I spent a couple hours attempting to achieve a Monoculture. People freak out about someone weeding on their knees or squatting. I used a big camping knife for precision. But I was getting too much attention. So I got a Garden Weasel "weedpopper" - it works if you don't mind removing big divots. haha. It actually makes weeding very fast and easy! Now I just discovered that my knife method is the traditional Japanese method also - called the Hori Hori knife.
Wow 90% give it a five star rating. And why not? It's a KNIFE - the rest is UP to you! No "gimmicky gadgets" that break easily.
Yes I was getting excellent results with my KNIFE weeding - I had no idea that this is the PREFERRED method as traditional Japanese gardening? I can see why - there is PRECISION. You can triangulate the root and leave the soil-Earth.
I was hand weeding crabgrass even!!
My blade is very similar - it's a big camping knife with one serrated side.
There's several difference versions sold - wow I thought I was being "innovative" by weeding with a KNIFE. hilarious.
just stab the earth close to the stem of the weed, going straight down (not at an angle), then with a bit of writs motion, give it a good half twist, and out comes the weed, roots and all. Of course, it is easier when the soil is damp, but even in dry soil, it works great. Personally, I find it a fantastic alternative to undesirable weed-killers.
yeah I was going at an angle a bit.
Still the Garden Weasel Weedpopper is an ingenious gadget - it is a VERY fast weed remover. Also people are not embarrassed by someone getting their hands dirty.
There's no hand guard so it is super easy to cut your hand wide open if you use it for digging, which is the main use of this thing. If you're digging and hit a root, your hand can easily slide down over the handle and over the blade, slicing open your hand. Definitely don't buy this unless you want to visit the ER and then pay tons of money to get your hand reconstructed. Also, much pain and blood.
yes that's another thing - the knife was an accident waiting to happen - and probably scared other people.
I did a lot of research on the Hori Hori too which comes from Japan and was originally made I believe to cut through Bonsai.
I literally have been thinking of our lawn as like working on a Bonsai Tree! That's the level of detail that is necessary - weeding out individual crabgrass for example! Personally I could care less but people are fanatically about a Monoculture of Perennial Grass.
And God does mean Bull (that eats grass). So it kind of makes sense: Monocultures of the MIND as Dr. Vandana Shiva points out.
The rough wood edges makes me wear gloves which saves my hands from cuts. Several times now my hand slips down onto the blade! And it is amazingly sharp. I ran the blade against concrete and it mowed down the weeds and is still sharp. 1 star off for how dangerous and uncomfortable the wood part is.
My hand has not slipped yet on the knife I was using. But I would rather not take the chance - better to use the Weedpopper.
The sharp tip punches through landscape fabric with ease, a quick twist will remove even the most stubborn weeds, the straight and serrated edges came sharp and have stayed sharp, and it's clear that the blade is made from a high quality of stainless steel.
Yes ONLY because I used a knife was I able to weed out through the fireplace brick area.
remember don't stick it all the way in the soil, because that will make the pivot point too high, and might cause bending since it is not full tang, I think that is the only draw back.
I don't have that problem with the knife I use - so the blade must be "full tang" - meaning all the way into the handle.
It digs into the toughest of soils and both edges, especially the serrated, makes cutting through weeds, dirt, small branches, small roots, and thatch an absolute breeze! The precision you can get with it is astonishing. The blade is heavy, sharp, and built like a tank! There's a lot of quality here for the price and has become my favorite tool for doing outside work. I would recommend getting a small tapered sharpening rod to keep both edges sharp as well as coating the handle in any wood oil if you plan on using it heavily and frequently to keep the whole knife in tip top shape!
yes I need to get a sharpening rod for my knife also!! It has served me well and I have not sharpened it yet!! I did break off the very end of the tip. I don't seem to use the tip anyway.
I did not know how to sharpen a serrated knife so I just recently learned of "sharpening rods."
Make no mistake, it's a knife, you can hurt yourself with it if you're not careful. I would suggest adding a wrist strap to keep your hand from slipping off the handle.
For some reason when putting pressure using a downward digging motion your hand just slips right onto the blade. Lucky for me I am a Chef and I have steel mesh gloves and I was using them that particular day, otherwise I would have slice my hand in the worse way.
Wow - steel mesh gloves! cool. Didn't know Chefs use those.
I got this because Martha Stewart says its a "must have".
Wow - once again I am "trendy" without knowing it!!
You do have to look out for the pinkies of your free hand as you are digging as a careless thrust could do some serious damage.
yep.
If you've never tried a Japanese triangle hoe
OK what's that...
OK we have one but it's not long handled.
Wow the knife I've been using - sells for $360 !!!! HOly smokes.
Its comfort grip handle offers maximum control.
Exactly - doesn't slip out easily.
Highly engineered thermo-resin ergonomic handles will not crack, chip, fade or absorb material
Wow - we got this knife as part of a "kitchen" set that a family member was selling. I wonder if this knife got thrown in as an "extra" by accident?
OK the company site sells it for $200. Still very pricey.
Someone says they cleaned 100 deer and hogs before they got the knife sharpened!! Amazing.
Two other people also say they've used the knife for ten years and NEVER had to sharpen it! amazing.
Blade super sharp,, however during the field dressing process while cutting connective tissue the blade took a fold to the edge.
So it loosened up in the handle?
Would not recommend this knife for anything other than soft tissue or a good steak knife
interesting.
the handle was attractive, ergonomically sound, and offered remarkable control. The blade was also "just thick enough" and shaped well for the intended purpose.
It was in great condition, except it had been dulled in the 50 years or so since it was made.
It was priced around $120.00, because the store manager had sold Cutco products in college and "knew what it was.”
I took a huge chance, waiting for the price to come down. (Thrift stores are risky! All it takes is one savvy customer, and your prize is no longer available!)
"Long story made short:"
1) I was lucky and bought the knife about two months later for $50.00, then sent it to the (wonderful) folks at Cutco for sharpening and clean-up.
Wow that knife gets RAVE reviews as a hunting knife! I had no idea.
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