Weeding season is well and truly upon us and if, like me, it's a struggle to keep up with the relentless task, I have a tool you might want to give a whirl. Enter the Root Slayer.
My dandelion garden was a tad out of hand and had started to cause havoc with my flower beds. So, in sheer desperation, I called in the big guns in the form of my gardening pro mum. She brought along her weeding weapon of choice: The Root Slayer. I can safely say I'm a convert.
If you're a seasoned gardener, you'll know all about the complexities of successful root removal to avoid weeding mistakes and it usually involves a root saw and a set of loppers which seems a little complicated/terrifying for garden novices (like myself). Luckily, this is where the Root Slayer comes in pretty handy.
Using the Root Slayer shovel
The Root Slayer is designed in the shape of a spade but with serrated sides so you can do a multitude of garden jobs like digging, sawing, cutting, slicing and raking.
Plus, it's also super ergonomic with an O-shaped handle that Radius say 'features four-times the gripping surface of conventional tools,' so you can say goodbye to sore wrists, making it great for those who suffer from aches and pains. Talk about an easy garden idea, huh?
The end of the spade has a curved, inverted-V edge which penetrates the roughest ground making it super easy to dig, while the serrated sides of the blade chop through the roots. Pushing down and forward, the roots lift right out of the ground with zero effort. I'm not even exaggerating.
And it doesn't stop there. The Root Slayer is also really handy if you’ve ever hit roots while trying to plant a perennial, or been stymied by roots when trying to dig up a shrub, or tried to propagate peonies by division with a spade only to have them slide away from your shovel, this tool will make these gardening jobs a breeze.
Take, for example, getting rid of dandelions, a large dandelion plant can be eased out quickly and the whole root resembling a parsnip will come clean out of the ground. Getting rid of weeds has never been so satisfying and dare I say, fun.
So, instead of spending ages on my hands and knees painstakingly pulling out weeds, I'm now using this instead and honestly, it's a game changer this weeding season.
Although I have only tried the original Root Slayer shovel, there are a a range of other Root Slayer tools available with specific root slaying properties and features, so there's an ergonomic root slaying tool for your garden's specific needs.
If there's one thing for sure, it's that we'll be referring to this handy tool all season long. And all I can say is, thanks, mum!
