For hundreds of years farming/gardening tools have remained fairly consistent in design. Shears, rakes, pitchforks, and shovels are standard for anyone growing plants of any kind.
Most people are unaware of the origins, various applications, and correct usage technique for these tools. The hoe has been around nearly since the dawn of agriculture and is indispensible to gardeners and farmers. It is a simple tool, consisting of a flat blade attached approximately at a right angle to a long handle. The hoe is used to agitate soil, break ground, make narrow furrows or shallow trenches, destroy weeds, and to create mounds when using the hilling technique in planting.
The most common use of the hoe is for digging up weeds. The blade of the hoe must be placed deep enough below the surface for it to sever the roots of the weeds. It may then be pulled upward to remove that top area of soil. Please note that overly vigorous digging can cause seeds of the weeds to scater and sprout new growth.
The solution may be to change the type of hoe used. Hoes come in a variety of lengths and with various blades and attachments many of which are available at Agro Grace outlets.
Here are some types of hoe blades and their uses to help you choose what is best for your chosen task:
The Dego blade, which is broad and delta-shaped with a flat edge, is best for heavy tasks like soil moving and chopping.
The Collinear Hoe has a narrow, razor-sharp blade that slices weeds by skimming just above the soil’s surface in a sweeping motion.
The Diamond blade is shaped like a diamond with two inclined planes. It’s very sharp and able to move very cleanly under the soil’s surface. Its angles also allow for accurately manoeuvring around irregularly shaped objects.
Stirrup blades are designed with a double edge that bends to form a stirrup-like rectangle attached to the handle. Weeds are cut just below the soil surface as the bade is pushed and pulled through the area. The back and forth motion is highly effective with cutting weeds in loose or breakable soil. Widths of the stirrup blade typically range between three to seven inches.
The Dutch blade (a.k.a.scuffle, action, oscillating, swivel, or Hula-Ho) is pushed or pulled through the soil to cut weeds just under the surface. Its tool-head is a loop of flat, sharpened strap metal. It is not as efficient as a chopping hoe for pulling or pushing soil.
