Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange
Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [tools]

For questions about the maintenance, usage, techniques, evaluating, and storage of gardening handheld tools. For questions about larger equipment or machines use the [equipment] tag.

For questions about gardening and tools and equipment that are handheld: maintenance, usage, techniques, evaluating, and storage. This applies to everything from trowels to walk-behind power tillers. Questions about the "best brand" or "where to buy" are off-topic and will be closed.

For larger machines and equipment use the tag.

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What are the (essential) Tools that every gardener should own?

Credit where credit is due, this idea is pinched from over here: Tools that every Do-it-Yourselfer must own What tools should every gardener own, have at their disposal (preferably essential tools)? As this is a community wiki there is no one right…
Mike Perry
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Is a dethatching rake significantly better for removing thatch than a regular rake?

My lawn is full of so much thatch that I can bend down and pull up handfuls. I used a steel rake to pull up some today but it is still full of thatch. I feel like I could continue raking for days and never get it all. Will a rake meant specifically…
Paul
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Should I paint old garden tools?

I've got some old tools (shovels and pitchforks) that were my grandparents. The metal parts look like they were painted (a lot has worn off), I want to sharpen them and fix them up following the advice in Rodales Garden Encyclopedia - sand and…
Peter Turner
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What is the proper technique for using a flame weeder?

How do I use a propane flame weeder in my garden? I want to use it to keep weeds under control but I do not want to harm my vegetables.
bstpierre
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What can I use to quickly and inexpensively create metal plant labels?

Has anyone had experience with creating their own permanent metal plant labels/tags? My grandfather has an old Graphotype machine that he uses to label his metal plant tags, but they're rather expensive and his is very manual in operation. I'm…
Tim Clymer
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Direct sunlight measuring device?

Is there a device on the market (preferably battery or solar operated) which can be left in a garden from dawn to dusk, and afterwards, report on how many hours of direct sunlight it received? I would like to see which of the sometimes building…
Henry Taylor
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How do I choose a good tiller (cultivator) for a 1000 sq. ft. garden?

I'm getting ready to till about 1,000 square feet, but the problem is I have no experience buying tillers. However, I don't know much about buying them. What should one look for in a garden tiller that's appropriate for the size of my garden?
Robert
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How often should I loosen soil?

I was about this ask this question in a comment from a different question of mine, but I thought it deserved its own question since it may help a fellow novice gardener. How often should I loosen the soil in a vegetable garden? Do I want to loosen…
Justin Helgerson
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What qualities should I look for in gardening tools so that they're long lasting?

I've been purchasing most of my lawn equipment from a home improvement store and most of the equipment (rakes, shovels, etc) I have bought from them over the last 2 years has broken during what I believe to be "normal use". They have been pretty…
Brian
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I need to mow a lawn filled with Rocks galore

I need a lawn mower that can handle rocks and tall thistle bushes. I go through a lawn mower a year it seems. 90% of our ground is granite with a shallow ground covering. Any suggestions?
Kristal
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What is the right type of rake for oak leaves, twigs, acorns on a Zoysia lawn?

I haven't had a lawn to speak of in my current home, but am having it sodded with Empire Zoysia in the next couple of weeks. I'll need to clean up oak leaves, twigs and acorns in the front yard on an ongoing basis. Paul Tukey's Organic Lawn Care…
Jay
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Replacing a strimmer's nylon fibre line?

I bought a Bosch strimmer a couple of years ago - it is a Bosch 3600H78G71 "EasyTrim". There is now no nylon fibre line (which is the bit used for cutting grass) protruding from the spinning part at the bottom. I presume this is because it has all…
Jez
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How can I weed trim without damaging a fence?

I keep damaging the bottom of my fence with my gas weed trimmer. What is the best way to prevent damage to my fence while using a gas trimmer?
dpollitt
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Identifying/operating an automatic watering system

I recently bought a house built circa 1970 in France, and it came with an automatic watering system (date of setup unknown, so any time between then and now), controlled by this: I've been unable to find any kind of instructions on how to operate…
C4stor
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Uses of the scythe in a modern garden

Recently on a Basque TV channel from Northern Spain I saw a competition between two women scything a meadow against the clock. They were going almost as fast as a modern ride on mower, but were clearly exhausted by the end of the allotted patch. Is…
Colin Beckingham
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