In many undertakings, an individual will select the simplest, most comfortable way by which to accomplish his chosen job. An artist painting a spectacular sundown, sparkling delicately over a lake, will utilize the best quality artist's brush made of camel hair, not a home painter's 3" broad, artificially bristled brush. In the kitchen, why slice vegetables till your hands are in substantial pain when there is a food mill waiting to do the job, releasing you from the tedium, and the extra back pain that originates from standing interminably at the kitchen area counter, wondering to yourself if your dish really needs a full cup of finely diced celery?
And why would anyone use a manual typewriter that has definitely no functions to boast about, other than triggering carpal tunnel syndrome or muscle spasms, that originated from the repetitive movement of striking the secrets with force when, in the other room, sits a modern computer with all the bells and whistles, capable of doing almost everything for you but in fact compose the text that you desire? I do not think I might start to be sufficiently proficient (more like bumbling) if I needed to fret about setting margins and spacing, and trying to determine where to put that *% @ # "e" accidentally missing out on in cheese [sic] without ruining any semblance to correct space placement.
The same thing is true with gardening. You do not utilize a shovel when a much lighter weight spade will do. And you do not spend an hour, bent over a flower bed, without triggering grievous discomfort to your back and shoulders, when you could be using an ergonomically designed kneeler pad particularly crafted to keep your knees on speaking terms with the rest of your body.
Any gardener, novice or professional, requires a basic set of tools. As is the case with any task or pastime needing specialized tools or paraphernalia, to garden you should amass on your own a set of good quality tools which will not break down with the tiniest justification. Plus, you owe it to yourself to obtain the most comfy tools within your spending plan. It is much better to buy just a few of the basics before you start drooling at the sight of "designer" garden tools. At this moment, more is not necessarily much better. Choose wisely.
The very first category of ergonomically created garden tools consists of 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 handle. A TROWEL is essentially a small spade, used for lifting plants or soil. A CULTIVATOR is used to secret info prepare the soil for a garden.
A REQUIREMENT or GARDEN TROWEL, a very flexible hand tool, can do lots of jobs 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 outstanding for getting rid of root balls quickly, with no damage to the plant or neighboring locations. Some transplanting trowels have actually measurements marked on the trowel so the gardener can dig to the correct depth for planting seeds. An extremely versatile tool, the GROWER, with its three elongated prongs, is ideal for numerous jobs. It can be utilized to loosen up and prepare soil, extract immature weeds, modify the soil with garden compost or fertilizer, and to aerate the soil to make watering more efficient. A long-handled ROUND POINT SHOVEL can make or break your garden. You can accomplish anything and everything with this kind of shovel. It is ideal for turning ground or scooping soil, as well as for creating planting holes, completing holes, and for carting away dirt loosened up by another tool.
The next group of gardening tools consists of PRUNERS, SHEARS, and LOPPERS. HAND PRUNERS are quite helpful. They are perfectly fit for removing dead or broken branches from rose bushes and shrubs, and they can cut through thin branches. Other uses can consist of cutting down perennials, and collecting herbs and flowers. I have discovered, from individual experience, to keep the blades clean and honed, or else you will find yourself with an armful of mangled rose stems, hanging half on and half off the bush. Not a pretty sight. I'm very territorial about my rose pruners and actually do not like sharing them with others. If the pruner fits ...
There are various designs of SHEARS offered. Generally speaking, shears are large clipping or cutting instruments shaped like scissors. LAWN SHEARS are developed to enter into areas tough to be trimmed by the mower, such as around tree trunks and flower beds, and to cut the lawn's edges. HEDGE SHEARS and turf shears are alike, but the hedge shears have longer blades. This tool is great when trimming hedges and shrubs. In the Fall, it comes in rather convenient when cutting down perennials and also when clipping off dead flower heads.
LOPPERS have long handles in order to prune back or cut off branches from a tree or other such woody plants. They have the ability to cut through branches up to 2 inched in diameter.
Another essential grouping of garden tools is made up of WEEDERS and LAWN EDGERS. WEEDERS do simply that; they dig up weeds. A weeder includes a long metal handle ending in finger like forecasts or scrapers that have been honed to help with piercing the earth and bring up long, straggling weeds up and away by cutting them off listed below the surface area. It rather appears like a BBQ fork. EDGERS are utilized to keep flower beds and bushes kept in their correct contours. Basically, an edger will assist mark the garden borders by relaxing turf impinging onto walkways, stepping stones, flower beds, and around the circular area surrounding the diameter of a tree.
There are 2 basic types of RAKES: the BOW RAKE and the LEAF RAKE. The BOW RAKE is a fundamental in any garden. Solidly developed with durable steel branches, it is utilized to move and smooth soil. It is also beneficial 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 tines. It is not as heavy as the bow rake however is ideal for collecting spread leafs, grass clippings, and so forth. Both rakes have long handles so no bending is included.
Do not forget to pick a WATERING CAN, a TUBE with a HOSE 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 brief distance away while still standing. They do tend to feel quite heavy - water weighs 8-1/3 pounds. per gallon - so try to find a watering can that is made from lighter weight materials, such as aluminum or a strong plastic, that is well constructed. An excellent quality HOSE PIPE is necessary for your garden and your peace of mind, unless you are especially keen on lugging that heavy watering can around to water your yard. Do not pinch cents on a hose pipe; purchase the best quality hose pipe you can find so you will not be investing your weekends giving first help to all those holes and leakages that appear to reveal themselves the minute you avert. A hose made from rubber needs to be your best bet. Some are even reinforced from the within with a material suggested to bend with the hose. You will require a NOZZLE of plastic or metal; metal will certainly last longer and annoy you less. A HOSE PIPE REEL will make your life a lot easier. The number of times have you tripped over a hose that has been carelessly dropped in serpentine tangles all over the driveway? Shop a tube that is of adequate length to reach from the spigot to the point outermost away on your property where you might require water.
Last, however 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 once were. The GARDENING STOOL helps eliminate back and knee discomfort by offering a surface area upon which to sit while doing gardening chores that typically need standing in one location and/or bending. The stool generally is geared up with wheels and a storage area 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 enables the gardener to sit and reach in all instructions without needing to get up to rearrange the stool. Regrettably, this second kind of stool tends to be extremely pricey.
The KNEELER, a cushioned surface area in the shape of a stiff swing seat, is created to take the ground's hardness away from your poor aching knees. A variation of the kneeler is as explained above however with grab bars on either side of the cushion to help with standing up when you have ended up operating in that part of your garden. Both models relieve pressure on the knees, particularly practical for arthritics.
Probably one of the most efficient products, ergonomically speaking, is the ADD-ON HANDLE. It structurally modifies conventionally designed garden tools in a manner that offers the tool an ergonomic grip. It can be used with hand tools such as trowels and spades, rakes, hoes, and brooms. An arm assistance cuff for increased control and take advantage of is also readily available. Both the manage and the cuff are detachable and can be used on the tools pointed out above. There are also long reach growers for those who should work from a seated position, especially wheelchair users.
A few last thoughts:
You need to treat your body as a shrine. Bending incorrectly is the very same as taking a sledge hammer to your shrine. Both are devastating.
It is easy to make a quick relocation without believing. I can not count the variety of times my physician has actually fussed at me for simply that reason.
When RAKING or HOEING, try to keep the tools near your body. Keep your back straight. Use your arms and NEVER twist your trunk (my medical professional's really bone of contention - I still feel guilty when he catches me). If you are short, use long-handled tools in scale with your height. The exact same is true for high people.
Do not consider flexing from the waist. This is where the KNEELER or the KNEELER WITH GRAB BARS come in magnificent convenient. When WEEDING, utilize long-handled tools to reduce the stress on your back, legs, and knees. Forget about bending over to TROWEL; consider crouching or sitting on the ground.
When SHOVELING or DIGGING, step on the top of the blade as you vertically insert the head of the shovel in the ground. Lift just small loads, bending at the knees. Never ever include your back when lifting. Once again, prevent twisting your trunk. This will become your mantra. Use as little of a shovel as possible to adequately finish your job. Again, match your shovel to your body size.
Do not press your physical limitations when raising or carrying. Bend from the knees, however not your back and keep the load close to your body. Prevent twisting or reaching. Noise familiar?
Get as close as possible to your work. Do not force your reach beyond your convenience zone. More significantly, do not extend beyond your steady footing! On an individual note, extending can be deleterious to your health if you have not organized your footing to your best advantage. To preface this cautionary tale, due to having Degenerative Disc Illness for many years, my chief mode of transport is my dependable wheelchair. I also wear bilateral leg braces which give me some support when standing. A couple of summer seasons ago, I believed it would be nice to rob my increased garden to dress up the dining room table as we were anticipating dinner guests that evening. No one else was at home. Like a fool, I went out to my increased garden, equipped with my preferred pruning shears, believing I would like to cut a minimum of a dozen gorgeous roses (we have over 50 bushes). I was wearing rather baggy shorts that billowed in the breeze. Both my legs were ensconced in their braces. Espying a particularly delightful rose, I reached forward towards the bush. I believed my feet were securely planted atop the redwood chips surrounding the bushes. Young boy, was I incorrect! As I reached for the stem to be clipped, each foot entered an opposite direction, propelling me towards all those thousands of lethal thorns. With severe accuracy, I was thrust directly 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 actually immobilized. My neighbor and his sibling came trotting throughout the street to untangle me. Speak about humiliation, not to point out the blood oozing out from the zillion thorn holes on my body. I was the picture 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 think all alternatives before even approaching anything in my garden. I had actually definitely discovered my lesson and hope this tale will advise you to plan ahead whenever your body mechanics are involved.