Gardening is one of the most therapeutic activities you can engage yourself in. Not only does it bring you closer to nature, but gives you a much-needed break from your day-to-day work and stress. And to help you with the same, there are a bunch of tools that not only make your life easy but protect you from the thorns, chemicals and everything else that might cause an allergy or cut and bruise.
Though it is easy to get lost in the sea of tools, there are some basic tools that are enough to help your plants all around. Not only do they tone down the expense on your tool saga, but also save space in storage.
Lets read about some basic tools you must have for your plants.
1. Gardening Gloves
While Gardening can be very mind soothing, it can turn into a thorny and splintery mess without the right pair of gloves.
- Wear these polyester cotton heavy-duty gloves while using these tools to ensure you do not hurt your hands and keep a steady grip on these tools.
- These ergonomically designed with a one-size-fit-all quality, these gloves fit like a second skin to ensure you have a hassle-free gardening experience while protecting your hands from cuts, germs, bugs etc.
- Use these gloves while treating your plants with Neem Oil or Rubbing Alcohol to protect your hand from allergen components in your insecticides and pesticides.
2. Gardening Pruner/Scissor
Now that we have our gloves on, let's get to trimming. Trimming and pruning are essential due to a lot of factors. Not only do they help discard the dead and infected parts of the plant, but seasonal trimming ensures that your plant grow uniformedly during its bloom season.
- The scissors can be used to cut off the dead parts or infected areas of the plant with its sharp blades.
- Make sure you do not use these to cut wires or cables to nick the blade and blunt it.
- Clean the scissors post trimming and lubricate once every few months to ensure they stay flexible to be used.
3. Garden Weeder
Alright! Now that our plant is clean, let's focus on the soil. Weeds and parasitic plants are very common, and their growth aggravates during the monsoons more. To keep your plant healthy and make sure that the food you are giving is taken up but only the plant, weeds need to be cleaned periodically. These parasitic presence takes up all plant nutrition and makes your plant spindly and less leafy. And to help with that, weeders are a very useful tool.
- This tool is used to pull out the weeds and small parasite plants that grow on the soil that take up your plant's nutrition.
- Weeder tools come with a sharp, forked end, so be careful while using them for your plant.
- Gently use the forked end of the tool and pull out the parasite plant from the soil surface. For maximum usage ability, wear hand gloves to get a good grip and protect your hands from cuts and scratches.
4. Hand Cultivator
the next step post the cleaning process is the soil loosening. Why? Well. Loose soil is the ultimate mantra for a good root and ultimately, a good plant. If the soil is well aerated, the plant roots get enough space to branch out and grow healthy. Additionally, a well-draining soil mix ensures proper drainage, which in turn keeps your plant hydrated and happy.
- These tools come in handy while digging and tilling the dry soil. Make sure to use only on dry soil and not wet soil.
- Use only for soil surface application. Too deep digging will damage the plant roots.
- Loosen the soil gently with the cultivator after cleaning weeds and before planting new plants/saplings. And make sure you use the tool only on dry soil.
- Dig out soil using these before you pot in your new plant and gently layer it with 1-2 inches of soil with the trowel before watering.
5. Hand Trowel
- These tools come in handy while planting new plants and saplings.
- Use only for soil surface application. Too deep digging will damage the plant roots. Make sure the soil is dry while using these.
- Loosen the soil gently with the cultivator before using the trowel.
- Dig out soil using the tool before you pot in your new plant and gently layer it with 1-2 inches of soil with the trowel before watering.
6. Hand Fork
Hand Forks are the bigger versions of cultivators. While cultivators can be used on smaller pots for apartment gardening, hand forks with their large teeth can be used easily on garden beds or outdoor patio gardens.
- These tools come in handy while new plant planting and tilling of soil. Make sure to use only on dry soil.
- Use only for soil surface application. Too deep digging will damage the plant roots.
- Loosen the soil gently with the hand fork before planting or cleaning weeds. And make sure you use the tool only on dry soil.
- Dig out soil using these before you pot in your new plant and gently layer it with 1-2 inches of soil with the trowel before watering.
- The large mouth of the fork is useful while working on big plants or garden beds.
7. Khurpi
If you are new plant parent and want a one in all tool, we present you the ever-reliable Khurpi. Khurpi is the ultimate soil tilling tool you can keep in your garden. This all rounder tool helps in removing weeds, tilling soil and loosening it. Make sure you use the tool carefully because of its sharpened end.
- Essentially used for tilling, digging and loosening soil, use this sturdy gardening tool to dig out hard and dry soil to loosen it.
- Make sure to use this only on dry soil and not on wet soil. The tool is meant for surface application. If you are using it to till the soil for potted plants then make sure that you dig along the sides and be careful of the plant roots.
- The Khurpi is a sharp object and it is advisable to wear gloves during its usage to ensure your hands are protected from cuts and debris.
8. Spray Bottle
Hydration is the ultimate requirement for the plant- be it surface or soil. Spray bottles come in extremely handy not only for the day-to-day misting of the plant with water, soaking their aerial parts but also the occasional pesticide spraying during the infestation periods.
- How to use: 1: Pour 2L of water into the sprayer bottle. 2: With the help of the air-compressor pump in until the pressure fills. 3: Adjust the nozzle to alter the flow as per your requirement.
- The pump pressure sprayer is an excellent garden accessory as a water mister, spraying of herbicides and insecticides and as a sprinkler.
- It is suitable for greenhouses, balcony gardens, misting, spraying, jet spray and many other application types.
9. 7 Pattern Sprayer Gun Pipe
Sprayer Guns are an all-essential tool especially if you have a large outdoor garden. The Sprayer Nozzle comes with 7 adjustable output settings for water - Mist, Jet, Shower, Flat, Center, Cone, and Soaker, making it a very easy to use garden accessory. The pressure and the spray can be adjusted very easily, making it a handy tool to water the plant or spray herbicides and pesticides for the stressed varieties.
- The sprayer pipe can be used to water plants as well as spray water and pesticides on the plants.
- Can be used on a large number of plants at once and outdoor gardens.
- Turn the nozzle to the desired spray type and pressure after attaching with the tap for the spraying.
Now that you have a brief of all the tools you will ever need for a thriving garden, make sure that you get the right tool for your plant for digging, planting, weeding and loosening soil.
Happy Gardening!
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