Need recommendations for a weed-puller

[Newbie]

Please recommend a weed-puller for stand up use by a person who has back problems so can't work in bending posture.

I looked at Amazon and various brands had their fans. We can afford to pay any reasonable amount for one, but can't afford to experiment with many versions at $25-$30 each! Availability at Home Depot / Target etc would be convenient, but I can mail order too.

[Bill]

I've got a weed puller that looks like a giant pair of pliers. Stands about 3 feet high and is made of a hard wood. It has two inch metal clampers at the working edge. I looked about and found nada. From Smith & Hawken's 30 years ago. Cost was about $35 then.

Good luck!

Bill

[Persephone]

I totally sympathize, having back problems myself, but can't image a standup weed puller being practical. If there is one, congrats!

I solve the problem by kneeling. If there's quite a patch to do, I may even lie down, favoring my (car accident damage) hand, and weed with the other.

Hope you don't also have kneeling problems...just sharing my experience.

Persephone

[Pennyaline]

No one should bend over to pull weeds. It should be done kneeling. I've found that one of those raised kneeler benches works well. The grips on each side help to control the velocity of descent and take a lot of strain off the back -- and give you something to push off against when returning to standing position --, and the kneeling surface is (for me) much more comfortable than kneeling directly on the ground or even one of those pad jobbies.

Garden centers sell them. You can also find them on the internet. But I got mine at Target:

[Paul E. Lehmann]

and leaning forward actually helps with my back problems. I have bilateral and central spinal stenosis and I think the leaning forward from sitting actually helps decompress the lumbar vertibrae. I merely scoot along the ground on my butt and don't stand up between.

[Bill]

Perhaps I should wrote that the weed puller I mentioned is for serious weeds like brambles and poison ivy etc. Lesser weeds fall prey to my trusty hula hoe , the warren , Japanese garden knife or Japanese hand hoes. The latter true requires being close to the earth. The idea of standing got me going. Bill

[Val]

Put 'weed puller' into a Google search and you'll get more hits than you know what to choose from. I had a "Grandpa's Weeder",

best stand up type weed puller ever IMO. Works slick and with very little effort. My son has it now, it was the first thing he grabbed when I was cleaning out my garden shed. Works especially well on those weeds with tap roots, and deep root systems. I've seen them at Home Depot and Ace Hardware. Anyway the link I put up has a good picture of the tool so you'll know what to look for if you decide to try it.

Val

[Phisherman]

I found trying to pull weeds works best by hand, plus doing it after a rain helps. Dandelions have long tap roots, other weeds may just break into pieces. I would not think there was a single tool to take care of them all. Raised beds are easier on the back and can be a good choice for handicapped. I have seen small plastic carts on wheels that have storage and a cushion to sit while working the ground.

[June]

If you don't buy a good one, it won't do a good job on the harder weeds. I'm recovering from full hip replacement (6weeks ago), and yesterday I spent 3 hours sitting in a chair pulling weeds with the weed puller I got from A.M Leonard catalogue. I read some reviews on Amazon.com on some of the cheaper ones and people complained that they didn't work well on tough weeds. Your back is worth the extra few dollars to get one that will do the best job with the least stress on your body.

Regards, June

[Persephone]

CONGRATULATIONS on your successful surgery! I hope the recovery proceeds smoothly.

REAL gardeners never give up! I remember coming out of the hospital years agoafter a hiking accident necessitating surgery to my leg. Everything was overgrown with weeds. I just sat on my butt and pulled myself around, pulliing weeds as I pulled.

Persephone

[dr-solo]

[dr-solo]

ehhhhhhhhh... yup.

[Billy]

And of course, you can make the job easier, if you wet the ground in advance.

[ray.cruz]

ted text -

First, let me disclose upfront that I make and sell a tool called the Ergonica Weed Twister.

It's not too expensive, considering the size of deep roots it can extract. You can choose from several lengths, in addition to the new drill-powered Turbo Weed Twister.

Check out YouTube for some informative clips of various weed pulling tools, including the Ergonica Weed Twister.

Not found in local retailers. Most innovative tools for weeds are also not found on retail shelves. You can look at ergonica.com/ weeder_features.htm for a comprehensive, although somewhat biased, view of what's on the market for weeding tools of all sizes, shapes and costs.

Pick your stick, muscles optional!

[z]

i've used this thing for a few years now.

well, even on deep roots, hasn't rusted any yet either. got it at lowes, i think