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Try a long-handled diamond hoe
for weeding
By Marcia Miquelon, Outreach Specialist
UW Madison Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project
Many of the hoes commonly used for weeding can strain your back, neck,
shoulders, and arms because they force you to adopt a stooped position.
Consider a long handled diamond hoe instead of what you currently use.
With a long handled diamond hoe you stand up straight while you work and
keep your wrists in a more neutral position. The hoe's unique design can
also help you save time and effort.
The long handled diamond hoe has a 2" x 8" diamond-shaped forged
steel blade, sharpened on all 4 edges. The handle is 6' long and ends
in a modified "T" shape. While standing upright, you push the
hoe with your hand loosely gripping the "T" and pull it back
again in a push-pull motion similar to running a household vacuum. With
your other hand along the handle, you can gently guide the hoe.
"It's so easy," claims strawberry and asparagus grower Scott
Eifler of Hartford, WI. "You can tell in your upper arm and back
muscles that it's a lot less fatigue in a day."
Using a hoe with a regular length handle (typically 54-57") forces
you to bend to reach the ground, which strains your back, shoulders, arms,
and neck. With the long handled diamond hoe and the collinear hoe, the
handle length and blade position work together to let you hoe with your
back straight.
The long handled diamond hoe moves less soil than other weeding hoes
and requires less effort. Holding the slightly angled "T" handle
on the end of the long handled diamond hoe puts your wrist in line with
your arm in a neutral position that isn't bent or twisted, which helps
prevent wrist strain.
The hoe you choose depends on personal preference, soil type and moisture
level, weed height, and crop growth. With the diamond hoe's 4 cutting
edges and 2 sharp points, you can quickly remove weeds very close to your
crop. After an initial trial session to get used to the long handle, upright
posture, precise cutting edges and "far away" blade, you can
weed more quickly with this hoe than with others. In Healthy Farmers,
Healthy Profits project field trials, removing small (2-4 inch) weeds
from between salsify rows was 21% faster with a long handled diamond hoe
than with a stirrup hoe.
The long handled diamond hoe costs $35-$40. While initially more costly
than many other hoes, it can quickly pay for itself by saving time and
preventing injury and soreness. The hoe was originally designed for tulip
farmers, and is made by De Van Koek, a Dutch company. It is available
from farm and garden supply dealers.
For more information, contact the Healthy Farmers, Healthy Profits Project
at (608)262-1054 or visit their website at http://bse.wisc.edu/hfhp/.
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