5 Niche Landscaping Tools (And What They Are Used For)

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Winter weather has its fair share of downsides, but at least you don’t need to do a lot of landscaping. It may be nice to hear the birds singing again and feel the warm sun on your face as spring approaches, but it also means that soon it will be time to take the yard tools out of the shed and get to work. But what tools? There are the basics, like hedge clips and a rake, and there are outdoor power tools you’ll want before spring arrives.

There are also other tools that may not come to mind immediately. These more niche items may have certain applications that you don’t normally need – but if you do, you’ll be glad you already have them. Others may have more general purposes but work in a different way that you don’t often see other tools used.

Whether for landscaping or otherwise, niche tools can easily fall into a new realm, where form is more important than function and they have no use in the real world. That’s why many different offbeat yard tools can be found at various retailers like Amazon, Home Depot, Harbor Freight, or Costco. If you’re wondering which ones can really help – or at least do – here are five niche landscaping tools and what they’re used for.

Weeds are any gardener’s or gardener’s worst enemy, making a weed torch not only useful but downright cathartic to use. Why break your back pulling and cutting weeds when you can just burn them? A weed torch is exactly what it sounds like – a tool that allows you to burn unwanted weeds in your yard. Obviously, you’ll want to use it carefully and safely. Not only do you want to avoid burning good parts of your lawn and garden, but you also don’t want to burn your home down in the process. Weed torches are widely available from different companies and can vary slightly in shape, but for the most part they all work the same. A weed torch connects to a fuel source, usually a propane tank like the one (or maybe exactly the same) used for backyard barbecues, and emits a small, contained flame. Some will connect to small gas tanks or liquid propane that can be carried by hand.

The idea is not to burn the weed to ashes but rather to kill it, just as a chemical would do. The intense heat of the flame boils the water inside the plant cells so that the weeds die within hours. Not only is it easier than cutting or pulling weeds, but it is especially useful in small cracks in sidewalks or other places where it is difficult to reach weeds by their roots, such as in gravel or near fences. Examples of weed torches include the Sondiko Weed Burner, which has a 30-inch head, and the Flame King Heavy-Duty Weed Burner, a 100,000-btu torch with adjustable flame size and a flint igniter.

Growing, beautiful plants are a key part of a well-planned landscape, but sometimes the best greenery begins its life in the house. Starting seedlings in a warm, controlled environment allows them to get an early spring start and can often lead to strong, vigorous growth after they are planted outside. However, small plants that start growing indoors sometimes have trouble getting used to the open environment as their roots are used to the confinement of their containers.

That’s why there are gadgets that help indoor plants to grow well in winter, such as heating mats for seedlings. A simple landscape tool that helps with young plants is the block builder. When the roots, growing as they seek more water and nutrients, hit the inner walls of the seedling container, they begin to curl up. Using a block block maker helps to prevent this through a process called air pruning – when the roots reach the bottom of the soil but there is no plastic, they instinctively stop growing rather than spiraling back. Instead, new roots grow, giving the seedling a strong, dense base. Once removed, they will likely grow greener and faster. As an added benefit, creating soil blocks helps reduce plastic waste.

With block planters, you can even plant certain fruits and vegetables, such as cucumbers, squash, and melons, indoors before planting them in your garden without hindering their growth. Soil block makers, such as the Fiskars Soil Block Maker, use the same principle as Jell-O or Play-Doh molds, mixing the soil into a shape that you release onto a flat surface, such as a tray. Many models, such as the Melvtata Handheld Soil Blocker, can do multiple molds at once.

The measuring wheel may not be considered a niche for surveyors, construction workers, or insurance adjusters, but it is not often thought of as a tool for mapping the world. But it should be, as it can be very useful when creating or refining a new building structure, regardless of measuring the length of the fence, fence, patio borders, and other parts of your yard. A digital measuring wheel, which easily displays the number of feet, yards, or meters, is a different type of tool.

Besides measuring planned structures, the device can also be useful when isolating sprinkler heads or locating underground pipes. However, it’s not just a one-off tool that will gather dust in your tool shed after everything is set up. A measuring wheel is very useful in determining how much soil, mulch, sod, fertilizer, or similar landscaping materials you will need for a particular area of ​​your property. A measuring tape can do the same if the planting area has a perfectly straight perimeter, but a measuring wheel – in addition to being easy to use – works best for round or irregularly shaped gardens.

Digital measuring wheels are usually very cheap, and different models from different brands may have slight differences when it comes to pole length, wheel size, or special features. For example, one of the niche tools Harbor Freight has available from the dealer is its Pittsburgh 10,000-ft/Meter Digital Measuring Wheel, which costs $15. Its digital display is simple and attached to the end of the telescoping pole, with a wheel. The $60 Zozen Digital Measuring Wheel, on the other hand, folds up and includes a kickstand and storage backpack. Its range is 99,999-ft/meter and its display is a unique, handheld device with a rear screen.

A hori-hori knife isn’t just a knife — it’s a multi-tool that’s clearly designed for gardening that includes several different jobs you’ll need in your yard. Also called a soil knife or weed knife, “hori-hori” is actually a Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of digging (“hori” translates to “dig”). The tool is essentially a combination of a heavy, sharp blade and a garden trowel, making it useful not only for cutting tough roots or small branches but also for digging and replanting.

One side of the blade is flat and can make sharp cuts, while the other side is serrated for light sawing. A ruler is engraved on the blade (in imperial, metric, or both units), allowing users to quickly determine planting depth to precisely place seeds and bulbs in the right spot. Landscapers and gardeners may not even think to include a knife in their toolset, but the tool may come in handy for quickly cutting twine or opening bags of fertilizer or other items.

There is no shortage of options when it comes to hori-hori knives. You can find many different models exclusively on Amazon, including the Workpro 7-inch Stainless Steel Hori Hori Garden Knife, which comes with a sheath and rubber grip. The handle comes in green or pink and includes a small hanging hole built into its base. One of the best tools on Amazon for gardeners under $10 is the Akakd Hori Hori, which also comes with a sheath, as well as non-slip gardening gloves. Currently on top on Amazon is the Perwin 6-inch Hori Hori, with a black walnut handle and full-length tang for added strength and stability.

Not all niche landscaping products are simple hand tools or power tools. There are also smart garden gadgets that offer as many benefits as other internet-connected electronics and home devices these days. One such smart gadget is the Gardena AquaBloom Automatic Plant Watering System. If you don’t want to walk out into your yard and water the plants yourself, sprinklers have long been an option.

However, sprinkler systems can be expensive, require a lot of maintenance, and can be difficult to install. Many homeowners with small yards can’t find one that’s right for them, and a regular sprinkler attached to a hose may not be accurate enough for a particular garden’s needs. The Gardena Aquabloom is a low-key approach to an irrigation system, allowing you to automatically water up to 20 plants using one of 14 pre-set watering settings.

At the heart of the Gardena AquaBloom Automatic Plant Watering System is a water tank and pump that includes a control unit and solar panel. An integrated solar panel powers the non-rechargeable batteries used by the Aquabloom. Not only is this environmentally friendly, but it also means that no power connection is required in your home. It will work continuously and can be placed away from your house. No water connection is required, making it easy to install — although you’ll need to manually refill the 2.77-gallon (10.5-liter) container from time to time. Preset programs let you choose the frequency and amount of water sprinkled on your yard, and the pump can feed plants up to 13 feet above it.