Lesser-Known Lawn Tools You'll Wish You Had Sooner
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Gardening is a hard but incredibly satisfying hobby to have. What other activities can give you literal fruits (or blooms) of your labor the way gardening can? Despite it being so rewarding, it's safe to say it takes a lot of physical labor to keep up with. From moving heaps of soil to pulling weeds, a day out in the garden is guaranteed to give you a solid workout. Luckily, companies out there have heeded the call for innovative tools that make it easier to maintain beautiful landscapes without breaking your back.
But which tools are actually worth the purchase? That's where we come in. Maybe you're moving into your first home or are finally crossing that landscape rehab off your to-do list. We scoured Amazon to find some of the more innovative gardening tools now available. These can make things easier on your body while sticking to your budget. You might not have known about them before, but will wish you had.
A standing weed puller that makes it easy to clean up your garden
Fiskars standing weeding tool uses a steel claw attached to the bottom of a long pole that digs into dirt and pulls weeds out, roots and all. The 39" long pole makes it easy to tackle weeding without getting on your hands and knees, while its offset handle helps to reduce wrist strain. To use, you simply put it on top of a weed, push the claw into the soil a little with your foot, push the handle to "grab" the weed, and lift.
If you've got a lot of dandelions or thistles to take care of, you know how necessary a tool like this can be. Getting rid of weeds is one of the most cumbersome parts of gardening, especially when you're battling a plant with lots of roots that want to keep it in place. This tool is great because it takes the heavy lifting off your back and arms, pulling the roots out along with the weed, ensuring that the plant pest is gone for good.
This weeder and cultivator combination tool that cuts through hard soil easily
Don't be fooled by its small size; this combination weeder and cultivator by CobraHead is a powerful tool to have on your side. Its curved hook is designed to get under weeds and pull them up easily while the tempered steel blade cuts through hard soil. The handle is made from recycled materials and is ergonomically designed for comfort for both lefties and righties.
If your soil is naturally full of clay or just very compact, then you probably feel like gardening has been put on "hard" mode without any input from you. That's where this tool comes into play, quickly chopping up the soil and getting rid of hard-to-pull weeds all in one go. Once you're done, you'll have perfectly prepped soil, ready for planting. You might feel a bit like a pirate while using it, hacking away at the earth with your hook hand, but that's not necessarily a bad thing (to us, at least).
Adjustable grip bypass pruners that cater to any hand size
Bypass pruning shears are a special type of cutter that's designed with curved blades. These work like scissors to make cleaner cuts to plants. However, these aren't your typical pruning shears. The Flex Dial Bypass Pruners by Corona contain a dial in the middle of the blades that allows you to adjust the positioning, making it more comfortable for a variety of hand sizes. Its handles also include anti-blister gel grips to prevent painful blisters or calluses from forming, even underneath your gardening gloves. If you're worried about needing to give these shears a hard scrubbing, don't worry. Corona utilizes non-stick coating on the blades to ensure clean-up is a breeze.
A typical bypass pruner is a one-size-fits-all that can fatigue smaller hands or people with poor grip strength. Using a cutter like this gives you the ability to customize the way the tool fits your unique hand size, making gardening a more enjoyable experience. Just be sure to keep your shears well-lubricated and sharpened to keep them working at their best.
A combo garden bench and kneeler that's easy to store
This adjustable bench by Deerfamy is designed to be used as a seat or converted into a kneeler for when you need to get up close and personal with your garden. The combo is made with a thick foam to reduce strain on the body and can hold up to 350 pounds. The removable side pockets allow easy access and storage of your most-used tools. Since it only weighs 6 pounds, it's easy to transport and store on wall hooks or shelves.
Kneeling all day on hard ground can be rough on the joints so it's nice to have a handy seat when you need to take a break or just don't feel like sitting in the dirt. Also, you can use the armrests to hoist yourself back up after a few hours of intense digging. Plus, the ability to fold it for storage means you won't have to worry about where it'll fit in your garden shed.
A solar-powered sprinkler that takes care of critters on its own
This motion-activated adjustable sprinkler by Yardeen is designed to keep critters away from your lawn. Since it's got an included solar panel for power, you'll never need to worry about hooking it up to an outlet or having to run underground power lines. However, if you need to run it off-hours, there's a cartridge that holds two AA batteries, letting you deter pests during any time of day or night.
Squirrels, birds, and rabbits can all be problematic for new lawns or gardens due to their natural tendency to dig. Throw in the lawn-killing abilities of dog or cat pee, and suddenly, you're dealing with a patchy-looking lawn that deserves better. That's where sprinklers like these come in handy, ensuring you don't need to stay vigilant all hours of the day. Plus, they're a humane way to keep soil diggers or territory-marking visitors at bay.
An adjustable telescopic rake that's easy to store
This collapsible pole rake by Tabor Tools lets you adjust the spread of the metal teeth from 8 up to 23 inches so you can tailor it for the size and amount of debris you need to get rid of. Its telescoping pole allows you to adjust the height from 32 up to 63 inches so that gardeners of any height can comfortably use it. The galvanized steel body and tines ensure it can easily clean up soil, leaves, or grass clippings.
Sometimes you just need to do a little tidying up. Other times, it's going to take some heavy-duty lawn care. This versatile tool can eliminate the need to multiple rakes. Also, if you've ever tried to store a rake before, then you know it's easier said than done. A rake like this can save you much-needed shed space while also having the ability to adjust its height and spread for yourself or for little garden helpers.
A dump cart with a folding handle that fits in any storage shed easily
This folding wheelbarrow/garden wagon is designed by Gorilla Carts and can hold up to 300 pounds of debris, mulch, soil, or whatever else you need to haul. What makes this so unique, though, is its adjustable metal handle that allows you to change its angle or fold it all the way down for storage. The two-wheel design and low center of gravity make it easy to transport and dump whatever's inside while its poly tub can be simply hosed out when you're done.
If you've ever dealt with a wheelbarrow, then you know they're hard to store, especially when you need to make the most of your shed space. This cart gives you the best of both worlds: heavy-duty hauling and compact design, thanks to that fold-down handle. Some reviewers even mentioned hanging it on their shed walls, freeing up space and making it one of their favorite purchases.
A backpack sprayer that uses battery power
Manual sprayers can wear you out quickly, especially when you've got to haul them around like an overfilled suitcase. Instead, opt for a more modular option like Woekbon's powerful pesticide sprayer. It sits comfortably on your back, holding up to 4 gallons of fluid. Its telescoping wand allows you to get hard-to-reach areas while its adjustable pressure controls go up to 70 PSI, giving you a powerful boost when you need it most.
Hoisting this onto your back ensures you'll be able to get any place that pesticides are needed. Plus, the battery-powered pumping can run up to 4 hours on a single charge, making spraying your lawn a breeze. Not only that, but the adjustable nozzles, pressure, and wand length ensure you'll be able to tackle a variety of jobs. Plus, it's uses can be more versatile than just applying pesticides. Customers reported they loved to use it to mist hedges and shrubs, as well.
A chest-mounted seed spreader that's perfect for all terrains
This chest-mounted seed spreader by Solo works by being strapped on the front of the body. Its hopper holds up to 20 pounds of seeds and you can control the volume of the spread with its convenient settings. Multiple reviewers report being so pleased with how even the spread is, calling it a much-needed upgrade from the smaller handheld versions.
Your standard broadcast spreader (the thing that looks like a trough with wheels) is great for flat lawns, but good luck if you've got a hilly backyard. This spreader can be harnessed across your chest, making it much easier to navigate bumpy yards and terrains. As a bonus tip, you can break this out when you need to spread out the salt or ice melt during the winter. The convenient device saves time and reduces the number of trips you have to make back and forth to the salt bag.
Shoe-mounted aerators that make it easy to improve your soil
Aerating your lawn is a fantastic way to break up layers of debris, hard soil, and clays. These can reduce the much-needed nutrients your plants receive, hindering the root growth. But adding one more chore to your lawncare list? No thanks. That's where these lawn aerators by DenForste come in handy, letting you do double-duty landscape work in half the time. They're designed to be strapped onto your shoes, making it easy to cover your whole yard while mowing the lawn. The aluminum spikes have a yield strength of 675 Mpa making them sturdy enough to handle some solid terrain. The spikes are affixed to a plastic base that's held in place with hook-and-loop adjustable straps. Plus, they fits women's US shoe sizes 6-10 and men's sizes 6-9, so multiple family members can get in on the aeration action.
Not sure if you need to aerate your lawn? Try the screwdriver test. Experts recommend taking a normal screwdriver and sticking it into your lawn's soil. If it slides down easily, you're all set, but if you feel any resistance then aeration could definitely help your landscape.
A thatch rake that does double-duty lawncare
Need to clear your lawn quickly? Then, this thatch rake by Walensee is a must-have tool for you. It's a double-duty rake with an adjustable head that removes debris to dethatch your lawn. Plus, it can be used to loosen soil for seeding. The design of the rake allows you to adjust the angle while its segmented pole can be tailored for any gardener's height. The steel teeth are heavy-duty enough to cut through hard soils while still being gentle enough to clean up grass clippings and leaves.
Customers reported loving its lightweight design and said it handles soil and dead grass with no problem. Plus, the teeth have been pre-treated with an anti-rust coating that ensures this rake will last you for many seasons. Worried about storage? You can easily remove the head by loosening a few bolts as a safer option than hanging it horizontally on a wall.
A lawn-leveling rake that helps quickly even out yards of any size
This lawn leveling rake by Goplus is designed to save you time, effort, and the high cost of hiring a landscape pro. Made with coated steel, this flat, wide rake is designed for light- or heavy-duty landscape overhauling. It works by quickly spreading dirt around as a way to level the ground. Despite its simple design, it can handle a number of different soil additives like sand, compost, and peat moss.
One of the best features is the center connecting bolt. You can twist the bolt to adjust the angle or loosen it to remove the head for easy storage. It's also an ideal lawncare tool for small, smoothing lawn jobs. If you've got a lawn full of divots caused by burrowing critters or need to remove lawn dips where standing water can puddle (which can become a mosquito oasis and health hazard), you can use this to remedy the problem.