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Spinnaker hand weeder

db3745db3745 Posts: 7
in Tools and techniques
Just bought one of these at our local T K Maxx, as it was a) much longer than my old weeder, b) bargain price, and c) had the "spinnaker" as well. Unsurprisingly to my wife I'm pretty much at a loss to see what the spinnaker is used for, unless you can push it into the soil and do a bit of rotivation while you weed. Googling leads nowhere; can anyone enlighten me? At £4 with a nice ash handle it will impress the neighbours at least!

Posts

  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    A picture would be good!
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • db3745db3745 Posts: 7
    It's here, and blowing up the image shows it clearly:-

  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    I can only assume that the spinnaker is meant to provide a fulcrum to lever the weed out of the soil.
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    Maybe it's to stop it falling through narrow gaps in your decking!
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    These are great tools for removing deep tap rooted weeds like dock. Follow the root down with the fork as deep as it will go, usually up to the start of the loop of metal, then use that as a pivot to lever up the root while pulling the plant. It's basically a weed crowbar.

    A video paints a thousand words

    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    Looks like it will work well in borders where the soil is already loose but I don't think it would be very effective for removing weeds in the lawn.
  • db3745db3745 Posts: 7
    Thank you so much. I don't know what I'd been googling!!!! but this tells me what I'd wanted to know.
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