What Types of Tools Do You Need to Clean A Garden Properly
Dead plants, stems, and littered leaves on your garden not only look bad but can be unhealthy for your garden. The dead plant matter is a haven for fungus, weeds, and diseases to your healthy plants. Regularly cleaning your garden removes the weeds that can take over at astronomical speeds when unattended. You also need to brush back leaves, edge garden beds, remove winter mulch, prune shrubs, and much more. For such activities, you need the right tools to make the task easy, more so if you have a large plot. Here we look in-depth at which devices will make the work easier for a clean and healthy garden.
Hand Pruner
Pruners cut through thick branches and stem with ease. While looking for a pruner, find one that’s most applicable to your garden. For trees, one that can reach branches will work best for you, while for the occasional trim, you won't need anything too large. Sometimes you might need different sized pruners if you have trees and small plants, so it's up to your deliberation. Nowadays, pruners have modified gears and mechanisms to increase your cutting power.
Loppers
Sometimes you might need to cut branches thicker than an inch in diameter. Shears can’t help in such situations, and pruners can be overkill. Loppers can handle such a task better than other alternatives. This tool is essentially a pruner with long handles, typically between 12 and 36 inches long. This feature lets you reach further and also gives you more leverage for cutting thick branches with less effort.
Hand Rake
This is a handy tool to rake debris and leaves around stems and plants. Using your hands to do such a task is not recommended, especially if you have prickly plants like roses. Leaves and tree debris are a pain to clean up if you have a large yard covered with such material. A rake takes care of the mess by scooping up the trash into one large and convenient heap.
Shovel
This tool is a gardens workhorse. For a garden, you need to have at least one spade. For every conceivable digging task, there is a shovel that’s up to the task. Round edged shovels break up coarse soils, scoop bladed types pull out dirt, and flat-bladed varieties dig up irrigation trenches. With this all-purpose tool, you can lift the debris from one point to another.
Wheelbarrow
For a gardener or a landscaper, it's hard to fathom working without a wheelbarrow. You will need this tool to transport your shovel, rakes, and all other tools you might think of. Besides, with piled up dirt, you need to cart them from where you compiled them with a rake to the dumping. Bags of mulch and soil can be quite heavy, and the last thing you want to do is carry these loads on your back.
Conclusion
As always, use the right tool for the job. With these tools, cleaning your garden will be more of a treat instead of a chore. Remember, a dirty garden will harbor weed seeds, pests, and diseases, hampering the growth of your plants.
