Weeding is one of the jobs gardeners least look forward to.
To start with, pulling weeds takes a lot of time and effort. And whether you bend over as you pull or get down on your knees, it can be back-breaking work.
Fortunately, there are ways of pulling weeds that allow you to remain standing, making the job a lot easier.
So let me show you how to pull weeds without bending over or kneeling on the ground.
Getting The Job Done
if you don’t want to place strain on your back, using a long-handled weeding tool is one of the best ways of getting the job done. By using a shovel or a stand-up weeder, you can continue to stand while you work, reducing strain. Another comfortable way of weeding is to sit on a stool or bench instead of getting down on your knees.
Long Handled Weeding Tools
Long-handled weeding tools are an easy way to remove weeds without bending over. Let’s take a look at some of the most effective kinds.
Shovel
A shovel is one of the most common long-handled gardening tools. With a shovel, you can stand and dig into the soil around the weed. Keeping your shovel well-maintained with a sharp edge makes it easy to press the blade into the ground using your foot. As long as the weed has shallow roots, you can lift it from the ground with minimal bending.
One of the drawbacks of a shovel is that it causes a lot of disturbance to the surrounding soil. This is okay in an area without a lot of plants. But you don’t want to end up with a hole in the middle of your lawn.
Fortunately, you can get specially designed weeding tools for lawn weed removal, such as a stand-up weeder.
Stand-Up Weeder
One of my favorite tools is a stand-up weed puller. This type of weeding tool is ideal for removing weeds with deep tap roots from your lawn, such as dandelions. Stand-up weeders are easy to press into the soil and usually have a simple mechanism for lifting the weed with its roots.
Here are some of the most popular types of stand-up weeder
Fiskar’s 3 Claw Garden Weeder
Fiskar’s 3 Claw Garden Weeder is an easy-to-use tool featuring three serrated claws made from stainless steel at the end of a 39-inch long handle. Press the claws into the ground over the top of the weed. Then press the foot pedal to grab the roots and pull the weed out of the soil with the claws.
The weeder has an easy eject mechanism in the handle, allowing you to quickly and easily release the weeds into a bag or bucket. The extra-long handle means you never have to bend down while removing the weeds from your lawn, making this tool ideal for anyone who has problems kneeling or bending.
Garden Weasel WeedPopper Step & TwistWeeder
The Garden Weasel has a robust design that will give you years of use.
It’s simple to use. First, you use your foot to push the steel tines into the root system. Then twist the handle to separate the roots from the ground and extract the weed. Finally, use the thumb release on the top of the 36-inch handle to release the weed from the tines for easy disposal. And you can do all of this without ever having to bend over.
You can use the Garden Weasel to remove almost any weed, including common lawn weeds like dandelions and crabgrass. And it’s not just for weeding. You can also use this garden tool for planting flowers.
Grampa’s Weeder
Grampa’s Weeder is a sturdy 45-inch long tool that makes it easy to weed without putting strain on your back and knees.
It features a four-claw design made out of steel. And it works well on all soil types, especially wet soil after rain or watering.
Using Grampa’s Weeder is simple. You press the claws into the ground over the center of the weed using your foot. Then, using the leverage of the rear handle, lift the weed out along with its roots.
The downside of the design is that you can’t adjust the claws to grip the weeds, with small narrow weeds sometimes slipping through the tines. And because this weeder tool doesn’t have an automatic eject, you have to remove the weeds from the tines by hand.
Sit On A Stool
An easy way to pull weeds without bending over or kneeling is to sit down on a small stool or garden bench. Sitting down while weeding makes the job a lot more comfortable and takes the strain off your back.
Other Methods You Can Try
If you don’t want to pull weeds by hand, you can try other ways to kill weeds. You can use a hoe to cut weeds down instead of pulling. Burn the weeds with a flame torch. Or you can spray herbicides that kill weeds to the roots.
Use A Hoe
A hoe is a gardening tool with an angled blade at the end of a long handle.
By dragging the blade of the hoe just beneath the surface of the soil, you can easily cut weeds down while standing. If you keep the blade edge sharp, you can even cut through the roots of large, well-established weeds.
As well as weeding, you can also use a hoe to prepare soil for planting
The disadvantage of using a hoe for weeding is that you don’t remove the roots. So perennial weeds will often regrow. But repeated slicing of the plant each time it emerges from the ground can eventually exhaust the roots.
Use A Herbicide
Using a herbicide is one of the most effective ways of killing weeds. And it’s also one of the easiest, with no need to bend over or get on your knees.
The best type of herbicide to use is a systemic herbicide because it can kill the weeds to the root, preventing regrowth. But you’ll need patience when using a systemic herbicide because it often takes 2-3 weeks to kill the weeds.
If you’re spraying weeds on your lawn, use a selective herbicide that won’t harm the grass.
Use A Flame Torch
Using a flame torch for weeding is an easy way to kill weeds. All you have to do is walk around your yard while directing the tip of the propane flame torch over plant foliage. You can quickly clear a large area of weeds.
Because flame weeding doesn’t kill the roots, weeds sometimes regrow. So you might need to repeat the treatment to kill the plants.
Another potential drawback of using a flame torch is that it can set fire to dry debris if you’re not careful. For this reason, it’s a good idea to flame weed when the ground is moist.
Adapt Your Garden
Adapting your garden so you don’t have to weed at ground level can save you from regular bending. Use raised garden beds and containers that bring the soil level up to a height you’re comfortable with to make weeding and root removal easier.
