In the majority of endeavors, an individual will opt for the simplest, most comfy manner by which to achieve his selected task. An artist painting a spectacular sunset, glittering delicately over a lake, will utilize the best quality artist's brush made of camel hair, not a house painter's 3" large, synthetically bristled brush. In the cooking area, why slice vegetables up until your hands are in substantial discomfort when there is a food processor waiting to do the job, releasing you from the routine, and the extra pain in the back that comes from standing interminably at the cooking area counter, questioning to yourself if your dish actually requires a complete cup of finely diced celery?
And why would anyone utilize a manual typewriter that has absolutely no features to boast about, aside from triggering carpal tunnel syndrome or muscle convulsions, that originated from the repetitive movement of striking the secrets with force when, in the other room, sits a cutting edge computer system with all the bells and whistles, capable of doing practically whatever for you however really make up the text that you want? I do not believe I could begin to be adequately skilled (more like bumbling) if I had to worry about setting margins and spacing, and trying to find out where to put that *% @ # "e" inadvertently missing out on in cheese [sic] without damaging any semblance to appropriate area 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 invest an hour, bent over a flower bed, without triggering grievous 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 inkjet printers your body.
Any garden enthusiast, novice or expert, needs a fundamental set of tools. As is the case with any task or leisure activity needing specialized tools or paraphernalia, to garden you should amass on your own a set of excellent quality tools which will not break down with the slightest justification. Plus, you owe it to yourself to obtain the most comfortable tools within your budget. It is better to buy simply a few of the fundamentals before you start drooling at the sight of "designer" garden tools. At this moment, more is not always much better. Pick carefully.
The first category of ergonomically developed 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 manage. A TROWEL is basically a little spade, utilized for raising plants or soil. A CULTIVATOR is used to prepare the soil for a garden.
A REQUIREMENT or GARDEN TROWEL, a very versatile 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 perfect tool for digging deep and/or narrow holes for planting seedlings. It is also outstanding for eliminating root balls quickly, with no damage to the plant or surrounding locations. Some transplanting trowels have measurements marked on the trowel so the gardener can dig to the proper depth for planting seeds. An exceptionally flexible tool, the FARMER, with its 3 extended prongs, is ideal for many jobs. It can be used to loosen up and prepare soil, extract immature weeds, amend 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 accomplish anything and everything with this type of shovel. It is perfect for turning ground or scooping soil, as well as for creating planting holes, filling out holes, and for carting away dirt loosened up by another tool.
The next group of gardening tools includes PRUNERS, SHEARS, and LOPPERS. HAND PRUNERS are rather useful. They are completely suited for getting rid of dead or damaged branches from rose bushes and shrubs, and they can cut through thin branches. Other usages can include cutting down perennials, and gathering herbs and flowers. I have found, from individual experience, to keep the blades tidy and sharpened, otherwise 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 really territorial about my increased pruners and actually do not like sharing them with others. If the pruner fits ...
There are numerous styles of SHEARS offered. Usually speaking, shears are big clipping or cutting instruments formed like scissors. YARD SHEARS are created to enter 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 lawn shears are alike, however the hedge shears have longer blades. This tool is excellent when cutting hedges and shrubs. In the Fall, it comes in rather convenient when cutting back perennials and likewise 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 have the ability to cut through branches approximately 2 inched in diameter.
Another essential grouping of garden tools is made up of WEEDERS and LAWN EDGERS. WEEDERS do just that; they collect weeds. A weeder consists of a long metal handle ending in finger like forecasts or scrapers that have been sharpened to help with piercing the earth and pulling up long, straggling weeds up and away by cutting them off below the surface area. It rather appears like a BARBEQUE fork. EDGERS are used to keep flower beds and bushes kept in their appropriate shapes. Essentially, an edger will assist delineate the garden borders by chilling out turf impinging onto pathways, stepping stones, flower beds, and around the circular area surrounding the size of a tree.
There are two standard kinds of RAKES: the BOW RAKE and the LEAF RAKE. The BOW RAKE is a fundamental in any garden. Solidly constructed with durable steel tines, it is used to move and smooth soil. It is likewise helpful for drawing up raised flower or vegetable beds or mounding soil around plants. It is important to "catch and toss" garden particles. LEAF RAKES have versatile plastic or aluminum branches. It is not as heavy as the bow rake but is ideal for gathering spread leafs, yard clippings, and so forth. Both rakes have long manages so no bending is involved.
Do not forget to select a WATERING CAN, a HOSE PIPE with a HOSE PIPE REEL and NOZZLE, a ROLLING GARDEN CART/SEAT and a KNEELER. A WATERING CAN has a long spout, allowing you to water your flowers and shrubs from a short distance away while still standing. They do tend to feel rather heavy - water weighs 8-1/3 lbs. per gallon - so search for a watering can that is made of lighter weight products, such as aluminum or a strong plastic, that is well constructed. A great quality HOSE is essential for your garden and your sanity, unless you are especially fond of lugging that heavy watering can around to water your lawn. Do not pinch pennies on a hose pipe; purchase the best quality tube you can find so you will not be spending your weekends providing very first help to all those holes and leaks that seem to reveal themselves the minute you look away. A hose made from rubber must be your best option. Some are even reinforced from the within with a material indicated to flex with the tube. You will need a NOZZLE of plastic or metal; metal will absolutely last longer and irritate you less. A HOSE PIPE REEL will make your life so much simpler. How many times have you tripped over a pipe that has been carelessly dropped in serpentine tangles all over the driveway? Shop a pipe that is of enough length to reach from the spigot to the point outermost away on your residential or commercial property where you might require water.
Last, but definitely not least, are the GARDENING STOOL and the KNEELER. These 2 devices are developed for those people who are not rather as mobile as we when were. The GARDENING STOOL helps eliminate back and knee discomfort by offering a surface upon which to sit while doing gardening chores that generally need standing in one location and/or flexing. The stool typically is equipped 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 resembling a round hassock but it is mounted on a spring system that permits the garden enthusiast to sit and reach in all directions without having to get up to reposition the stool. Unfortunately, this second type of stool tends to be extremely pricey.
The KNEELER, a cushioned surface area in the shape of a rigid swing seat, is developed 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 when you have actually ended up working in that part of your garden. Both designs ease pressure on the knees, especially useful for arthritics.
Probably among the most efficient items, ergonomically speaking, is the ADD-ON HANDLE. It structurally customizes traditionally created garden tools in a way 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 leverage is likewise readily available. Both the handle and the cuff are removable and can be used on the tools discussed above. There are likewise long reach farmers for those who should work from a seated position, especially wheelchair users.
A couple of last thoughts:
You must treat your body as a shrine. Bending incorrectly is the very same as taking a sledge hammer to your shrine. Both are destructive.
It is easy to make a fast relocation without believing. I can not count the number of times my doctor has actually fussed at me for just that factor.
When RAKING or HOEING, attempt to keep the tools near to your body. Keep your back straight. Use your arms and NEVER twist your trunk (my doctor's really bone of contention - I still feel guilty when he captures me). If you are brief, utilize long-handled tools in scale with your height. The exact same holds true for high individuals.
Do rule out flexing from the waist. This is where the KNEELER or the KNEELER WITH GRAB BARS can be found in mighty helpful. When WEEDING, utilize long-handled tools to reduce the stress on your back, legs, and knees. Ignore bending over to TROWEL; consider crouching or resting 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. Raise only little loads, bending at the knees. Never ever include your back when lifting. Once again, avoid twisting your trunk. This will become your mantra. Use as little of a shovel as possible to effectively complete your job. Again, match your shovel to your body size.
Do not push your physical limitations when lifting or carrying. Bend from the knees, however not your back and keep the load close to your body. Avoid twisting or reaching. Sound familiar?
Get as close as possible to your work. Do not force your reach beyond your convenience zone. More importantly, do not extend beyond your stable footing! On an individual note, stretching can be negative to your health if you have not arranged your footing to your finest advantage. To beginning this cautionary tale, due to having Degenerative Disc Illness for many years, my chief mode of transportation is my trusty wheelchair. I likewise use bilateral leg braces which provide me some assistance when standing. A couple of summer seasons earlier, I believed it would be nice to raid my rose garden to dress up the dining room table as we were anticipating supper visitors that night. No one else was at home. Like a fool, I went out to my rose garden, armed with my preferred pruning shears, thinking I want to cut at least a dozen stunning roses (we have over 50 bushes). I was using rather saggy shorts that rippled in the breeze. Both my legs were ensconced in their braces. Espying an especially delightful rose, I reached forward toward the bush. I believed my feet were firmly 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 instructions, moving me towards all those countless fatal thorns. With extreme precision, I was thrust directly onto the bush. Correction. I was impaled upon the rose bush, sent to prison by those enormous thorns in a bent-over, face-in-the-bush position. Doomed by my thorn-snagged shorts, I was literally immobilized. My next-door neighbor and his brother came trotting throughout the street to untangle me. Speak about embarrassment, not to discuss the blood oozing out from the zillion thorn holes on my body. I was the photo of sophistication, not. I thanked them for their help and red-facedly slunk back into your home. I can honestly say that from that point on, I think all choices before even approaching anything in my garden. I had absolutely discovered my lesson and hope this tale will remind you to plan ahead whenever your body mechanics are involved.