GARDENING TOOLS

  Wondering which tools will be required to take care of your beloved garden?? The gardening tool you would need depends upon the garden size, your strength and age, and whether you would like to complete your job quickly or at your own leisurely pace. The minimum tools required by nearly every gardener includes a spade or shovel, a rake, a hoe, and a trowel and the choice is one of personal preference . One can get the best value by gaining knowledge about each equipment uses and qualities .Purchase at the end of the gardening season to take benefit of the reduced prices.

VARIOUS TYPES OF GARDENING TOOLS

HAND HELD TOOLS

GARDEN SHOVEL Shovels are earth movers with dish-shaped blades mounted to the handle at an angle. . For general-purpose moving, lifting, and digging, a long-handled shovel is ideal. Shovels come with long or short handles in standard or D-shaped styles. The choice of handle style depends upon personal preference; longer handles results in greater leverage and causes less tiring. Shorter handles are thicker and stronger.

SPADING FORK Used for digging. It is used for breaking heavy soils and loosening subsoil layers when double digging a bed.

HOE A hoe is used for preparing seed bed, breaking up soil and removing weeds.

RAKE A rake is used for clearing the garden of any debris. It is also used to smoothen seedbeds and spreading mulches. The choice of rake would also depend upon your fitness and the uses you plan to put it to.

TROWEL A Trowel is used for those digging jobs which cannot be completed with full-sized tools. It is used for transplanting seedlings or digging weeds.

POWER TOOLS

POWER ROTARY TILLER

Rotary Tiller is the most common power tool purchased by gardeners. Requirement for a rotary tiller would depend upon the size of the garden and its intended uses. It is used to make garden soil loose for the purpose of easy planting. It is also used to chop plant remains and mix it in the soil. Putting organic matter in the soil is easily accomplished with the help of a rotary tiller.

OTHER POWER TOOLS

These are rechargeable tools and are used in soils high in organic matter and contain no debris .Examples of such tools are garden shredders and gasoline shredders.

PRUNING TOOLS

PRUNING SHEARS

They are used for pruning branches up to inches in diameter. There are two cutting styles of hand shears: anvil cut and scissor action. While purchasing a pruner check whether you can hold it comfortably or not.

LOPPING SHEARS

They are used to slice through branches and can cut up to two inches or more depending upon the conditions.

HEDGE SHEARS

Used for shearing and have long blades with short handles. If not carefully used it can result in cuts on plants that can cause diseases.

CHAIN SAWS

Suited only for commercial purposes. Chain saws are used to cut large trees or branches. Both gas and electric chain saws are available in the market.

PEST CONTROL EQUIPMENT

Pest control equipments are necessary for a garden. They come in various models and sizes and can be purchased depending upon a garden's requirement.

COMPRESSED AIR SPRAYER

Also called backpack sprayer. The liquid is carried in a tank over the shoulders. A hand operated pump is used which sprays the liquid on the plants with the help of a nozzle.

HOSE -END SPRAYER

It consists of a bottle which has a hose to spray the liquids. Hose -end spray is a cheap device which works well with a antisiphon device.

WATERING DEVICES

Water facility is necessary for every garden. a watering device requirement depends upon the climate and water facilities available in the area.

TYPES OF DEVICES

DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM

They provide the advantage of watering only the roots thus preventing diseases to the plant

GRAND HOSE WITH FAN SPRINKLERS

Used in those areas where water supply is good.

OUTDOOR SPIGOT

Used in those cases where water supply is erratic although it is quite expensive hence they cannot be used in a home garden.

WATER BREAKER

These are used for watering small seedlings.

SOIL MONITORING EQUIPMENT

Purchasing a soil kit depends upon the requirements of the garden although private labs could also be used for sol monitoring if the facility is available. Purchase of a soil testing device would depend upon the frequency of monitoring the soil.

ELECTRONIC PH TESTER

It is used for testing the acid content of the soil. It is easily available in the market.

SOIL THERMOMETER

Determining soil temperature is necessary for the health of the plants. Determining soil temperature is important to decide the sowing time. Cold temperature would delay the growth of the plants while hot climate would result in stunted growth of the plants. Appropriate temperatures recommended for seeds of early vegetables are 45 to 50 F while for seedlings would be 50-55 F.