Garden & Yard Tools
- Tools are vital for gardening and lawn care.garden tools image by Joann Cooper from Fotolia.com
The upstart of gardening and lawn maintenance goes hand in hand. Since mankind decided to use tools and other objects to dig up dirt, gather materials and aid in the gardening process, tools have been essential to growing a garden and maintaining a healthy lawn. Having information on garden and yard tools will help you choose the right tools for your gardening and lawn care needs. - Lawnmowers are essential to lawn care and maintenance. For most people, having a manicured lawn is an important aspect to the overall appearance of the home whole. There are three various types of lawnmowers: riding, gas powered and rotary.
Riding lawnmowers are best suited for larger lawns. A riding lawnmower uses little to no physical assertion to run and operate. Because a strong motor powers the machine, the lawn cutting process is usually reduced in comparison to other lawnmower types. Small lawns, however, are ill suited for riding lawnmowers, as the riding lawnmower does not maneuver as well as the push mower.
Push mowers are the most common form of lawnmower. They come in either electric or gas powered styles and are best suited for small- to medium-sized lawns. Easily maneuverable and easily stored, the push mower is an important lawn tool.
Rotary mowers are completely manual grass cutters. Used prior to the invention of the aforementioned lawnmowers, rotary mowers are prime for usage in small lawns without need of constant care. By providing exercise and being the most "green" of all of mowers, the rotary mower is still used today. - Weed cutters are ideal for lawns. Used to trim the area where the lawn mower is unable to cut, these tools come in both gas-powered and electric-powered styles.
- Shovels are vital tools for the garden. They are essential for digging holes in which to put plants, remove soil and put soil back in its place. There are various forms of shovels: hand held, square point and round point shovels.
Hand held shovels are used for digging in potting soil, and aiding in the planting and potting of plants. Do not use shovels for hard soil; these shovels will not break up hard dirt.
Round point shovels are the most used of all shovels. They are used to scoop, shovel dirt, dig and plant large plants. These come in a garden size, that is slightly smaller and less heavy.
Square point shovels are used mostly to scrape soil, level dirt and clean up dirt piles. These are also used to clear dirt off concrete. - Garden rakes are used to gather leaves in the fall and to pick up debris in the lawn. These are the largest of the various rakes and the rake heads are manufactured to scoop up leaves and debris, and to glide over the ground surface without breaking the surface of the soil.
Bow Rakes are traditionally constructed out of thick steel and are used to break up dirt, gather heavy debris and prepare soil surfaces for seed planting. - Pruners and shears are vital to the maintenance of larger plants and roses. Hand pruners are ideal for cutting stems three-fourths of an inch in diameter. Lopping shears are designed for slightly thicker branches, up to one and one-third inches in diameter. Pole pruners are best for out of reach branches. Attached to an extended pole, these pruners cut branches up to two inches wide. Pruning saws are best for branches two and one-half inches thick. Garden shears/hedge clippers are best for trimming shrubs and thin-stemmed bushes. Chain saws are either gas or electric and are used to remove thick branches larger than three inches wide.
