Garden Railways – August 2019

1

Japanese pruning

scissors by

Chikamasa have no

spring to break, no

latch to lose, no need

to constantly sharpen

the steel pointed blades,

and a f luorine resin coating

resists sap. The tiny blades lay

f lat against a tree trunk to neatly

remove whole little branches

from bonsai-type shrubs. I cut

larger branches, too, by swivel-

ing the blades around the girth

while squeezing. If you don’t use a

tool holster, be sure to wear your shears,

while moving about, with the blade

point down in your back pocket so you

won’t stab yourself in the event of a fall.

2

Both a trowel and a scoop, the Gar-

den Works Soil Scoop is good for a

number of railway tasks. It works great

to plant 2-4" sized plants

in loose soil. This tool excels

in working with ballast too.

Kneeling next to the track-

bed, scoopfuls of ballast can

be dug from the bucket,

applied quite precisely and

sprinkled over the ties for that

last topping off to anchor the ties

before misting. Too much ballast? Just

scrape it away using the serrated edge.

3

I kneel a lot, so hard-cap knee pads

from Husky are a necessity. I use

just the bottom strap on my pair. I

bought some for a co-worker who said

he felt “invincible” in them.

4

My MD Building Products Smart-

Tool 24" level lasted almost 20

years (rain isn’t good for electronics)

and used just a few batteries during that

time. The digital 0.0 reading is easier to

see than microscopic hairs. On long

track curves, I like to add a racetrack

superelevation of 1-2% side-to-

side grade (any more and

cabooses on long trains may

cave in to the center). Level

gravel under buildings by dragging the

tool, keeping the 0.0 in sight. If using

a laser level, place it on your smart

level first, as a slight grade is

magnified over distances.

5

Ace Hardware makes a

small plastic whisk broom

that fits in one hand and stays

stiff enough to work ballast

down in between the ties.

Whisk gravel off buildings

or cobwebs off of bridges.

Whack your conifers to

shake out dead leaves

that build up between

the branches.

PRUNERS
For more delicate jobs, like trimming miniature
shrubs or groundcover, use a scissors or pruning
shears. You’ll have more control and be able to
get into smaller spaces. Bypass pruners are able
to cut branches of a larger diameter, so are better
for tougher jobs, like those neglected dwarf
Alberta spruce. When selecting a pruner/shears,
note what the blades are made from. Stainless
steel blades resist corrosion, and coatings like
f luorine stop sap from gumming the blades.

1. 
   

   Ultra Snip Pruning Shears, $14.95 H

   
   


2. 
   

   Softgrip Pruner, $28.99 A

   
   


3. 
   

   7.5" Bypass Pruner, $19.95 E

   
   


4. 
   

   B-500sf Scissors, $28.00 B

   
   

THE EXPERT'S TOP 5 TOOL PICKS

GardenRailways.com 31

By Nancy Norris, GR’s Horticultural Editor

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