In many endeavors, an individual will select the most convenient, most comfortable way by which to achieve his chosen task. An artist painting a spectacular sundown, sparkling delicately over a lake, will use the best quality artist's brush made from camel hair, not a house painter's 3" broad, synthetically bristled brush. In the kitchen, why slice vegetables until your hands are in substantial pain when there is a food mill waiting to do the job, releasing you from the routine, and the extra back pain that comes from standing interminably at the kitchen counter, questioning to yourself if your dish actually needs a full cup of carefully diced celery?
And why would any person utilize a manual typewriter that has definitely no functions to boast about, aside from causing carpal tunnel syndrome or muscle spasms, that come from the repetitive movement of striking the secrets with force when, in the other space, sits a state-of-the-art computer with all the bells and whistles, capable of doing practically whatever for you however in fact make up the text that you want? I do not believe I could begin to be adequately proficient (more like bumbling) if I needed to worry about setting margins and spacing, and attempting to find out where to put that *% @ # "e" accidentally missing in cheese [sic] without ruining any form to appropriate 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 invest an hour, bent over a flower bed, without causing severe 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 expert, needs a basic set of tools. As is the case with any job or activity requiring specialized tools or stuff, to garden you should collect on your own a set of good quality tools which will not break down with the smallest justification. Plus, you owe it to yourself to acquire the most comfortable tools within your budget plan. It is much better to buy simply a few of the essentials before you start drooling at the sight of "designer" garden tools. At this point, more is not always better. Select carefully.
The very first classification of ergonomically designed garden tools consists of SPADES, TROWELS, CULTIVATORS, and SHOVELS. A SPADE is used for digging or cutting the ground. It has a sharp-edged metal blade and a long manage. A TROWEL is generally a little spade, used for raising plants or soil. A FARMER is utilized to prepare the soil for a garden.
A REQUIREMENT or GARDEN TROWEL, an extremely versatile 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 perfect tool for digging deep and/or narrow holes for planting seedlings. It is likewise outstanding for removing root balls quickly, without any damage to the plant or surrounding locations. Some transplanting trowels have actually measurements marked on the trowel so the garden enthusiast can dig to the appropriate depth for planting seeds. An exceptionally versatile tool, the FARMER, with its three extended prongs, is best for lots of tasks. It can be used to loosen and prepare soil, extract immature weeds, change the soil with 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 sort of shovel. It is ideal for turning ground or scooping soil, along with for producing planting holes, filling in holes, and for hauling away dirt loosened up by another tool.
The next group of gardening tools includes PRUNERS, SHEARS, and LOPPERS. HAND PRUNERS are quite helpful. They are perfectly matched for removing dead or damaged branches from increased bushes and shrubs, and they can cut through thin branches. Other usages can include cutting back perennials, and collecting herbs and flowers. I have actually discovered, from personal experience, to keep the blades tidy 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 quite sight. I'm extremely territorial about my rose pruners and truly do not like sharing them with others. If the pruner fits ...
There are various designs of SHEARS offered. Usually speaking, shears are big clipping or cutting instruments shaped like scissors. TURF SHEARS are developed to enter into areas tough to be trimmed by the mower, such as around tree trunks and flower beds, and to trim the lawn's edges. HEDGE SHEARS and lawn shears are alike, but the hedge shears have longer blades. This tool is excellent when trimming hedges and shrubs. In the Fall, it comes in quite handy when cutting down 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 up to 2 inched in diameter.
Another important grouping of garden tools is comprised of WEEDERS and LAWN EDGERS. WEEDERS do simply that; they collect weeds. A weeder consists of a long metal handle ending in finger like forecasts or scrapers that have actually been sharpened to facilitate 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. LAWN EDGERS are utilized to keep flower beds and bushes maintained in their proper contours. Essentially, an edger will help delineate the garden borders by loosening up turf impinging onto sidewalks, stepping stones, flower beds, and around the circular space surrounding the size of a tree.
There are two standard types of RAKES: the BOW RAKE and the LEAF RAKE. The BOW RAKE is a basic in any garden. Solidly built with sturdy steel branches, it is utilized to move and smooth soil. It is also helpful for drawing up raised flower or veggie beds or mounding soil around plants. It is vital to "capture and toss" garden particles. LEAF RAKES have flexible plastic or aluminum tines. It is not as heavy as the bow rake however is perfect for collecting scattered leafs, turf clippings, etc. Both rakes have long handles so no flexing is involved.
Do not forget to pick a WATERING CAN, a PIPE with a TUBE 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 brief range away while still standing. They do tend to feel rather heavy - water weighs 8-1/3 lbs. per gallon - so try to find a watering can that is made from lighter weight products, such as aluminum or a strong plastic, that is well built. A good quality TUBE is essential for your garden and your peace of mind, unless you are especially keen on carrying that heavy watering can around to water your lawn. Do not pinch pennies on a hose pipe; purchase the best quality hose pipe you can find so you will not be investing your weekends offering very first aid to all those holes and leakages that appear to reveal themselves the minute you look away. A hose pipe made from rubber must be your best option. Some are even strengthened from the inside with a product suggested to flex with the hose pipe. You will require a NOZZLE of plastic or metal; metal will definitely last longer and irritate you less. A TUBE REEL will make your life so much easier. The number of times have you tripped over a hose pipe that has been thoughtlessly dropped in serpentine tangles all over the driveway? Try to buy a pipe that is of sufficient length to reach from the spigot to the point furthest away on your home where you may require water.
Last, however certainly not least, are the GARDENING STOOL and the KNEELER. These two accessories are designed for those people who are not rather as mobile as we once were. The GARDENING STOOL assists get rid of back and knee pain by offering a surface upon which to sit while doing gardening tasks that typically need standing in one place and/or bending. The stool typically is equipped with wheels and a storage space for your tools, and even has a holder for your water bottle. There is another kind of gardening stool looking like a round hassock however it is installed on a spring mechanism that permits the garden enthusiast to sit and reach in all instructions without having to get up to reposition the stool. Regrettably, this 2nd kind of stool tends to be very costly.
The KNEELER, a padded surface in the shape of a rigid swing seat, is created to take the ground's firmness far from your poor hurting knees. A variation of the kneeler is as explained above but with grab bars on either side of the cushion to facilitate standing up when you have actually finished working in that part of your garden. Both designs alleviate pressure on the knees, particularly practical for arthritics.
Most likely among the most efficient products, ergonomically speaking, is the ADD-ON HANDLE. It structurally customizes 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 utilize bags for women is likewise offered. Both the manage and the cuff are removable and can be used on the tools mentioned above. There are also long reach farmers for those who should work from a seated position, especially wheelchair users.
A couple of final thoughts:
You should treat your body as a shrine. Bending improperly is the exact same as taking a sledge hammer to your shrine. Both are devastating.
It is simple to make a quick move without believing. I can not count the number of times my medical professional has actually fussed at me for just that factor.
When RAKING or HOEING, attempt to keep the tools close to your body. Keep your back straight. Utilize your arms and NEVER twist your trunk (my physician'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 very same holds true for high people.
Do not consider flexing from the waist. This is where the KNEELER or the KNEELER WITH GRAB BARS come in mighty helpful. When WEEDING, use long-handled tools to relieve the stress on your back, legs, and knees. Forget bending over to TROWEL; think about 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. Raise only small loads, bending at the knees. Never ever include your back when lifting. Once again, prevent twisting your trunk. This will become your mantra. Usage as small of a shovel as possible to properly complete your job. 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 significantly, do not stretch beyond your stable footing! On a personal note, extending can be unhealthy to your health if you have actually not arranged your footing to your finest advantage. To preface this cautionary tale, due to having Degenerative Disc Disease for several years, my chief mode of transport is my trusty wheelchair. I likewise use bilateral leg braces which offer me some support when standing. A couple of summertimes earlier, I thought it would be nice to raid my rose garden to dress up the dining room table as we were anticipating supper guests that evening. Nobody else was at house. Like a fool, I headed out to my increased garden, equipped with my favorite pruning shears, thinking I want to cut at least a dozen lovely roses (we have more than 50 bushes). I was using rather saggy shorts that billowed in the breeze. Both my legs were ensconced in their braces. Espying a particularly wonderful rose, I reached forward toward the bush. I believed my feet were firmly planted atop the redwood chips surrounding the bushes. Boy, was I incorrect! As I grabbed the stem to be clipped, each foot entered an opposite instructions, moving me towards all those thousands of deadly thorns. With extreme accuracy, I was thrust straight onto the bush. Correction. I was impaled upon the rose bush, imprisoned by those menacing thorns in a bent-over, face-in-the-bush position. Doomed by my thorn-snagged shorts, I was actually debilitated. My next-door neighbor and his sibling came trotting across the street to untangle me. Talk about humiliation, not to discuss the blood oozing out from the zillion thorn holes on my body. I was the image of elegance, not. I thanked them for their assistance and red-facedly slunk back into the house. I can truthfully 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 prepare ahead whenever your body mechanics are included.