulate matter.
The hand trowels are also available in different varieties including garden trowels, float trowels, and masonry trowels. While using this hand tool, you must choose a broad blade for moving soil and a narrow blade for digging up weeds.
Also, make sure that the handle is fitted comfortably within your hand while using it. The trowels made up of stainless steel or having a head composed of stainless steel are more durable.
Spade
This hand tool is considered a workhorse within the garden. It is a sharp-edged rectangular-shaped and metal-bladed with a long handle. It is primarily used for digging and cutting the sand, turf, or earth.
Moreover, this tool also simplifies the digging holes, lifting sod, edging, and moving dirt from one place to another one. This tool may be a little expensive, however, owning a good spade can facilitate you significantly while gardening.
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Riding Lawnmower
The riding lawn mower is a type of mower that enables you to seat in it while operating. It plays an important role in giving a sharp and organized look to your lawn that not only pleases the eye but also increases its worth. Before buying a riding lawn mower, you must consider some factors.
These factors include the size of your lawn, the terrain of your lawn, carts, and attachments, comfortability features, and other capabilities. You must find an adequate balance while purchasing a riding lawn mower according to your needs and preferences.
For instance, single engines are suitable in the case of small lawns while v-twin engines work well in lawns occupying multiple acres. Therefore, it all depends upon your preferences and pocket.
Secateurs
The secateurs are commonly known as hand pruners and pruning shears. This tool resembles scissors in shape however harder than scissors. They help in cutting the hard branches of trees, shrubs, and can even cut the branches two centimeters thick.
This tool is necessary for giving an adequate shape to plants. There are different types of secateurs like anvil-shaped and bypass pruners. The anvil-shaped secateurs possess sharp blades and meet a flat surface just like a knife.
These pruners are best for dead wood and harmful for fresh leaves. On the other hand, bypass pruners embrace the flat surface just like scissors and are best for fresh plants and wood.
Loppers
Loopers are an important cutting tool. It looks like long-handled pruners that are used for trimming the thick branches and giving them shape. The long handles facilitate the gardeners to cut the branches having a diameter of 1 inch or more.
And the length of this handle is around 16-36 inches. For ensuring effective operations of loopers, you must keep your blades in good shape and sharpen their blades daily.
Fork
The fork is an equally important tool in gardening. It is a large tool and possesses 4-8 tines. The major purpose of these folks is mulching and compositing. The tines have both horizontal and straight upward curves at their lower bottom.
The horizontal forks are best for mulching and compositing. Whereas, the straight forks are used for digging compact, rocky, and clay soils. The forks are also available with square-shaped tines that are stronger enough for blending when they hit a root or rock.
Rake
Rake is a magical broom for maintaining cleanliness within your garden. It is toothed bar-shaped that is fixed transversely to a handle. It plays an important role in keeping your garden clean by whisking all fallen leaves and debris. Rakes are available in different sizes and styles; however, a standard leaf rake is a good option for beginners.
The other kinds of rakes include adjustable rakes and steel rakes. The adjustable rakes are a multipurpose tool and perform varying tasks ranging from reaching narrower areas to collecting huge piles of leaves. The steel rakes on the other hand are stronger and should not be used in the case of delicate lawns.
Watering Wand
Water is one of the necessities for plants and watering them in a way that it fulfills all-water requirements is essential for their growth. A watering wand is an effective tool for watering the plants gently like a rain shower.
The watering wands are available in varying lengths ranging from 10-48 inches. And these wands help in reaching the extended areas like hanging plants, out-of-the-way containers, or back edges of boundaries.
While selecting a watering wand, you must select a wand having adequate features i.e., long enough to reach the inaccessible areas and tight enough to reach short spaces. Moreover, a wand having built-in shut-off valves will also be a worthy choice as it will allow you to preserve water and help you to adjust the flow.
Summary
Purchasing these tools will complete more than eighty percent of a gardening tool kit. This kit will enable you to transform barren land into a spectacular and wonderful garden. Apart from this, storing and preserving these tools with precautions is also equally important.
