The Right Tools For Spring
Tools turn a difficult job into an easy one. This spring, use the right tools for the job, and you’ll save yourself some time and labor. Learn to prune and weed, and discover which specific tools work best for each one alongside backyard gardener Jerad Bryant.
A hori hori knife cuts through roots with ease.
Sprouts are sprouting, and grass is bursting from the ground. The hills are alive! When plants wake up from their winter slumber, you’ll need some tools to help them look their best. Say you have an orchard full of fruit trees, or you’ve got plenty of overgrown shrubs. Late winter and early spring are the optimal seasons for pruning deciduous fruit trees. Or, perhaps you’re picking weeds and harvesting greens. All of these tasks will benefit from a helpful tool or two, like bypass pruners or a hori hori garden knife.
Pruning is a task best left for blades. You’ll need three tools to start: a folding saw, hand pruners, and loppers. These three cutting tools will allow you to prune branches up to about 6 to 8 inches thick, depending on the size of the saw’s blade. Hand saws are able to cut large branches if you’re willing to put in the effort. Simply open them up and run their blade back and forth over the log. For 1 or 2-inch-thick branches, try the loppers. They don’t need any pulling and pushing to work, and they’re quick to use. All you have to do is set a branch inside the blade, then close the handles. The branch should come right off. For branches and twigs the size of your finger or smaller, use hand pruners. They’re perfect for touching up shrubs and trees, or for making structural cuts to young saplings. As a former nurseryman, I carry a pair of hand pruners in a belt holder whenever I work outside. You never know when you’ll need to prune!
A pair of trusty snips will help with cutting fleshy, green stems and leaves.
Another versatile cutting tool deserves an honorable mention—a pair of trusty snips. Snips are small, thin-bladed cutters that are perfect for slicing green material. Fleshy plant stems, leaves, and flower stems are no match for sharp snips. Invest in a pair with spring-loaded blades to keep your hands happy; otherwise, you’ll have to manually open and close the blades with the handles, which can get tiring after a series of cuts.
Aside from pruning, there’s also lots of weeding and harvesting to do in late winter and early spring. Lettuce, spinach, corn salad (mâche), and dandelions grow fresh greens, and weeds like popweed are appearing like whack-a-moles all over the yard. What better tool to use than a hori hori knife? I first discovered this wonder while working at a local park in Eugene, Oregon. We would use the knife to dig up weeds, to cut twine, to dig planting holes, and to snip off above-ground growth. It’s a versatile shovel and knife combo with serrated and sharp blades, and it has a triangular shape that penetrates hard ground well. To harvest greens, grab them with your hand and run the sharp side of the knife over the leaves. The bunch will come out with a clean slice. Skip the gimmicky hand rakes and weeding tools, and instead go for a hori hori knife. It’ll last for many years, and you can sharpen it if it ever dulls.
Which Tools To Buy
The Compact Duralight™ Lopper from Woodland Tools Co. has sharp blades.
This spring, I tested a slew of new tools from Woodland Tools Co. I did not receive payment from them for this post, nor will I make money from their tool sales. I simply received a set of their products in the mail and tested them to see how they perform in the landscape. Previously, I used my old tools that I’ve gathered over the years. I swear by Felco products, partly because Felco offers replacement parts and they’re a longstanding company with a superb reputation. I take a lot of convincing to switch products, and I generally dislike excess waste from overconsumption. That being said, I was genuinely impressed with some of Woodland’s tools!
@meangreengarden Huge thanks to @Woodland Tools Co for sending these tools! I love the pruners and will be using them this season #tools #gardening #productreview ♬ original sound - Jerad
If you’re looking for all-metal, professional-grade pruners, consider their Pro-Series Forged Bypass Pruners. These bad boys feel hefty but not heavy in the hand, and they’re lightweight enough to carry in the included belt holder. My favorite part is their knob to hold the blades in place—it’s made of metal, unlike other pruners that have plastic, easily breakable knobs. All in all, I’d use and recommend the pro pruners any day, and I’ll be carrying them to job sites in the future to see how they perform in the long run.
My second favorite tool of theirs is the hori hori knife. Their version has a pronged tip that’s perfect for uprooting taproots, and it has both sharp and serrated sides to cut weeds or greens. It also includes a notch that’ll snip twine or ties from plant stems. Carry it in the case that comes with it, and snap the case to your belt for easy portability.
I also tested a Compact Duralight™ Lopper, which worked well on large branches that the pruners couldn’t handle. As they’re the light version of the company’s loppers, they have sharp carbon-steel blades and plastic handles. Over time, these loppers may need a replacement, but they’re surprisingly powerful for medium-sized branches.
Finally, I used their Super Duty Utility Snips to harvest corn salad. The blades are super sharp, and the handles are ergonomic and light in the hand. I needed a new pair of snips, and these will work well for many tasks, from herb harvesting to snipping leaves.
