A linoleum knife for cutting pots free of tree roots- my new best friend! $4.99 at Harbor Freight.

I wish I had had this a long time ago. My potted stuff would likely not be tethered under the trees if the containers had been easier to free from insidious roots that rob the daylilies of moisture and nutrients. It's also a great tool for weeding nasty stuff, like young thistle (just cut it at the base.) One can use it like a small scythe or do precision work. For pots, it's easy and fast to free both the edge and center of the pots' underside. Yay, cheap linoleum knife! With this thing, I'm gonna be like a freedom ninja in the next few days...
What's your fave cheap hack tool or trick?

Fun. I love garden tools.
OK, these are hardly cheap hacks, now I think of it. But they are very useful tools, if pricey:
I have 2 to show right now. First is an extendable pruner/saw combo. Seems to have shot way up in price though since I got mine. But essential for me to trim high things I cannot get to without a ladder (e.g. grape vines, climbing ivy, etc). Or trim things in the back of a bed without disturbing the plants in the front (e.g. avoiding accidentally snapping daylily scapes).
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WMR5Q69/


Next up is a bulb planter. Also can be used to make a series of small holes to slot in new daylily seedlings in spring. Essential also for underplanting my lawn with early spring bulbs (e.g. glory of the snow, winter aconite, etc). It also helps take sod plugs from donor areas to recipient areas to fix bald patches in your lawn. And they say it can be used as a weeding tool (never tried). Looks like a pogo-stick, and just as fun. Great if you do not like to be bending over or on your knees a lot.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003MRTVUI/

My most-used tool is my cobra head weeder.

I would love to have a bulb planter-sod plugger tool that would make a hole in the 2 1/2 to 3 inch diameter range.
As much as I hate to spray I guess my favorite tool is my battery powered backpack sprayer, I have to use it on my back for most of my beds with multiple rows in them, but for border beds with just two rows I can put in in my cart behind my riding mower and just cruise by while spraying.
I did get mine on sale much cheaper than listed here.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobal...

I agree, the short handle cobrahead weeder is with me every day. Another thing I have is a foam kneeling pad. Need a new one next year. The one I currently have is pretty worn out. Also on the list for replacement is my 30+ year old wheelbarrow. Thought it would get replaced this spring but we patched it together and it was fine until last week when both of the huge washers holding the rear bolts pulled through the tub. Saved again with large square patches cut from scrap metal

I'll triple the goodness of a short handled cobra head weeder -- it stays with me all day in the garden.

I would not even go in the garden without my nitrile gardening gloves though. They protect my hands, but still let me freely use my hands. I like how breathable they are, I can machine wash them when necessary (after handling manure or poison ivy), and they are comfortable even in the heat of summer. They are better than bare-hand 1000%!

And I agree with Char that the foam kneepad is an essential item. Also the nitrile gloves! I have six or seven pairs!

When did wheelbarrows get so expensive? Even a replacement wheel assembly is outrageous. Patching is good, Char. A whole bunch of pennies saved! I use my heavy wheelbarrow less since I invested in a Gorilla Cart, which was expensive but is absolutely wonderful. It dumps, it connects to the riding lawnmower, and it can handle 1200lbs. Y'all would die if you saw the ridiculously large piles I pull around in that thing- like monstrous blackberry canes to the burnpile. I even pot in it as it raises materials for less bending. The corrugated bottom leads me to mix my materials in a round tub, which I put in the cart. Amazon has Gorilla Carts on sale:
https://a.co/d/61nzjd7
And yay for awesome nitrile gloves! They are fantastic until I'm pulling prickly stuff, and then they betray our little arrangement at least half the time. But they are so comfy and cheap (and made no promises to keep us safe from prickles), so I keep using them, even for prickly stuff.
Kneeling pads! Thank you for the reminder.

I'm in total agreement with the nitrile gloves and kneeling pad (I love the Kneelo Kneeler by Burgeon and Ball - pricey, but worth it if your knees are bad).

I also would not be without my Tomerry Nejiri Kama for weeding and have a few of them at any one time. That being said, I just ordered a mini Cobrahead Weeder - thank you for the recommendation!

For popping plants out of the ground with little effort, I love my spearhead spade (Model SHFD3) from spearheadspade.com. The fiberglass handles come in a variety of colors. I have two around the yard and wish I had four. It's a flat rate shipping charge no matter how many you get, so find some friends to go in on an order with you.

Finally, a cheap carpet knife from Home Depot is a pretty good daylily dividing tool.

This has been the year of the weed. My new Hori Hori knife has easily tackled anything I can't get with the Cobra head. I actually think it is easier to use also. Hubby can no longer weed eat the steep area behind our shed, so the weeds got tall enough to shroud the ornamental grasses planted there. In sheer desperation I've resorted to using Roundup. This weed dauber puts it exactly where I need it, and no more. The long handle allows me to reach the weeds while standing on relatively flat ground. Love it!

Agree with everyone above on the Cobra Head weeder, one of the best tools I own. But I don't use the bulb diggers, I found an easier way to do it ... attach an auger drill head to your cordless drill, comes in sizes for both small bulbs and large. And, conveniently, the larger (3-inch) auger drill is perfect not only for large bulbs, but to plant daylily seedlings or tomato plants in the spring.

amazon has them in a set of two, but the shafts are shorter than the ones I have ...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RYY5ZY5/

I've been using mine for nearly 10 years and they are still in mint condition. Mine are 2-ft long (or maybe 30 inches) and stainless steel, but other than the deeper holes I drill for tomato seedlings, the length of the ones on amazon are probably irrelevant if just used for bulbs or DL seedlings.

Tina, could you share more about the weed dauber? I like the idea of no-spray. However, does it end up using more Roundup because liquid is more concentrated than spray? I can see how this could really help me in the garden.

What a great bunch of tools! I see some great ways to spend my birthday money!

One more great tool, can't believe I forgot to list it... my spear head spade. Cost has gone up since I bought mine, but I would buy it again anyways.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004DTU810/

This shovel digs and divides daylilies easier than any shovel I have ever used. In fact, I was sharing rhubarb with one of my nieces, they wanted to plant some at their new home... my niece insisted she would do the digging, so I handed her my spear head spade.

She was astounded at how easily she cut through the woody rhubarb root mass... ' ... like going through butter!', she said.

Dianne, this looks just like the favorite tool of my friend Nancy Tyner with Hillside Daylilies. She had her handy husband cut a sharp shovel into the same shape. It digs, it slices...

@SunnyinMichigan I've never used a sprayer, so have no comparison. The Dauber has an off valve so once the sponge head is wet I just close the valve to limit waste of product. So far working well for me, and I haven't killed anything I didn't intend to. Also, handle is long, no bending. My old back is very thankful for that!

Tina, like Sunny I like the concept of the Dauber, does it ever drip? I always wanted a Hori Hori knife; I'm going to have to break down one of these days and pay the price.

@RobinSeeds I remember looking at Hori Hori knives a few years back and they were so expensive. Found mine on Amazon last year for less than $30, so it was a bargain. Haven't noticed the dauber dripping so far. I think that might depend on how saturated you let the sponge get. I'm careful with that because the product is expensive. You really don't need to drown the weed, a light brush/touch will do. At least that has been my experience.

@beenthere, now I had to order a Hori Hori knife and Robin, you added to the stampede vibe! The prices on Amazon go down towards $20, which is good, although it's a bit more if one wants the sheath and sharpener stone too. I was happy to find options with a hand guard, as I'm a baby when it comes to knife safety.

shive1 said: What a great bunch of tools! I see some great ways to spend my birthday money!

I always struggle with things to put on the Christmas list, so this thread is giving me a lot of great ideas.