Gardening Tools

Gardening tools at FlipBuy UK: cordless strimmers, watering hoses, drip irrigation tubing and adjustable spray nozzles. From £11.99 to £62.99.

How to choose a cordless strimmer

Voltage is the headline figure, but it's not what decides whether a strimmer suits your garden.

• 18-21V handles lawn edges, light long grass and tidying around obstacles. Fine for a typical suburban garden.
• 24V and above copes with tougher, woodier growth and larger areas without bogging down.
• Two batteries matter more than more volts. Most cordless strimmers run 20-40 minutes on a charge. A second battery doubles your working session and charges while you use the other. This is the single most useful feature.
• Check the weight. A strimmer is held at arm's length, and a kilo of difference is obvious within ten minutes.
• Adjustable shaft and handle matter if more than one person will use it, or if you're tall or short.

Blades or line

Plastic blades last longer on tough growth and swap out in seconds when they chip. Nylon line is gentler around tree trunks, fence posts and cables, and self-feeds, but it wears fast on woody stems. Many kits include both; use line near anything you don't want damaged.

How to strim safely

Strimmers throw stones and debris at considerable speed, and eye injuries are the common one.

• Eye protection every time, even for five minutes. Safety glasses or a visor, not sunglasses.
• Sturdy shoes and long trousers. Never strim in sandals or bare legs.
• Walk the area first and remove stones, wire, dog toys and anything else the head could throw.
• Keep children and pets well clear: at least 15 metres, and out of the line of throw.
• Work away from windows, cars and greenhouses.
• Remove the battery before clearing a jam or changing blades. Every time, without exception.
• Watch for wildlife. Hedgehogs shelter in long grass and are frequently injured by strimmers, check thoroughly before cutting anything that's been left to grow.

How to water a garden properly

Most gardens are watered often and badly. Less frequent, deeper watering produces stronger plants.

• Water early morning or evening. Midday watering loses much of it to evaporation before it reaches the roots, and can scorch leaves in strong sun.
• Water the soil, not the leaves. Wet foliage encourages fungal disease and doesn't help the plant.
• Deep and infrequent beats little and often. Shallow watering keeps roots near the surface where they dry out fastest; a proper soak encourages roots to go down.
• Containers need far more than beds: often daily in summer, since they can't draw on surrounding soil.
• Mulch after watering to slow evaporation. It makes more difference than watering more often.

Drip irrigation

Micro irrigation delivers water at the root, uses substantially less than a hose or sprinkler, and works while you're away. Lay the main tubing along the bed with feeder lines to individual plants. Add a timer and it becomes a system rather than a chore. Drain it before the first frost, water left in tubing expands as it freezes and splits the pipe.

How to look after tools

• Clean grass off the strimmer head after use, compacted wet grass hardens and jams the feed mechanism
• Store batteries indoors at around half charge over winter. A shed in January damages lithium cells, and a fully flat battery left for months may not recover
• Charge with the supplied charger only, and never leave a battery charging unattended overnight
• Drain hoses before frost and store them coiled loosely rather than kinked
• Check nozzle seals at the start of the season; perished washers are the usual cause of leaks at the connector

Common questions

How long does a cordless strimmer battery last?

Typically 20-40 minutes depending on the model and how tough the growth is. Two-battery kits effectively double that.

Blades or line: which is better?

Blades for tough, woody growth and longer life; line for working close to trees, posts and cables without damaging them.

Can I leave a hose out over winter?

Drain it first. Water left inside freezes, expands and splits the hose.

When should I water?

Early morning or evening, deeply and less often, at the soil rather than the leaves.

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