HORTICULTURAL TOOLS AND EQUIPMENTS

Because many of the cultivated areas are too small or it is nearly impossible for other machines to execute the task near plants/trees efficiently, hand tools are commonly utilized in horticulture. A hand instrument that can be used for trenching, digging, and dirt removal is the spade. Spades are offered in generally two different sizes viz.One weighs 2.0–2.5 kg and has a blade that is 280 mm long and 190 mm broad, while the other weighs 1.5–2.0 kg and has a blade that is 220 mm long and 140 mm wide. The type of soil and the amount of work to be done determine which spade is best. While some of the spades are constructed of stainless steel, the blade is composed of tempered steel. When digging, the blade should be kept vertical to minimize effort.

The forks are also commonly used as horticultural tools. They are available in different types depending upon the type of job to be done. Digging forks are used for digging in the soil already turned by spade. They normally have four prongs, which can be either round or square in section. Border forks are used as weeders in the border area of field. They are narrower and lighter than digging forks and normally have 3 or 4 prongs. Potato forks are specially made for lifting the potatoes in the field. While lifting the potatoes in the field soil automatically drops through and not much damage is made to tubers. In this tool, the prongs are much broader than digging fork and usually have 4 or 5 in numbers.

Garden rakes are commonly used as a horticultural tool to break the soil to fine tilth, and to gather the grass, stone and hedge clippings in the field. It has about 10 rigid teeth. Lawn rakes and hay rakes are also used for collecting grasses and tree leaves in the orchard, which are necessary to keep the area clean. They have normally 12-20 teeth depending upon the size.

Hoes are used to destroy the weeds and loosen the soil around the trees. There are two types of hoes; draw-hoe being pulled by the worker and push-hoe. Triangular headed hoes are also used as horticultural tool for making shallow drill usually in conjunction with a garden line. Garden line is generally used when seed sowing, trenching, lawn edging