Tools for Planting Trees and Shrubs

1. Long-handled, round-point shovel: This is the tool of choice for digging holes and spreading soil amendments (additives such as fertilizer and compost that improve your soil quality).
    
   
2. Mattock: This is a sturdy tool with a dual-purpose head; one is axe-shaped for cutting roots, and the other is hoe-shaped for breaking up compacted soil.
    
   
3. Garden spade: A garden spade’s blade cuts sod cleanly and can be used as an edging tool when forming planting beds for trees and shrubs.
    
   
4. Garden fork: A garden fork loosens and aerates soil and efficiently mixes compost and other soil amendments together before they need to be added to a tree excavation.
    
   
5. Rake: A garden rake (a) gathers excavated soil quickly so that it can be removed with a shovel. A lawn/leaf rake (b) can sweep up all sorts of debris left from pruning or storm damage without harming the grass.
    
   
6. Garden hoe: A standard garden hoe can help with various planting chores, such as excavating planting holes and mixing amendments into the soil.
    
   
7. Hand pruners: Hand pruners can cut individual branches up to about 1/2" diameter. Loppers are hand pruners with long handles that can cut larger branches, usually up to 1" in diameter.
    
   
8. Pruning saw and bow saw: These saws can easily cut through branches with diameters up to about 6".
    
   
9. Pole pruner: A pole pruner consists of a pruning saw and a pulley-operated cutter mounted on an extension pole. It is used for reaching and pruning overhead branches.
    
   
10. Hedge shears: These are designed for routine pruning and shaping of hedge shrubs and stand-alone shrubs.
     
    
11. Wheelbarrow: A wheelbarrow helps trans­port excavated soil, soil amendments, and trees and shrubs that are too heavy to carry by hand.
     
    
12. Garden hose: A garden hose with an adjustable nozzle is the easiest way to water anything outside the house, including freshly planted trees and shrubs.
     
    
13. Garden sprayer: A sprayer offers pressur­ized, pinpoint application of any number of fertilizer and pesticide products.
     
    
14. Electric hedge trimmers: These are the power version of the hedge shears and come in handy for larger pruning projects.
     
    
15. Electric chain saw: This is a smaller, less powerful, and much less dangerous version of the standard gasoline chain saw; it’s designed to cut branches that are too big to be cut with a pruning saw or bow saw.
     
    
16. Heavy-duty extension cord: A heavy-duty extension cord with a 12-gauge wire and three-prong plug is required for most electric pruning tools. The cord should always be plugged into a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet—a special safety electrical outlet, designed for use outdoors or near water. You can recognize a GFCI outlet by the “test” and “reset” buttons between the two plugs.