How to Use a Cultivator in a Garden
Garden cultivators are versatile tools for working the soil. They can be used to amend soil with fertilizers or mulch, loosen the soil for aeration, or uproot weeds. Cultivators range from heavy, battery-powered models, to lightweight, slender tools with a prong at one end. Most cultivators have blades that rotate, although some have stationary blades that somewhat resemble a fork. Some cultivators have long handles for use while standing, and others have short handles for use while kneeling or sitting.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Slip on gardening gloves to protect your hands. Extend the cultivator as far out as you can reach, and use the weight of your body to press the prongs or blades into the soil.
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2
Pull the cultivator toward you. The soil will loosen as the prongs rake or roll through the earth. You may have to use shorter strokes in hard soil, or even strike at the earth with the prongs to loosen the soil.
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3
Remove rocks and weeds as they are exposed. Cover the area with a layer of compost, and run the cultivator over it to work the compost into the soil. Use your body as leverage to dig the prongs deeply into the ground to thoroughly mix the soil with the compost.
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4
Lightly run the cultivator over the soil to level the planting site.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Space plants the width of the cultivator to make weeding easier. This way, you can run your cultivator between the plants without digging them up.
