My garden was full of weeds until my mum introduced me to the Root Slayer

My garden was full of weeds until my mum introduced me to the Root Slayer

Weeding season is well and truly upon us and if, like me, it’s a struggle to keep up with the relentless task, I have a tool you might want to give a whirl. Enter the Root Slayer.

My dandelion garden was a tad out of hand and had started to cause havoc with my flower beds. So, in sheer desperation, I called in the big guns in the form of my gardening pro mum. She brought along her weeding weapon of choice: The Root Slayer. I can safely say I’m a convert.

If you’re a seasoned gardener, you’ll know all about the complexities of successful root removal to avoid weeding mistakes and it usually involves a root saw and a set of loppers which seems a little complicated/terrifying for garden novices (like myself). Luckily, this is where the Root Slayer comes in pretty handy.

Radius Garden 23311, Root Slayer Perennial Shovel, Red

Radius Garden 23311, Root Slayer Perennial Shovel, Red

Root Slayer Perennial Shovel, Red

Using the Root Slayer shovel

the root slayer shovel digging up soil for a plantthe root slayer shovel digging up soil for a plant

the root slayer shovel digging up soil for a plant

The Root Slayer is designed in the shape of a spade but with serrated sides so you can do a multitude of garden jobs like digging, sawing, cutting, slicing and raking.

Plus, it’s also super ergonomic with an O-shaped handle that Radius say ‘features four-times the gripping surface of conventional tools,’ so you can say goodbye to sore wrists, making it great for those who suffer from aches and pains. Talk about an easy garden idea, huh?

a woman using the root slayer to dig up soila woman using the root slayer to dig up soil

a woman using the root slayer to dig up soil

The end of the spade has a curved, inverted-V edge which penetrates the roughest ground making it super easy to dig, while the serrated sides of the blade chop through the roots. Pushing down and forward, the roots lift right out of the ground with zero effort. I’m not even exaggerating.

And it doesn’t stop there. The Root Slayer is also really handy if you’ve ever hit roots while trying to plant a perennial, or been stymied by roots when trying to dig up a shrub, or tried to propagate peonies by division with a spade only to have them slide away from your shovel, this tool will make these gardening jobs a breeze.

Take, for example, getting rid of dandelions, a large dandelion plant can be eased out quickly and the whole root resembling a parsnip will come clean out of the ground. Getting rid of weeds has never been so satisfying and dare I say, fun.

Dandelion pulled up by rootsDandelion pulled up by roots

Dandelion pulled up by roots

So, instead of spending ages on my hands and knees painstakingly pulling out weeds, I’m now using this instead and honestly, it’s a game changer this weeding season.

Although I have only tried the original Root Slayer shovel, there are a a range of other Root Slayer tools available with specific root slaying properties and features, so there’s an ergonomic root slaying tool for your garden’s specific needs.

If there’s one thing for sure, it’s that we’ll be referring to this handy tool all season long. And all I can say is, thanks, mum!

Radius Garden 22611 Root Slayer Edger, RedRadius Garden 22611 Root Slayer Edger, Red

Radius Garden 22611 Root Slayer Edger, Red

Radius Garden Root Slayer Edger

Radius Garden 17011 Root Slayer, Trowel/holster, Original RedRadius Garden 17011 Root Slayer, Trowel/holster, Original Red

Radius Garden 17011 Root Slayer, Trowel/holster, Original Red

Radius Garden Root Slayer, Trowel/holster

Radius Garden 22411 Root Slayer Mini-Digger Shovel, RedRadius Garden 22411 Root Slayer Mini-Digger Shovel, Red

Radius Garden 22411 Root Slayer Mini-Digger Shovel, Red

Radius Garden Root Slayer Mini-Digger Shovel