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What are the Different Types of Garden Power Tools?

Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth

A power tool is one that gets its power from compressed air, electricity, or a gasoline engine. Therefore, garden power tools are tools designed for or used in a garden and powered in this particular way. Many gardening tasks that used to have to be done using hand tools now have power tools alternatives, some with more than one powering option, especially now that there are cordless electric choices in addition to electric garden power tools that are plugged in.

Hedges and shrubs, which once required a lot of strength if their branches were thick or tough and you had to trim them with hand tools, can now be shaped with a rechargeable clip and shear or hedge trimmers. If your trees need attention, the range of tools from alligator loppers to pruning pole saws to chainsaws are all available as garden power tools.

Rotary tillers are used to prepare soil for planting.
Rotary tillers are used to prepare soil for planting.

Preparing your garden can be done with a hoe and a turning form, or you can turn to a gas powered tiller/cultivator. To take care of your grass, should your garden include a lawn, you can use a power lawn mower or lawn tractor instead of a push mower. For the more delicate work, an electric grass trimmer or string trimmer, or the same, but gas-powered, or the garden power tool known as a landscape edger.

A push lawn mower may be used to cleaning up areas surrounding a garden.
A push lawn mower may be used to cleaning up areas surrounding a garden.

For cleaning up walkways in or through the garden or a driveway beside the garden either after mowing or in doing routine maintenance to clean up fallen leaves, pine needles, blossoms, or other garden debris, your choice of garden power tools included leaf blowers and leaf vacuums, depending on whether you want to gather or spread your organic detritus. Another approach altogether is the electric leaf shredder for turning leaves into mulch. In addition, an electric broom for hard surfaces can assist in dispelling this material, as well as sand, dirt, etc. And an electric power or pressure washer can give paths, driveways, and garden decks a thorough cleaning of garden debris and other material, too.

Power washers may be used to clean the driveway of garden debris.
Power washers may be used to clean the driveway of garden debris.

For mulching garden material of more weight and bulk than leaves, you may wish to consider the electric garden chopper or garden power tools with mulchers. Choices here include combination chipper/shredder machines and combination blower/vacuum/mulcher, both of which have both gas and electric versions.

Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth

Mary Elizabeth is passionate about reading, writing, and research, and has a penchant for correcting misinformation on the Internet. In addition to contributing articles to WiseGEEK about art, literature, and music, Mary Elizabeth is a teacher, composer, and author. She has a B.A. from the University of Chicago’s writing program and an M.A. from the University of Vermont, and she has written books, study guides, and teacher materials on language and literature, as well as music composition content for Sibelius Software.

Learn more...
Mary Elizabeth
Mary Elizabeth

Mary Elizabeth is passionate about reading, writing, and research, and has a penchant for correcting misinformation on the Internet. In addition to contributing articles to WiseGEEK about art, literature, and music, Mary Elizabeth is a teacher, composer, and author. She has a B.A. from the University of Chicago’s writing program and an M.A. from the University of Vermont, and she has written books, study guides, and teacher materials on language and literature, as well as music composition content for Sibelius Software.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon308248

There are several different garden power tools about and I have had many good ones in the past that were available for a really good price. They are definitely something that I would recommend to others.

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    • Rotary tillers are used to prepare soil for planting.
      By: Dmitry Vereshchagin
      Rotary tillers are used to prepare soil for planting.
    • A push lawn mower may be used to cleaning up areas surrounding a garden.
      By: pioregur
      A push lawn mower may be used to cleaning up areas surrounding a garden.
    • Power washers may be used to clean the driveway of garden debris.
      By: AlcelVision
      Power washers may be used to clean the driveway of garden debris.