Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 3, 1994 TAG: 9404200070
SECTION: GUIDE TO BETTER HOMWES AND LAWN & GARDEN PAGE: 6 EDITION: NEW RIVER
SOURCE: Joanne Anderson
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Good quality hand tools will last for decades if you care for them by wiping them clean and storing in a dry place. If you organize tools on a pegboard or hooks, you can quickly tell if something has been left outside or borrowed.
Stainless steel tools are some of the best because they don't rust, and mud doesn't adhere well to the smooth surfaces. They are also some of the most expensive.
Hand tools that are all one piece are "much better than those with a handle slid into a metal sleeve; they just don't hold together for very long," said Ed Kirkman of Heavener Hardware.
Just as you wouldn't buy a pair of gloves without trying them on, you shouldn't buy a hand or garden tool without trying it on - holding it for comfort, fit, size, weight and maneuverability. It is not advisable to select large tools thinking that work will get done more quickly. Smaller, easy to manage tools may actually make the work go faster with less energy expended.
Power tools can be a great asset in landscape maintenance, but their cost - purchase price plus fuel and maintenance - and the time involved in getting ready to use them needs to be evaluated against grabbing a hand tool for the same job. The size and complexity of your yard, plants and pocketbook will determine what you need in power equipment.
SHOVEL: There are not many ways to improve on the shovel, so there are not many changes from year to year.
Some shovels now come with padding, a soft rubber piece over the length of the handle supposedly to make the shoveling chore easier. Others have fiberglass handles, which are virtually indestructible, and several have different colored plastic tips or handles at the ends.
MANURE FORK: Also referred to as a spading fork, this pronged piece is useful for turning ground and dislodging rocks. The tines may have rubber tips on them when purchased.
HOE: There are about as many changes to the hoe as to the shovel and fork. It's a pretty basic tool for smoothing dirt and creating rows. Hoes are being dressed up also with colored plastic tips on the handles.
TROWEL: The best kind of hand tool is one piece with a non-slip handle. A trowel can be used for moving small amounts of dirt, creating small rows or holes for seeds and for covering the seeds.
TRANSPLANTER: This is about half as wide as the trowel and used for making holes and lifting or setting small plants in place.
CULTIVATOR: The short-handled crooked fork is for digging and smoothing a small section within reach. A long handled cultivator serves the same purpose, and can be used efficiently standing up.
HAND PRUNERS: These little cutting tools come in two types: bypass and anvil. Kirkman said he often hears that the bypass pruners "give a more surgical style, clean cut; whereas, the anvil pruners tend to bruise the plant by leaving a jagged cut."
Hand pruners are good for trimming twigs and growth up to one-half inch in diameter. Lopping shears have short blades and long handles, and should be used to trim larger branches up to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Hedge shears are about half blade and half handle and are for trimming hedges.
ROUND BLADE EDGER: This long handled half circle is the best tool for creating a nice lawn edge in which to insert plastic lawn edging material. It could also be useful to cut a piece of grass sod to be moved.
KNEE PAD: Without saying how much gardening he does, Kirkman highly recommended the knee pad and seat cushion, a soft pad for gardeners. It has a built-in handle and comes in a variety of colors.
WATERING CAN: A watering can of yesteryear and the associated nostalgia has gone to plastic, knocking close to $10 off the price of the galvanized steel ones. A watering can is useful for placing water in a hole before planting, and for watering small scale projects, but hoses are probably much more practical in today's yards.
HOSES: Hoses remain the same, but accessories are increasing. A new select-a-spray nozzle resembles an adjustable shower head. Timers are on the market, and Kirkman says that even if you can't program your VCR, you can set the timer to water your lawn when and for as long as you wish.
RAKES: Leaf rakes come in bamboo, plastic and metal. The advantage of bamboo and plastic is lighter weight, but metal is more durable. Dirt rakes are made of iron and have prongs perpendicular to the end piece. New ones are soldered in each corner, whereas old ones were made of one piece and are better quality.
A thatching rake is used to accumulate dried grass, and a shrub rake is a smaller model for clearing around shrubbery. A child's rake also serves well as a shrub rake, and is especially labor-saving if you can coerce the child to operate the rake.
TREE PRUNER: This is one valuable tool to have after the ice season in the New River Valley, its telescopic handle extends to 10 feet, and there is both a pruner and a saw at the end.
by CNB