When I first started serious gardening, I was absolutely bamboozled by the number of different tools on the market. I couldn't understand what half of them were for, why there were so many different types of secateur and spade. That was many years ago, and information to help explain the tools is readily available now. We've put together some short snippets of basic information that will hopefully provide you with the essentials you need to know and help you make the best purchase for your needs.
Secateurs
There are two types of secateurs - anvil and bypass. In other countries people generally call them pruners.
Anvil secateurs work like a knife on a chopping board. there is one blade and it cuts straight and hits a solid surface - the other part of the head. Its usually flat with little serrations - this is the board. Bypass secateurs have two blades and work more like scissors. The blades cross each other and give a smooth, clean cut providing the blades are kept clean and sharp. Imagine cutting something thick and tough with a knife onto a solid surface. It would generally be easy and give a fairly clean cut. now imagine doing the same thing with a pair of scissors. It's the same principal. Anvils are generally used for cutting through old, tough wood on shrubs, and for pruning thin tree branches. Bypass are for cutting through fresh growth and thin fresh stems on shrubs for thinning out purposes or deadheading. If your garden in mainly shrubs and trees, then invest in a good pair of Anvils that will last. If you have mainly flowers then choose a bypass.
Spades
There are a multitude of different spades on the market for all budgets, from the cheap found in the local budget shop, to the hand-made, costing a few hundred pounds. Whichever you choose, there are some important things to consider before buying. Different types of spade
Depending on the job you are doing, the right spade will make things a whole lot easier. I won't run through all of them because the internet contains plenty of information already, but I will run through the spades that you'll most likely want in your shed for day to day gardening. Digging spade - the most common type of spade and the most versatile. Usually with a large flat head and a long handle. Used for digging over ground, digging holes, turning over soil, edging laws or pathways and mixing in soil and compost. Border spade - a smaller head than a digging spade, either curved or straight, with a slightly shorter handle. Used for digging soil in planted borders where the smaller head is less likely to impede on plants Trowel - a mini spade with a usually curved head and short handle held with one hand. Used for digging small holes when planting, weeding or when planting pots. Planting/ bulb trowel - a long thing headed mini spade, usually curved and sometimes marked with length measurements on the head. The shape and length of the head allows for curved holes to be dug deep and is used for planting bulbs or smaller plants. Measurements on the head allow to push the trowel into the soil at the right depth for you bulb. Usually when planting bulbs, the trowel would be pushed into the soil and used to simply push the soil aside whilst you put the bulb into the hole. You'd then pull the trowel out of the hole and push the soil back in place.
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