Professional manual tools for lawn – fork aerator, probe and trimmer

I had a soil probe made from stainless steel 8 years ago and it still works. I came to realise that because Swardman has skilled welders, we can manufacture an affordable set of basic manual tools that can be used by any lawn owner, gardener or lawn enthusiast. We opted for stainless steel and we made three lightweight and handy tools.

The soil probe makes the difference between a professional and an amateur. It is used to easily and quickly extract a soil profile sample. Looking under the surface of the lawn helps you identify qualitative changes in the lawn, as well as soil compaction, root distribution in the profile, soil layers and structure and the amount of thatch in the grass. I cannot imagine a successful lawn care without these basic pieces of information. Retail price 69 Euro.

It is great to have a fork aerator on hand all the time. It is used to aerate a dense, compacted lawn by pulling cores of soil out of the ground. This releases the soil tension, improves water absorption and helps air and nutrients to reach the roots. The soil compaction and densification is the most frequent primary cause of problems with the lawn. Retail price 89 Euro.

The for aerator is great to use in smaller or worse accessible areas. An ideal example is a path from your terrace around the house. It is usually just a narrow strip of grass and it makes no sense to rent or buy an expensive machine aerator. A lightweight pitchfork with three hollow prongs 9 cm apart and soil core diameter will do the same job and you can put them to work within a minute.

You may have never seen a sprinkler head trimmer, but if you have an automatic irrigation in your garden, you probably find yourself searching for sprinklers covered with grass. If you use the trimmer regularly, you do not have to worry about damaging your sprinklers while mowing, verticutting or aerating your lawn. Retail price 69 Euro.

I use the trimmer about three times a year: in the spring, summer and autumn when I winterize my irrigation system. I always go through all sprinklers and trim the grass that covers them. This also helps with the ejection and retraction of the sprinkler, keeps it clean and eliminates malfunctions. The sprinklers are well visible and I do not have to look for them while mowing or regenerating my lawn.

We have not come up with a rocket science, just with genuinely made stainless-steel manual tools for a fair price. They will come handy to a professional greenkeeper or an irrigation technician in their day-to-day use, but also to a hobby lawn enthusiast – for the upkeep of their home garden. We sell the tools individually, as well as in a discounted set of three pieces for 199 Euro. Maybe you could use these helpers as an unusual gift…

Tomáš Šena,

Swardman founder and CEO