Landscape hand rakes are similar to bow rakes but shorter, such as a small trowel, and usually have a shorter handle. They generally have stiff, reinforced tines attached to a steel or aluminum handle to dig through the dirt to break up or loosen it. Some landscape tools are also called mini excavators. These types of hand tools have a much larger carrying load, compared to other types of hand tools for landscaping, such as backhoes and shovels.
One of the first things you will want to do, when you are choosing one of these hand raking tools for your garden is, determine just how much debris you need to get rid of from your garden area. To do this, gather up all the garden tools you will need to help you with this task. If there are several different garden tools to choose from, choose the one that best suits your needs. Then, take your chosen tool and go to a nearby grassy area where you can find most leaves. Look for dry leaves or dry branches and piles of leaves, dry twigs, dry grass and weeds.
Once you have found the dry leaves, take the hand rake you have chosen and make a big circular motion around each pile of dried leaves. The point here is to loosen them up a bit, making it easy for you to pull them from the ground. You can choose to use a long handle landscaping rake or even an electric hoe, but most people prefer the one with a shorter handle for easier control.
The next thing you want to do, after you have loosened up the mess from the previous activity, is to identify the location where the next action will take place. For example, if you will be doing a garden maintenance activity, such as mowing, trimming, weeding, etc., the landscape tool with a three pronged tines should work just fine. If you are going to fertilize the garden soil with a garden hand rake, you might want to go with a smaller landscape rake so as not to damage the tender roots of the plants.
Some hand rakes are designed to do more than just yard work. For example, there are some that can be used for cutting firewood in large spaces. In fact, many home owners find it useful to have such a tool when they are outside doing things such as cleaning their own chimney. When you are shopping for such a tool, you should consider whether you want a garden rake that has a larger blade and will cut larger pieces of wood or if you want one with a smaller blade that is best for trimming small areas and for cutting firewood.
Handles for landscaping tools come in all types of materials. You can get ones made from wood, plastic, metal or even a combination of materials. Some of the handles are usually made from iron, while others are crafted from strong plastic. The plastic ones often come with rubber soles on the bottom of the handles that make it easier to grip the handle as well as to prevent your hands from becoming too warm. Many of the handles that are crafted from metal often have stainless steel inserts so that you do not need to worry about rust getting into the tools’ handles.
The biggest difference between a landscape tool and a garden rake is the extent of their functionality. Landscape tools are often used for digging up and digging around various plants and planting seeds. These tools are perfect for creating a garden plot if you are planning to plant flowers in a certain location or you may want to plant a vegetable garden as well. They are great for landscaping in borders or around decks or patios.
A shovel or a trowel is much better suited for landscaping than a rake or a shovel. Rakes and shovels are often used when you are simply digging up weeds or planting small flowerbeds or vegetable plots. You can simply use a shovel whenever you are digging up dirt or planting bushes or trees but a rake is more suited for digging up larger areas. With a shovel you will have to move the dirt around when it starts to get hard; this is not so with a trowel. When troweling you can put the dirt ahead of the trowel so that the trowel can dig up and break up the ground before it gets too hard.