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10 Time Saving Tools in the Garden

Posted by Chris Sabbarese on Fri, May, 14, 2021 @ 21:05 PM

Ask anyone who enjoys spending time in the garden and they will tell you there is never enough time to get everything done. There are always activities like weeding, mulching, planting, pruning or harvesting going on as well as everyday life. As social distancing restrictions begin to fade and people are venturing out, the garden and landscape keeps growing. It's more important than ever to maximize the time we do have by using the most efficient tools for getting your garden tasks done quicker and efficiently, to achieve more of your gardening goals. We've put together a list of 10 time saving tools as well as video to show how 5 minutes a day can help keep your garden and yard looking great all season long.

Get Dandelions Root and All ComfortGEL® Weeder [CT 3354]

Spring arrives with a tidal wave of taproot weeds, like dandelions and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Trying to remove them with a hoe or surface weeder will leave the root in-tact which means they will grow back and you’ll be weeding again later in the season. The ComfortGEL stainless steel weeder helps to remove the complete weed root and all, easily with its forked tip and a serrated edge.

Corona weeding tool digging up dandelion weed

Turn the Soil Without Tilling SoilRIPPER™ [LG 3624]

After a long winter, planter beds could use a breath of fresh air before planting new annuals and perennials. Aerating your soil helps break it up which provides better drainage and gets oxygen below the surface for healthy root development. The SoilRIPPER heavy-duty steel tines with its sturdy footplate, easily penetrates the soil by leveraging your weight and no back-breaking work turning it. Just rotate the tool with its ComfortGEL grips, reposition it and keep going. Not only will you be done in no time, there’s no added bending or deep digging required.

Corona Tools SoilRIPPER aerating garden soil

Carry snips for anytime your in the garden Stainless Steel Long Straight Snips [AG 4930SS]

Having a lightweight pair of snips handy in your garden tool belt or back pocket is a big time saver. No running back to the garage when you need something to harvest some gorgeous blooms or quickly harvest some herbs for dinner. Spending just a few minutes on tasks like deadheading spent blooms will help keep your yard tidy and neat throughout the year.

Corona Tools snips deadheading a geranium

Sharp and comfortable hand pruners Forged Aluminum Bypass Pruners [BP 6310]

A good pair of bypass pruners is essential for maximizing your time in the garden. Choose one that fits your hand and won't weigh you down when there is plenty of pruning work ahead. Making lots of pruning cuts can wear out your hand and you’ll be calling it a day before you’re done. Pick the perfect sized pruner for large or small hands (or lefty), to stay in the pruning zone and get the job done in no time.

Corona Tools forged aluminum hand pruner propagating geranium cuttings

Stay sharp for easy and efficient cutting Sharpening Tool – [AC 8300]

Maintaining the cutting edge of your tools is often an overlooked time-saving practice in the garden. Keeping your pruning and digging tools sharp with a Corona tool sharpener will help retain the tool's cutting performance. Whether pruning back tree limbs or digging large holes in the planting beds, sharpening takes just a few seconds so you can power through garden tasks.

Corona tools sharpening a bypass hand pruner

Extend your reach with extendable handle loppers for larger limbs DualLINK™ Extendable Bypass Lopper - [SL 4364]

If you’re cutting larger limbs or branches, up to 1 1/2" in a pair of bypass loppers are a must. DualLINK’s compound lopper provides a mechanical cutting advantage that lets you power through cuts in seconds. The extendable handles are a big time saver when that limb is just out of reach. No need to run back to the garage for a ladder. Once you have made all your cuts, clean up the yard fast by cutting the debris into smaller sections for the green bin.

Corona tools lopper handles extending

A pruning saw is an absolute MUST RazorTOOTH Saw® 

When pruning limbs and branches 1 inches or larger in diameter quickly and easily in no time. The pull stroke technology requires less physical effort, exserting force only on the pull. Its advance blade design and angle of the teeth keeps the cutting channel free of saw dust making cuts twice as fast. RazorTOOTH Saws are lightweight and compact making them perfect for carrying with you out in the garden so you're always ready to tackle larger pruning jobs. Once you cut the limbs, a saw helps with clean up so you are done in no time.\

Corona Tools Razortooth saw pruning deadwood on a rose bush

Wheelbarrows for the heavy lifting and get your tools where you need them EasyLifter® Wheelbarrow [WB 2806]

If you have a lot of work to do in the garden, the wheelbarrow can be your best friend. Pile in mulch and transport to all areas of the garden. Haul in mounds of soil for raised planters. Or help move heavy plants or pots. It will save your back and the fulcrum on the front takes all the weight of the load so you can easily dump it.

Corona tools EasyLifter wheelbarrow dumping mulch in the garden

Comfort on the go Kneelo Knee Pads 

Many garden tasks require getting down on the ground which is no picnic as we age. A good kneeler can help but when you are moving about throughout the garden, it’s much more efficient when they move with you. The Burgon & Ball Kneelos not only cushion your knees, they are so comfortable you will forget you have them on. Available in a variety of colors, you’ll finish in no time and it makes getting up easier.

Corona Tools kneelo knee pads in the garden

Easy to spot tools Fluorescent Cutting Tools and Gloves

There is nothing more frustrating and time consuming than looking for your tools while you are out working in the garden. That’s where a pair of fluorescent pink or yellow snips, hand pruners and garden gloves come in very handy. You can easily spot them among green leaves and save you a lot of time looking for them.

Corona Tools fluorescent gloves and hand pruners on a potting bench

5 minutes a day make maintenance a piece of cake! 

Maintaining your garden doesn’t have to be chore. Just doing a five minute maintenance outdoors after work, on weekends, in between games or an afternoon break from all-day Zoom sessions, can make a huge difference. It will save you time from having to do bigger and harder tasks later in the season. Having an extra hour of daylight, and the right tools will help get the job done fast and efficiently so you can have time to enjoy your garden, season after season.


Need more advice when it comes to pruning and proper tool care? Check out Corona's free Principles of Pruning guide packed with lots of helpful tips and information. 

 

Topics: gardening, Landscaping, garden tools, hand pruners

Importance of Using the Right Type of Hand Pruner

Posted by Chris Sabbarese on Tue, Apr, 30, 2019 @ 20:04 PM

One of the most interesting things we see quite often from gardeners and landscapers, is the confusion about which tool to use for the job. There seems to be a misconception, from beginners to advanced, that one tool is good enough for all jobs. This post sets the record straight when to use bypass pruners and when to anvil pruners. At the most basic level, bypass are ideal for pruning and cutting fresh, live green stems. This will make the cleanest cuts, allowing the plant to properly heal and promote new growth. For hard, deadwood, an anvil pruner cuts through this dense material easily, without risk to the plant or tree, or your hand pruner. Read on to find out the why's and why not's for using these tool interchangeably. It will help protect your plants, your tools and yourself.

Corona bypass hand pruner blog post

Bypass Pruners - Cutting Live Stems and Branches

A bypass pruner has a cutting blade that passes the non-cutting hook, much like a pair of scissors. The blade is beveled and sharped on one side with other being flat and unsharpened to pass the hook. When properly sharped, they make the cleanest cuts on live branches and stems, without any damage to the remaining stem. This is important as it helps the plant to heal from the cut, and encourages new growth. 

Corona FlexDIal bypass hand pruner

Anvil Pruners - Cutting Hard, Dead Wood

Unlike the bypass pruner, an anvil pruner has a blade that is sharped on both sides. This closes down on a flat anvil, which typically has a narrow channel for the cutting blade, as not to damage its sharpened edge. What makes this great for cutting hard, deadwood is, there is no risk of crushing any stems. In fact removing the old dead wood, help the plant direct energy towards new growth.

Corona Anvil hand pruner

The Why Not's for Using the Wrong Tools

This is where confusion and misconception happens is that many gardeners think this one pruner will handle their all their small pruning jobs. However, using an anvil hand pruner on a live stem or branch, will likely crush it. In most cases, it will make the cut, however the remaining branch gets crushed and damaged. The plant must recover from it and will be more susceptible to diseases and pests which could ultimately kill the plant.

Using a bypass pruner on hard, deadwood can be plain disastrous. Since the wood is harder to cut, a gardener is likely to twist and torque their hand, causing the blade to cross over the opposite side of the hook. Not only will this kill your hand, once the cut is made, the blade will come down on the hook, rather than bypass it. This will cause the blade to become damaged or chipped. The worst case, it could cause the blade to snap and potentially become a sharp projectile. Not only are you out a good hand pruner, since this is effectively misusing the tool, it may void the warranty and risk serious bodily injury to yourself.

Do You REALLY Need Both?

It's best to assess what the job is and bring the correct tool for the task. You wouldn't use a screwdriver to drive in a nail. So if your if job is mostly cutting live stems and branches, a bypass pruner is the way go to. If you are cutting out deadwood or even harder, denser plants and trees like mesquite, invest in a decent anvil pruner. Spending a little extra budget will ultimate save you from replacing your good bypass pruners down the road. Or replacing a plant that didn't survive due to a poor cut. Most importantly, a visit to the emergency room when a blade snaps and injures you.

Need more advice when it comes to pruning and proper tool care? Check out Corona's free Principles of Pruning guide packed with lots of helpful tips and information. 

 

Topics: gardening, Landscaping, garden tools, hand pruners

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