Weeding loses its horror when the hobby gardener is aware of important factors. Guarantees of success for a weed-free garden are the best time, horticultural perseverance, optimal tools and equipment. Don't let dandelions and their ilk make green living hell any longer. Read here practical tips on how to pull weeds properly.

The right tool and the right time are the be-all and end-all when weeding

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. pull weeds properly
  3. Anti weed tool
  4. Devices versus weeds
  5. frequently asked Questions
  6. the essentials in brief

    • Clever hobby gardeners know when to weed properly: when the soil is damp, before flowering and at least once a week.
    • Great hand tools for weeding are: weed hoe, weeder fist, pickaxe, weeding sling, flower claw and weeder.
    • Top handle tools and equipment for pulling weeds without bending down are: pendulum hoe, shovel, weeder, star tiller, weed disc, weed pen, Japan hoe and Dutch shovel.

    Weeding properly - 3 tips

    When and how often you remove weeds is sometimes more important than the tools and equipment used. The following 3 tips sum up how to weed properly in the garden bed:

    Tip 1: Soil must be moist

    Weeding is easier when the soil is moist

    A light rain shower at night or early in the morning provides valuable protection when weeding. In softened soil, stubborn root weeds and heavily rooted seed weeds are noticeably less resistant to elimination. Should the heavens keep its floodgates closed, simply moisten the bed soil with a watering can or water hose before you eliminate bindweed, goutweed, buttercups and other green rabble.

    Tip 2: Remove weeds before flowering

    The worst weed species are spread by seeds and roots. By weeding dandelions, shepherd's purses and the like before flowering, you prevent self-seeding in the bed.

    Tip 3: Weed weekly

    Weed the bed according to the motto: constant dripping wears away the stone. Regular plucking and plucking leaves no time for cunning weeds to grow back vigorously. Devote yourself to skewering papers and straws at least once a week. With persistent continuity you will starve out the weeds and reduce infestation pressure to a minimum over time.

    The following explanations with pictures reveal which tool you use to remove annoying weeds from the bed.

    Pull Weeds Effortlessly - Anti-Weed Tool

    A colorful array of proven tools provides useful assistance when you cross swords with weeds in the bed. Even a simple hand tool optimizes the success of the fight and alleviates the tedious drudgery. Weeding without bending down is possible with the practical handle tool. The following image shows the best anti-weed tools for home gardeners:

    Handle weed hoe

    The handle weed hoe is also aptly referred to as a bow pull hoe. A sharp-edged metal blade attached transversely to the handle sticks out at a right angle. The tool is perfect for tilling the soil down to a depth of 3 centimeters in order to weed all weeds with the help of pull and pressure.

    hand weed hoe

    The handy counterpart to the handle weed hoe is used wherever a long handle on the tool is a nuisance. Hobby gardeners swear by the hand ironing hoe to weed annoying weeds in the raised bed.

    shovel

    On straight, sandy garden soil, the Schuffel makes short work of rampant weeds. You can do this without bending down with a wide, rectangular steel knife on a long handle. Hobby gardeners maneuver the Schuffel horizontally forwards, backwards or sideways over the weed-infested bed area. The sharp edges cut the weeds just below the surface.

    weeding fist

    Are you looking for a lightweight, affordable weed removal tool? Then we would like to recommend the practical weeding fist. There is a narrow and a wide metal bracket on the ergonomic handle. The following video demonstrates how easy it is to weed with the Swedish tool:

    youtube

    Handle Pickaxe

    The special design makes the handle pickaxe a popular weed control tool. A sharp-edged blade and three to five tines are located across the handle. Stem, leaves and tines form a cross, to which the name refers. Depending on your needs, the tool handle is rotated to chop weeds, pull out with the tines or loosen the soil.

    hand pickaxe

    As a mini version without a long handle, the hand pick is useful if you want to remove weeds quickly and flexibly in small beds, large tubs or raised beds.

    pendulum hoe

    With a moveable, double-edged steel blade, the pendulum hoe literally cuts the edge off any weed. Because the tool with the hardened cutting blade does not penetrate deep into the earth, the effort involved is not worth mentioning.

    weedling

    Pulling the metal sling of this tool through the soil will cut the roots on the weeds. Because a weeding sling can be guided easily in the smallest of spaces, even the smallest weeds between seedlings in the bed can be weeded without any problems.

    Stem weeder

    Ever since the Gardena weeder has been around, back pain and dirty hands when weeding have been a thing of the past. Two patented special knives at the lower end of the working handle grab the weeds and pull them out of the ground together with their roots. Dandelions and other root weeds have nothing to oppose to this functionality.

    Hand weeder

    With a classic hand weeder, dandelion gets to the collar with a V-shaped steel blade. For weeding, hobby gardeners have to get on their knees next to the weeds and press the leaves deep into the ground. In return, the traditional anti-weed tool is already available for a thrifty 5 euros.

    digression

    Motivation boost calorie consumption

    The calorie consumption of weeding is remarkable

    Rampant weeds put the motivation for gardening to the test. Fresh energy for a renewed confrontation with couch grass, goutweed and dandelion gives you a look at the calorie consumption. Getting slim by pulling weeds is not an illusion, but is based on tried and tested facts. A 30-year-old hobby gardener weighing 68 kilograms and 1.70 meters tall burns a motivating 330 calories per hour by plucking and chopping weeds. For a man who weighs 80 kilograms and is 1.80 meters tall, the calorie consumption increases to a whopping 364 calories per hour.

    Simply weeding - Top 5 devices against weeds

    Sophisticated devices take on weeds in the bed, save your strength and your back. The following table shows you the top 5 by name, along with the price:

    Anti-weed device price
    Gardena star tiller 34 euros
    Krumpholz garden disc 21 euros
    Wolf Weed Pen 32 euros
    Japan hoe 30 euros
    Dutch shovel 76 euros

    The following brief descriptions explain how the individual devices work in the fight against weeds in beds:

    Gardena star tiller with weeding knife

    The Gardena star tiller with weeding blade is a convincing combination of tiller and pendulum hoe. Specially shaped, galvanized star wheels loosen the soil. Then comes the integrated pendulum hoe, which rigorously cuts off weed roots.

    Krumpholz garden disc

    For hobby gardeners with a penchant for innovation, the Krumpholz garden disc is just the thing. A circular knife can be fitted to either the long or short handle, which cuts off weeds, removes moss from joints and smoothes the lawn edges.

    Wolf weed pen

    With its weed pen, the well-known manufacturer Wolf provides you with a useful helper in the fight against large-scale weeds in the bed. A hardened blade attachment with an effective serrated edge grabs and cuts weeds. The associated handle guarantees back-friendly work without bending down, regardless of body size.

    Japan hoe

    It is thanks to the sharpened blade of a Japanese hoe, which is ground on both sides, that even deep-rooted weeds in the bed have to give way. Hobby gardeners appreciate that the traditional Asian garden tool can also be used to dig planting pits for flower bulbs, perennials and small shrubs in no time at all.

    Dutch shovel

    You only buy a Dutch shovel from the Sneeboer master forge once in your gardener's life, because the device is indestructible. The hand-forged shovel blade is razor-sharp and available in different widths. A long handle made of ash wood rounds off the well thought-out construction.

    tips

    In the perennial bed, groundcover guarantees furious abundance and are useful as green weed police. Where fat man (Pachysander), periwinkle (Vinca minor) or blue cushion (Aubrieta) unite to form a dense carpet of plants, brazen weeds have a bad hand because they are denied access to sunlight.

    frequently asked Questions

    When is the best time to pull weeds in the garden?

    Weeds should definitely be weeded before they bloom

    In fact, timing is more important than the tool used if you want to pull weeds properly. The soil should be slightly moistened from rain or irrigation water so that you can pick up stubborn root weeds more easily. Always weed before the flowering period begins to prevent self-seeding in the garden.

    I want to pull weeds according to the lunar calendar. How does it work?

    The waning moon is the best time if you want to weed the garden effectively. Take a look at the lunar calendar and choose a time when the waning moon is in Capricorn or Aquarius. It is said that weeds that have been weeded will grow back more slowly afterwards.

    Is there a weeding machine?

    Weeding by machine has so far been reserved for agriculture in Germany. In most cases, the large devices are mounted on the tractor, they rarely work with their own propulsion. A glimmer of hope for hobby gardeners shines from across the Atlantic. In the USA, a weed robot is already doing the rounds in numerous gardens. The smart machine is solar powered and weeds anything larger than 2.5 centimeters out of the ground. For a price of around 270 euros, the Tertill weeding robot should become a bestseller in German gardens as soon as it is commercially available.

    What's Unkraut wäten in English?

    In England, what is probably the most tiresome gardening job is summed up in one word: weeding means “weeding” in English.

    tips

    Weed-plagued hobby gardeners don't sit back and relax in winter. As long as the garden soil isn't frozen, you should continue weeding, hoeing, plucking, and plucking regularly. Resistant weed seeds already germinate at 5° Celsius. Robust root weeds remain insidious deep in the ground and gather their strength to drive out happily in time for the start of the new season.

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