Garden Hoses: What To Know Before You Buy

Your garden hose is probably working overtime this summer as you water plants, irrigate a vegetable garden or wash the car. According to hose manufacturer Teknor Apex, a good garden hose will last five to 10 years if properly maintained. A bad garden hose, as most of us have already found out, will waste water, function poorly and cause bouts of frustration.
So to keep the kinks out of your relationship with your garden hose, let’s take a look at what to consider before you buy a new one.




Types of Garden Hoses
Lightweight or heavy-duty? Standard or coiled? Flat or expandable? Who knew there were so many types of garden hoses? Here are some of the most common types of hoses you’re likely to find at your local garden center:
-All-purpose hose. An all-around basic hose for watering and cleaning is available in different sizes and materials, and may be lightweight or heavy-duty.
-Flat hose. These compact, easy to coil hoses expand when filled with water but lay flat when not. Because they have to be flexible to collapse when empty, they’re usually made of lightweight material that typically won’t last as long.
-Coiled hose. If you’re tight on space or just hate fighting with your hose when it’s time to put it away, this type of hose retracts into a neat coil. They usually come in shorter lengths (see below for more info) so are suitable for watering small areas.
-Expandable hose. Another option for small yards or patios, an expandable hose looks petite, but its length doubles or triples when it’s filled with water. These lightweight hoses are for light-duty jobs, and generally don’t last long.

Garden Hose Features
Here are the garden hose features you should consider:
-Length. Hoses typically come in lengths of 25, 50, 75, and 100 feet. Consider the size of the area you need to water, or how far away your birdbath or dirty car are from the spigot/outdoor faucet, and choose a length based on that.
-Diameter. According to Lowe’s, hoses range from 3/8- to 3/4-in. in diameter, with most being 5/8-inch. The bigger the diameter, the more water a hose can carry, but the hose will also be heavier.
-PSI. The flow rate or water speed and pressure in a hose is measured in pounds per square inch, or psi. The hose packaging will be marked with the maximum psi the hose can handle. The tougher the hose, the higher the psi.
-Flexibility. The more flexible a hose, the easier it is to coil and uncoil. But if a hose is too flexible, it will kink easily, which can cause it to split and deteriorate faster.
-Material. With a few exceptions, garden hoses are made of rubber, vinyl or a combination of the two. Vinyl hoses cost less and weigh less, but they’re generally not as durable as rubber hoses. Rubber hoses are heavier and costlier, but are more durable and less prone to kinking than vinyl hoses. Hoses made of a combination of vinyl and rubber are a good mid-range solution — they cost less than rubber hoses but last longer than vinyl ones.

How To Choose the Right Garden Hose
Your garden hose purchase is likely to boil down to a few considerations, including:
-Usage and durability. If you need a hose for occasional watering, you’re probably okay spending less on a light-duty hose. For regular sprinkling or watering of a large lawn, go with a heavy-duty hose.
-Type. The amount of storage space you have will determine whether you want a coiled or expandable hose, or if you want to stick to a standard type.
-Length. Consider the dimensions of the area you’re watering, and buy a hose that’s slightly longer than the farthest point your hose has to reach.
-Budget. A 25-foot garden hose can cost anywhere from $18 to $60 at The Home Depot. Price usually correlates to quality.

Garden Hose Maintenance
Improve the lifespan of your hose by taking care of it using these tips.
-Put it away after each use. A hose left stretched out on the ground can get kinked, run over by the car and damaged by the sun’s UV rays.
-Wind it up. Don’t leave your hose in a heap — roll it onto a real or caddie to reduce kinks, or at least coil it up neatly.These
-Stow it in the winter. Disconnect your hose when gardening season is over, drain it and store it in the garage until next year.

Garden Tools and Equipment for Your Gardening Business

Planning to build a gardening, lawn mowing or landscaping business? It's always a good idea for people who have a passion for gardening. However, starting a gardening business requires a lot of preparation - such as the purchase of gardening tools.
In this guide, GarDepot will help those looking to build a gardening business gain insight into the various basic gardening tools necessary.

What tools are needed for the gardening business?
There are many different kinds of gardening services such as planting, landscaping, lawn care, etc. Although different gardening businesses require investment in different tools, there is always some equipment that can be used for all gardening tasks.

Long Handle Garden Tools
Shovel: A great tool for gardeners, the spade is a versatile tool for use in and around the garden. Shovels are used to dig and move materials. Use a shovel to dig holes, shift plants, pry up rocks and stumps, or break up compacted soil. When purchasing shovels remember to choose products made of corrosion-resistant materials such as stainless steel, as well as having sturdy, balanced handles.
Rake: The teeth of rakes are designed to spread and collect material around or level the soil. Rakes are commonly used to spread, collect or level soil, mulch, compost, gravel, fallen leaves and other garden debris. Rakes are usually made of steel or hard plastic materials, the former designed for tough jobs and the latter for lighter work.
Fork: Gardens are designed to break up soil before planting, move material, and remove plants without damaging the roots. Garden forks are commonly used to apply fertilizer, manure and compost around plants, move hay, and collect large garden debris into a neat pile.

Short Handle Garden Tools
Hedge Shears: Hedge shears have long, narrow blades and short handles. This tool is designed to cut and trim hedges, as well as shape bushes and shrubs into topiary. Hedge shears are quite versatile and are an essential tool for landscaping services.
Hand Pruner: The hand pruners are used for pruning, trimming and cutting fine branches, twigs, live and dead bodies up to 1CM in thickness. It is commonly used for propagating cuttings, transplanting, repotting, and pruning small plants such as succulents, bonsai, etc. For gardening endeavors that include growing flowers and potted plants, it is always worth investing in hand pruners.
Trowel: The basic trowels are small gardening tools that are commonly used to clear gaps between plants, pull out plants, and remove old stems. If someone asks what tool is best for growing and caring for small fruits, vegetables and plants, hand trowels are definitely the best answer. They enable gardeners to till the soil or transplant plants without damaging their roots.

Is a gardening business profitable?
Today, more and more people are turning their hobby into a career. This is certainly the case with gardening, which can be a business that brings in profit - as long as it is managed properly! With the quest for natural and organic living, the demand for gardening services will predictably increase as well. Remember, gardening tools will always make the job easier.
When it comes to choosing the best gardening tools for your business, choose equipment that is versatile and built to last. Choose tools with coated metal handles and those forged from corrosion-resistant materials. Avoid tools with flimsy handles or thin metal materials.

Gardepot is dedicated to providing quality wholesale gardening tools, and you can find various gardening guides on our website. Feel free to contact us with any questions or needs.

Cleaning and Sharpening Pruning Tools

After investing in a quality trimming tool or shears, it's worth taking a little time to keep them in good working order. Cleaning and maintaining your pruners isn't just about improving the life and usability of your tools, it's also important to disinfect your pruners if you're dealing with plants or trees that are at risk of infection.
It's also important to sharpen knives regularly, as dull blades tend to tear through plant tissue and cause jagged cuts. Now that it's winter and there's not as much pruning gardening to do, there's no better time to clean and sharpen your pruning tools!

Cleaning and Disinfecting Pruners
Cleaning - Pruning shears should be cleaned before they are disinfected, as dirt and residue on the blades will interfere with any disinfectant you use. It is usually sufficient to wipe the blades with a dampened cloth, and even better to add a small amount of detergent to the water. Cleaning should be done regularly to prevent pruners from jamming. If it has not been cleaned for a long time, we recommend taking the tool apart and wiping it down thoroughly.
Disinfection - Medical alcohol, the kind you can buy at the drugstore, is ideal for disinfecting pruners. Disinfection with alcohol does not require soaking, a simple wipe will do the trick, and there is no need to rinse it off.
Oil - After cleaning, oil the tool to keep it moving freely and to prevent corrosion. A generic mineral oil can be used. A thin vegetable oil should do the job well. Put some oil between the blades, on the springs, and a little on the latches that hold the chainsaw closed when not in use. Then move the parts so that the oil gets to all sliding surfaces and wipe off any excess oil.

Sharpening Pruners
It is important to keep your pruning tools sharp. First, a sharp blade makes the cut easier and the gardener works less easily to fatigue. Second, a clean cut will heal better and faster, making it less likely that the plant will become infected through the wound. Therefore, blades should be sharpened regularly and replaced if deeper scratches or nicks appear. Most hedge trimmers and pruners on the market are sold with replacement parts and there is no need to eliminate the entire tool.
It is beneficial to sharpen your pruning tools after use to keep them in top condition. Keeping up this habit isn't really as easy as you might think, but it's a fairly simple task. If you do this regularly, the life of your pruning tools can be greatly extended, and you can save money on new equipment. And, they'll always give you clean, fast cuts!
It is important to remember that common pruning tools such as hedge shears and hand pruners can only be sharpened on their single bevel. That is, not the "back" of the cutting blade, which needs to be kept flat. Cutting board pruners, on the other hand, usually have a double bevel, so sharpen on both sides.

Sharpening a Bypass Pruners
Grinding Stone - With the flat side of the diamond grinder, grind the bevelled side of the blade with a rotating movement at an angle of 20-30° (like a sharpening stone).
Sharpener - Pull the concave sharpening edge gently along the blade edge at an angle of 30-50°. Use either of the corner edges of the sharpener, i.e. do not try to have the sharpener ‘flat’ against the blade. Work only with one side of the sharpener. One light pass on the back of the bevelled side will remove the burr which has formed.

Pruning means more than just the work of cutting off branches! Proper cleaning and maintenance of tools is also an important part of gardening, and only then will you be able to create your garden better.
Gardepot is dedicated to providing wholesale gardening tools, as well as sharing gardening knowledge. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Garden Jobs for Fall and Winter

As days shorten and temperatures cool, the pace of gardening slows along with plant growth. But there is still plenty to be done during the fall and winter months. In fact, much of what is done in the garden now will set the tone for the following year.

Cleaning up your garden is an important task. Remove any dead plant material from your garden and add it to your compost pile. Pick up any fallen fruit from around the fruit trees. These actions will eliminate habitats for overwintering diseases and pests. 

Clean up fallen leaves with rakes. Matted leaves left on the lawn can choke the lawn. Instead, add your leaves (chop up the largest ones) to your compost pile.

Pruning is done during the dormant period of deciduous trees and shrubs. However, it is worth doing a little research on each plant to become familiar with its pruning requirements. 

For example, pruning early bloomers such as azaleas, flowering quince or forsythia in the fall will remove flower buds and reduce the spring bloom display. If these plants need pruning, it should be done after they have finished flowering.

Pruning tools: hedge shears, hand pruners, loppers

Consider planting a winter garden. Radish, spinach, pea and onion seeds can be planted in October or November. Cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce and radish seedlings can be planted in November. If you don't want a winter garden, clean up your summer garden by mulching it with straw, grass clippings or chopped leaves. Mulch will discourage weeds and provide soil nutrients for next year's garden.

Planting bare-root trees and shrubs during the winter dormant period allows for a healthy root system to develop before spring germination. Fall is also the time to plant bulbs and perennials. Disguise your work by flooding the soil surface with water and then covering the soil with mulch.

Renovate flower beds by weeding, adding organic matter and tilling the soil to a depth of at least 6 inches. Refresh the existing mulch around planted plants.

Conduct an irrigation review to adjust your watering schedule to reflect the lower water needs of the fall and winter months. If you have an automated system, make sure it is working properly.
Watering accessories: garden hoses and nozzles, sprinklers, watering cans, sprayers

If you are planning to start a new garden bed, fall is a good time to do so before you face the rush of spring gardening. If you plan to start a new bed on an existing lawn, a good way to do it is to cover it with a thick layer of newspaper and put down a layer of mulch. This will kill the lawn and the bed will be ready for work in early spring without the effort of manually removing the turf.

Finally, clean and sharpen your tools. Keeping your tools clean helps prevent the spread of disease and prolongs the life of your tools. 

If you prune sick plants, disinfect your shears, loppers or saws with a dilute bleach solution, dry them off and apply a thin coat of oil. Sharp tools will produce a clean cut, and clean cuts heal faster. 

If you have empty pots that you plan to reuse, remove the dirt with a coarse brush and then rinse them well with water.

How To Trim Hedges - Guide To Pruning

Hedges are a very common and important ornamental feature in the garden. If properly cared for, they can be one of the most eye-catching landscapes in the garden. Hedge care - that is, pruning - then becomes a daily task for many gardeners.
Hedge pruning is the best maintenance to help keep them looking good over time. In this article, we'll give you some tips on how to trim your hedges, including the proper time to trim, the tools to use, and more.

How to Trim Hedges
Trimming hedges is very different from trimming trees. When pruning trees and shrubs
best practice is to follow the natural lines of the plants. Unlike hedges, which often need to be trimmed to a specific shape for better ornamentation. This is actually contrary to the natural growth pattern of the plant and therefore requires better planning and consistent pruning.

When To Trim Hedges
Generally, hedges are trimmed before the new growth blocks the sunlight. As the leaves below lose sunlight, they will begin to die back in favor of new growth.
Some evergreens grow quickly and need to be trimmed every four to six weeks during the growing season, while others may grow more slowly and only need to be trimmed once. The best way to determine how often to prune is to watch the growth and prune before it begins to shade out the foliage below.

How To Trim Hedges Easily With The Right Tools
Many people use electric trimmers to trim hedges, especially some large landscaping providers, and power tools offer greater efficiency. But for individual gardeners, hand tools are a better choice. They ensure a cleaner cut and cause less damage to branches.
Power tools tend to leave uneven wounds on plants, which are difficult for them to heal. Therefore hedge plants trimmed with power tools are more likely to get sick. In addition, hand tools are more environmentally friendly and quieter.

Prepare To Prune
Before trimming your hedge, clear your workspace. Remember, it's a good idea to wear safety goggles and garden gloves. Clean and sharpen your tools before pruning. If you are trimming multiple hedges, have a bucket of soapy water and a rag on hand to clean your tools between two hedges. Since pruning can cause disease in the wood, it is important to make sure your tools are kept clean.
Manual Hedging Tools
1. Hand Pruners
Hand pruners are small tools that are ideal for removing wilted, dead or diseased branches and leaves. Hand pruners cannot cut branches that are too thick, so they are often used for softer plants or to trim the edges of hedge forms.
2. Pruning Saw
The saw blade of the pruning saw is so sharp that it is capable of cutting off large branches of more than 3/4 inch. Therefore, hedge trimming with a pruning saw will be very easy.
3. Hedge Shears
The hedge shears are slightly larger in size and can trim a larger area. This makes them very easy to use, especially when trimming large hedges and hedges at right angles.
Start trimming at the bottom of the hedge and trim all the way up so that the top branches and leaves are free to fall to the ground. Place the blade at a right angle to the branch to get the cleanest cut possible. Make sure you don't twist the branches or approach them at odd angles, as they won't cut cleanly.
4. Grass Shears
After trimming the hedge, the grass shears are then used to clean up any small debris that has sprung up after the cut and to remove any protruding leafless branches. Grass shears are the ideal tool for finishing and they are great for enhancing the decorative look of the hedge.

Pruning is one of the most frequent tasks in the garden. With a detailed guide and the right tools, every gardener can easily do the job and get a perfect hedge shape.
Gardepot is dedicated to wholesale gardening tools and you can find a wide range of pruning tools as well as gardening guides on our website. Feel free to contact us with any questions or needs.

What Tools Are Needed For Landscaping Business?

If you are planning to start your own landscaping business, then a good team and the right tools will be the two most important preparations. Using the right tools and equipment can make gardeners more efficient and landscaping service providers can expand their business by providing quality services to more customers.
In this article, Gardepot will introduce some useful gardening tools for those who are interested in landscaping to help them better understand the work of gardening.

Garden Hand Tools For Landscaping
Because of the versatility of hand tools, they are often critical in landscape design work. Hand tools allow gardeners to work with precision. Different gardening jobs may require different specialized tools, but the following basic tools are essential for landscaping services.
-Rake: A rake is essential because it helps sweep up debris from plant material, collect dirt, and scrape or move other things you may encounter on the job. When purchasing rakes, consider factors such as the length of the handle, the material of the rake, and the purpose of your use.
-Shovel: Shovels help dig up soil, break up clods, and scoop out materials such as pine needles or gravel. For gardeners with heavy workloads, it's best for the shovel to be light enough but strong enough. That's because they need to handle the work easily as well as be able to withstand difficult tasks, such as digging up dry, compacted ground.
-Spade: Often confused with a shovel, a spade has a square base and is designed to sweep and scrape hard surfaces such as concrete. For this purpose, the right spade needs to have a handle that is easy to grip and a head made of metal to withstand tough jobs such as moving gravel or concrete.
-Trowel: Small trowels are often used for garden planting, especially for small plants such as flowers or potted plants. Trowels are also ideal replacements in places where a regular shovel is too big to fit. Examples include making a small hole in a flower bed to plant seeds, or prying rocks up from the soil.
-Shears: Shrubs and hedges, common plants in garden landscaping, both require regular pruning to maintain a nice shape. Pruning shears are the best tool for this job, and they are used to cut twigs and stems to help landscapers shape hedges and shrubs.
-Wheelbarrow: Wheelbarrows are versatile tools used to transport materials with ease. Since there are many types of garden wheelbarrows, their materials, the number of wheels, and the type of surface they will be working on should be considered when purchasing them.

Garden Power Tools for Landscaping
With advances in technology, there are more and more options for garden power tools. Power tools often have greater power and greater efficiency, enabling them to perform tasks that are difficult with hand tools. For this reason, garden power tools are also essential for a successful landscaping business.
-Chainsaw: Cordless chainsaws are mobile and can quickly complete tasks such as cutting branches and trimming shrubs. As with all power tools, the weight of the chainsaw, battery life, and safety features are the three most important factors when purchasing. Because they are so loud, it is also worth investing in ear protection for gardeners who use such machines.
-Mower: Mowers are an expensive investment, but they are the most convenient and efficient tool when it comes to mowing large areas of lawn. Remember to consider their size when purchasing to ensure good mobility.
-Trimmer: Commonly called a “weed-eater“ or “weed-whacker,” these precision tools trim the areas a lawnmower can’t reach. They rely on plastic string blades to cut plant material, so look for a trimmer that’ll be easy to reload when it’s time to change out the string. It’s also worthwhile to look for a string trimmer with low vibrations to make precision trims easier.

Gardepot offers a wide range of gardening tools and equipment that landscaping business needs. Just contact us now to get a latest catalog of our all products!

Buying Guide - Different Types Of Wheelbarrows

In many cases, gardeners may not realize just how important a tool a wheelbarrow is in the garden. In fact, a wheelbarrow can perform many garden tasks.
Wheelbarrows can be used for a variety of purposes, such as moving rocks, mulch or compost to the garden, moving trees or large shrubs from one place to another, hauling bricks, disposing of garden debris, or even for mixing concrete or fertilizer.
However, there are different types of wheelbarrows designed for different jobs. Which wheelbarrow you should buy depends on what tasks you need it for. We've prepared an introduction and buying guide to wheelbarrows for you, so keep reading to learn more.

USING WHEELBARROWS IN GARDENS
With so many varieties available, it is important to choose a wheelbarrow that properly fits your gardening needs. In general, wheelbarrow buckets come in two materials: steel or plastic.
Steel wheelbarrow buckets can handle more weight, but they will rust and be heavier to handle. Steel wheelbarrows are used for heavy-duty work, such as moving rocks, bricks or large plants.
Plastic wheelbarrow buckets are lighter and often cheaper, but they can break from carrying too much weight or from bumps. Plastic wheelbarrows are used to move mulch, compost, garden debris and small plants. Plastic is also better for mixing things like concrete or fertilizer, especially some organic fertilizers that contain animal manure, which contains ingredients that can corrode steel.
Trolleys also come in different capacities to indicate how much weight they can hold. But we don't recommend filling them to the brim with rocks or bricks when using a wheelbarrow - as they say on the label that they can hold 500 pounds.
How much weight you put on the wheelbarrow will depend on your own strength. While such tools are designed to make it easier to move and dump heavy loads, a wheelbarrow full of rocks or other heavy objects may be too heavy for many people to handle.

How to Choose a Wheelbarrow
When choosing a wheelbarrow, also consider the handles and wheels. When you hear "wheelbarrow," you probably think of the classic wheelbarrow with two straight handles, one wheel in the center of the front, and two supports evenly spaced in the back. However, newer types of wheelbarrows may have ergonomic bar handles and/or two wheels. Single-wheeled wheelbarrows are easier to tip and maneuver, but they are also easy to tip over when turning or tipping, or due to unbalanced loads.
Carts with two wheels are less prone to accidental tipping, but may be more difficult to turn and dump. Wheels are also available as ordinary inflatable wheels or solid rubber wheels like bicycles. Solid rubber wheels don't flatten or burst like inflatable wheels, but they also don't have the shock absorption of inflatable wheels, making them more difficult to use on rough terrain.
The classic two-handle wheelbarrow is designed for good leverage. These handles are usually plastic, metal or wood. Plastic handles can break due to excessive weight. Metal handles can get very hot from being in the sun for long periods of time. Wooden handles can crack and split from too much weather exposure. Two-handled strollers may also require a lot of upper body strength, causing shoulder, arm and back pain.
Ergonomic handles are usually bar handles, like lawn mowers. These bar handles are designed to reduce upper arm strain, but actually have less leverage when dumping loads and can cause more back pain.

In addition to the types described above, there are also specialized slender carts that can be used in tight spaces. Now you can even find foldable canvas trolleys on the market for easy storage. Of course, these canvas trolleys cannot withstand a lot of weight.
Take the time to choose the best trolley for your own needs. All different types of trolleys have pros and cons, so base your choice on what seems easiest for you to use.

If you have any pruner purchase needs or other questions, feel free to contact us. GarDepot is always happy to help!