Bulb Planter
Wooden handles do need some maintenance to keep them pristine. A gentle sand down every few years and with a couple of coats of varnish or lacquer and you will have them looking almost new again.
They can also leave splinters in your hands if they are not maintained properly or they get damaged.
What's This Hand Tool Used For?
The tool is used for make planting holes for bulbs, especially useful in lawns or grassed areas. It has no other practical use in the garden.
How Do You Use This Hand Tool?
Press, lean it into the ground to cut a hole for dropping the builb into. (sound pretty simple doesn't it - it is) The one thing that will make it easier is if you can use your body weight on top of the planter instead of tryiing to force it into the ground using your wrist and arm.
The Technique
The small hand version is easy to use, it is simply pushed into the ground or lawn at the depth you want, with a twisting, turning motion in the place you want the bulb planted and then you just simply pull it out.
It has depth markings on the sides so you can make the hole at the correct depth for different size bulbs.
All you do now is just pop in the bulb, place the bulb planter over the hole, push the handles together and the soil will be releasedl back into the hole.
If you used it on your lawn the grass goes back into its original position, leaving no signs that a hole has been made.
The longer handled version is also easy to use and you can simply drop the bulb into the hole without bending over (And yes, it is an old myth that bulbs have to be planted root side down - you don't think commercial planting machines do this do you? I never did when I grew ten-thousand glads a year for cut flowers)
Comfort
If you use the small hand tool, bending, even for short periods can be uncomfortable, sometimes painful. So it’s important you can bend easily and find a comfortable position for you to carry out the work you need to do. If you do feel any strain or discomfort move to a position where you feel totally comfortable.
You may need to readjust your position a couple of times to get it right.
The longer handled tool is the better bet (although a bit more expensive) if you have back or knee "issues". The long handles enable you to do the work from the standing position.
It is a good idea to push a label in the ground to mark where you have planted the bulbs, otherwise you may forget where they are.
Want One? Click on the Picture
Do you need a bulb planter?
Yes, but only if you have a lot of planting holes to make for bulbs.
Click here to ask about a bulb planter
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