Nisaku NJP650 Hori-Hori Weeding Knife

When you picture someone gardening, you typically imagine the easy, pastoral parts: planting the seeds, watering the plants. The truth is that the bulk of a gardener’s time is spent on their knees, fighting back against that persistent enemy of a healthy plant: Weeds.

That makes the right tools essential not only for the health of a garden but for the gardener’s back. And when it comes to especially tough weeds that need to be tackled at close range, there’s no tool like a good, solid weeding knife.

There are a surprising amount of tools for weeding, and not all of them are handheld knives. If you’re able to stand up and don’t need a lot of precision, there are long-handled weeders, hoes and even torches that can take care of weeds with a variety of different methods. But the weeding knife is ideally suited for plants in most household gardens, perennials and harvest plants that need a more personal touch. And as you’ll see, they are good for a lot more than just pulling weeds.

Weeding knives come in a variety of different configurations, each one shaped to tackle a variety of different tasks. The most common is the Japanese farmer’s knife, also known as a Hori Hori. From the side, this looks like any standard hunting knife, with one edge smooth and one serrated. But the blade itself is slightly concave, which makes it great for shoveling out deep-rooted weeds and digging holes for planting. And of course, it can still be used as an actual hunting knife, with all the applications that tool is used for (and more). Make sure the blade is especially sturdy since you’ll be using this one for plenty of intensive work.

While the Hori Hori is versatile, the blade is relatively short. Some common weeds like dandelions have root systems that go a bit deeper, and that’s where you’ll need an asparagus knife, also called a fishtail weeder. This tool is longer, with a V-shaped blade at the end. The tip may also be angled to allow you a little leverage when pulling up weeds. Just stick it deep into the soil beside the weed and pull back to remove the entire thing, roots and all.

If you need to do detail work on weeds that are closely entwined with your plants, consider a Cape Cod weeder. This type of tool is easy to spot, with an L-shaped blade that allows you to get in close when working in crowded gardens.

Need to pull up stubborn clumps of grass or weeds with a wider root foundation? Cobrahead weeders are less common, but they are made for this kind of grunt work. They feature a U-shaped head with a smaller blade on the end, made as much for pulling as for cutting. As with the Hori Hori knife, make sure the blade metal is durable and waterproof. Once this one starts to bend, it becomes significantly less useful.

In any of these tools, keep in mind that you’ll be using plenty of force and working in sweaty or wet conditions (and possibly both). That means the grip on the handle is just as important as the durability of the blade. If it’s a Hori Hori or other weeding tool with a long edge, check to see that it can be sharpened. Maintain your tools with the same care that you maintain that garden, and you’ll make far fewer trips to the department store.

• Hori Hori knives are one of the few gardening tools that are just as much at home in a camping kit as in a gardening shed. They can whittle or saw branches, remove small stumps and do other everyday hunting tasks, but they’re also useful around the campfire.
• The shoveled blade is great for digging out hot coals or otherwise stoking small fires. Just make sure your handle is made of wood and not rubber, or you could damage the knife (not to mention your hand).