In most endeavors, an individual will opt for the simplest, most comfy manner by which to achieve his chosen job. An artist painting a spectacular sunset, shimmering delicately over a lake, will use the best quality artist's brush made of camel hair, not a house painter's 3" wide, artificially bristled brush. In the kitchen area, why chop veggies up until your hands remain in significant pain when there is a food mill waiting to do the task, freeing you from the routine, and the additional pain in the back that originates from standing interminably at the cooking area counter, wondering to yourself if your dish really requires a full cup of carefully diced celery?
And why would anyone use a manual typewriter that has definitely no functions to boast about, aside from causing carpal tunnel syndrome or muscle spasms, that originated from the recurring motion of striking the secrets with force when, in the other room, sits an advanced computer system with all the bells and whistles, capable of doing practically whatever for you but in fact compose the text that you desire? I do not believe I could begin to be sufficiently competent (more like bumbling) if I needed to stress over setting margins and spacing, and trying to determine where to put that *% @ # "e" accidentally missing out on in cheese [sic] without destroying any form to correct space placement.
The exact same thing holds true with gardening. You do not use a shovel when a much lighter weight spade will do. And you do not invest an hour, bent over a flower bed, without triggering severe pain to your back and shoulders, when you might be using an ergonomically developed kneeler pad particularly crafted to keep your knees on speaking terms with the rest of your body.
Any gardener, newbie or expert, needs a standard set of tools. As holds true with any job or pastime needing specialized tools or paraphernalia, to garden you should accumulate on your own a set of excellent quality tools which will not break down with the smallest justification. Plus, you owe it to yourself to get the most comfy tools within your spending plan. It is better to buy just a few of the basics before you begin drooling at the sight of "designer" garden tools. At this point, more is not always better. Choose wisely.
The first category of ergonomically designed garden tools includes SPADES, TROWELS, CULTIVATORS, and SHOVELS. A SPADE is utilized for digging or cutting the ground. It has a sharp-edged metal blade and a long deal with. A TROWEL is basically a little spade, utilized for raising plants or soil. A CULTIVATOR is utilized to prepare the soil for a garden.
A STANDARD or GARDEN TROWEL, an extremely flexible hand tool, can do many tasks such as digging and shaping holes, hollowing or leveling out soil, and close-up weeding. A TRANSPLANTING TROWEL, with its narrow style, is the ideal tool for digging deep and/or narrow holes for planting seedlings. It is also exceptional for removing root balls easily, without any damage to the plant or neighboring areas. Some transplanting trowels have measurements marked on the trowel so the gardener can dig to the correct depth for planting seeds. An incredibly flexible tool, the FARMER, with its three elongated prongs, is perfect for numerous jobs. It can be utilized to loosen and prepare soil, extract immature weeds, change the soil with compost or fertilizer, and to aerate the soil to make watering more effective. A long-handled ROUND POINT SHOVEL can make or break your garden. You can achieve anything and whatever with this type of shovel. It is ideal for turning ground or scooping soil, along with for developing planting holes, filling out holes, and for carting away dirt loosened by another tool.
The next group of gardening tools consists of PRUNERS, SHEARS, and LOPPERS. HAND PRUNERS are quite beneficial. They are perfectly matched for removing dead or damaged branches from rose bushes and shrubs, and they can cut through thin branches. Other uses can consist of cutting down perennials, and gathering herbs and flowers. I have discovered, from individual experience, to keep the blades tidy and sharpened, or else you will discover yourself with an armful of mangled increased stems, hanging half on and half off the bush. Not a quite sight. I'm extremely territorial about my increased pruners and really do not like sharing them with others. If the pruner fits ...
There are numerous designs of SHEARS available. Generally speaking, shears are large clipping or cutting instruments shaped like scissors. TURF SHEARS are developed to enter locations hard to be cut by the lawn mower, such as around tree trunks and flower beds, and to cut the lawn's edges. HEDGE SHEARS and turf shears are alike, however the hedge shears have longer blades. This tool is good when cutting hedges and shrubs. In the Fall, it is available in rather handy when cutting back perennials and also when clipping off dead flower heads.
LOPPERS have long manages in order to prune back or cut off branches from a tree or other such woody plants. They are able to cut through branches as much as 2 inched in size.
Another crucial grouping of garden tools is made up of WEEDERS and LAWN EDGERS. WEEDERS do just that; they collect weeds. A weeder includes a long metal manage ending in finger like projections or scrapers that have actually been sharpened to assist in piercing the earth and pulling up long, straggling weeds up and away by cutting them off listed below the surface area. It rather appears like a BARBEQUE fork. LAWN EDGERS are used to keep flower beds and bushes preserved in their appropriate shapes. Basically, an edger will help mark the garden borders by loosening up turf impinging onto walkways, stepping stones, flower beds, and around the circular space surrounding the size of a tree.
There are two basic kinds of RAKES: the BOW RAKE and the LEAF RAKE. The BOW RAKE is a standard in any garden. Sturdily developed with sturdy steel branches, it is used to move and smooth soil. It is likewise useful for drawing up raised flower or vegetable beds or mounding soil around plants. It is essential to "catch and toss" garden debris. LEAF RAKES have flexible plastic or aluminum branches. It is not as heavy as the bow rake but is best for gathering spread leafs, lawn clippings, and so forth. Both rakes have long deals with so no bending is included.
Do not forget to choose a WATERING CAN, a HOSE with a PIPE REEL and NOZZLE, a ROLLING GARDEN CART/SEAT and a KNEELER. A WATERING CAN has a long spout, enabling you to water your flowers and shrubs from a short distance away while still standing. They do tend to feel quite heavy - water weighs 8-1/3 pounds. per gallon - so look for a watering can that is made from lighter weight products, such as aluminum or a sturdy plastic, that is well constructed. A great quality HOSE is essential for your garden and your peace of mind, unless you are particularly keen on carrying that heavy watering can around to water your lawn. Do not pinch pennies on a pipe; buy the very best quality hose you can discover so you will not be investing your weekends providing very first aid to all those holes and leaks that seem to reveal themselves the minute you avert. A pipe made from rubber should be your best choice. Some are even reinforced from the inside with a material indicated to bend with the hose. You will require a NOZZLE of plastic or metal; metal will definitely last longer and frustrate you less. A HOSE REEL will make your life a lot easier. How many times have you tripped over a pipe that has been thoughtlessly dropped in serpentine tangles all over the driveway? Shop a hose pipe that is of adequate length to reach from the spigot to the point furthest away on your home where you might need water.
Last, but definitely not least, are the GARDENING STOOL and the KNEELER. These 2 accessories are created for those people who are not quite as mobile as we as soon as were. The GARDENING STOOL assists get rid of back and knee discomfort by providing a surface area upon which to sit while doing gardening chores that usually require standing in one place and/or flexing. The stool usually is geared up with wheels and a storage space for your tools, and even has a holder for your water bottle. There is another type of gardening stool looking like a round hassock but it is mounted on a spring mechanism that permits the gardener to sit and reach in all directions without having to get up to reposition the stool. Unfortunately, this 2nd kind of stool tends to be very pricey.
The KNEELER, a cushioned surface in the shape of a rigid swing seat, is created to take the ground's solidity away from your bad aching knees. A variation of the kneeler is as explained above however with grab bars on either side of the cushion to assist in standing up when you have actually ended up working in that part of your garden. Both designs reduce pressure on the knees, especially helpful for arthritics.
Most likely among the most reliable items, ergonomically speaking, is the ADD-ON HANDLE. It structurally modifies traditionally designed garden tools in a manner that provides the tool an ergonomic grip. It can be used with hand tools such as trowels and spades, rakes, hoes, and brooms. An arm support cuff for increased control and take advantage of is also offered. Both the handle and the cuff are removable and can be utilized on the tools discussed above. There are also long reach cultivators for those who need to work from a seated position, especially wheelchair users.
A few final ideas:
You should treat your body as a shrine. Flexing improperly is the exact same as taking a sledge hammer to your shrine. Both are devastating.
It is simple to make a quick relocation without thinking. I can not count the number of times my medical professional has fussed at me for just that reason.
When RAKING or HOEING, try to keep the tools near to your body. Keep your back straight. Use your arms and NEVER twist your trunk (my doctor's extremely bone of contention - I still feel guilty when he catches me). If you are short, utilize long-handled tools in scale with your height. The exact same holds true for tall individuals.
Do rule out bending from the waist. This is where the KNEELER or the KNEELER WITH GRAB BARS be available in mighty useful. When WEEDING, use long-handled tools to relieve the stress on your back, legs, and knees. Forget about flexing over to TROWEL; consider crouching or resting on the ground.
When SHOVELING or DIGGING, action on the top of the blade as you vertically place the head of the shovel in the ground. Lift only small loads, bending at the knees. Never ever involve your back when lifting. Once again, avoid twisting your trunk. This will become your mantra. Usage as little of a shovel as possible to properly finish your task. Again, match your shovel to your body size.
Do not push your physical limits when raising or carrying. Bend from the knees, but not your back and keep the load near your body. Prevent twisting or reaching. Noise familiar?
Get as close as possible to your work. Do not force your reach beyond your comfort zone. More notably, do not extend beyond your steady footing! On a personal note, extending can be deleterious to your health if you have not arranged your footing to your finest benefit. To preface this cautionary tale, due to having Degenerative Disc Disease for many years, my chief mode of transportation is my reliable wheelchair. I likewise use bilateral leg braces which provide me some assistance when standing. A few summers back, I thought it would be good to raid my increased garden to dress up the dining room table as we were expecting dinner guests that evening. Nobody else was at home. Like a fool, I headed out to my increased garden, armed with my preferred pruning shears, believing I wish to cut a minimum of a lots beautiful roses (we have over 50 bushes). I was wearing rather saggy shorts that rippled in the breeze. Both my legs were ensconced in their braces. Detecting an especially wonderful increased, I reached forward towards the bush. I believed my feet were securely planted atop the redwood chips surrounding the bushes. Kid, was I wrong! As I reached for the stem to be clipped, each foot went in an opposite direction, propelling me toward all those countless deadly thorns. With extreme accuracy, I was thrust straight onto the bush. Correction. I was impaled upon the rose bush, locked up by those menacing thorns in a bent-over, face-in-the-bush position. Doomed by my thorn-snagged shorts, I was literally incapacitated. My neighbor and his brother came trotting throughout the street to untangle me. Talk about embarrassment, not to discuss the blood oozing out from the zillion thorn holes on my body. I was the photo of elegance, not. I thanked them for their aid and red-facedly slunk back into your home. I can truthfully say that from that point on, I stop to consider all alternatives before even approaching anything in my garden. I had certainly learned my lesson and hope this tale will remind you to prepare wholesale medical supplies ahead whenever your body mechanics are included.