A soil auger is a handy tool to have for lots of reasons. You’ll find that there are several ways that these tools let you get more done in the garden — while saving you time, money and strain on your hands and back.
Here are some auger tips, along with some of the top ways that a planting auger will increase your gardening productivity.
1. Your Soil Auger Will Increase Planting Speed
One of the main ways that a planting auger boosts your productivity is by increasing the speed at which you’re planting annuals, vegetables, grass plugs, bulbs, bare root plants and other garden essentials. Shoveling by hand is a slow, laborious process. A drill-powered auger — such as the versatile DIY Guru Auger — will help you plant everything from bulbs to bare root plants. Plus, you’ll only be spending a few seconds digging each hole versus the much longer time it takes to dig each hole individually with a hand trowel.
2. Reduce Your Maintenance Needs
Shovels, trowels and all the rest of your gardening tools need to be oiled and sharpened each year to keep the handles splinter-free and the blades sharp. Augers, on the other hand, require very little maintenance, particularly the cordless drill-powered models. When you’re finished, simply clean soil from the auger and put it away!
3. Less Work Stoppage
Digging by hand is an exhausting chore, one that puts a lot of strain on the back and on your hands. This problem is compounded for those who have arthritis or pre-existing back problems. Workers digging by hand will, by necessity, need more frequent breaks than someone using a soil auger. This is especially apparent when it comes to larger jobs where dozens or hundreds of holes may be necessary, such as when planting grass plugs. Save yourself not only time but a backache or potential trips to the doctor by using the right auger. For instance, grass plug planting can be made much easier using Power Planter’s Garden Planting Auger & Grass Plug Tool.
4. An Easy Way to Dig Holes in the Correct Size
There are a few essential garden planting tips to know. One of those tips is that plants grow better when planted in holes that are correctly sized. Initial root-to-soil contact at the time of planting is what encourages roots to grow and spread. Digging is already a tiring process. Digging accurately sized holes with either a shovel or a hand trowel is even more difficult. Use a soil auger in the right size and length to dig holes in the correct size, every time. For bulbs and small potted flowers, the Bulb Auger & Bedding Plant Tool is recommended.
5. Backfilling Is Easier
Digging holes for planting is only part of the work. For each hole that needs to be made, you’ll need to backfill those holes. Soil augers make this task faster and easier because they break up clumpy soil as you drill; whereas shovels and trowels leave the soil in clumps that will need to be crumbled before you can backfill the holes. Save yourself the extra work of crumbling soil before you backfill and instead use an auger to crumble the soil as you dig.
6. Weeding Is Easier With an Auger
Increasing gardening productivity isn’t always about making planting easier. You should also factor in the time it takes to weed gardens — especially when it comes to deeply rooted weeds such as dandelions. Worse still, dandelions and other weeds with large taproots will often grow back if part of that taproot is left in the ground. This is another way that an auger helps you be more productive. Use a small auger to loosen the soil around large taproots and you’ll find weed removal is much faster and easier.While these are the top ways to use a planting auger to make gardening more efficient, there are many more ways that these tools can help. Take a look at the various sizes and lengths available from Power Planter to learn which auger models will work best to increase your productivity.
