Watch Mike work an action hoe like a pro!
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Have You Ever Seen An Action Hoe?
Last updated : November 12, 2019
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[…] Right about here I’m going to toss in a short video that I just made because this is really about Interrupting the life cycle of weeds. This video also sorta features the Action Hoe which I have shown you in the past. […]
Mike I imagined a stabbing hoe to get deep under weeds to cut the roots. I found one ready made in the hardware called a Dutch hoe. I liked it at first but it kills my shoulders.. Am using it wrong or is this a bad idea?
George,
I’m not sure, the Action Hoe is pretty easy to use depending on the size of the weeds. It works great for keeping a bed weed free but it might take another tool like a nursery spade to get it weed free to start.
WHY ??would you tear up those beautiful flowers from around that tree? Kinda stupid to me.
Mm, he said they were days away from a frost. I do this as well, much easier than dealing with the sad slimy mess the morning after a hard freeze! Also a great way to encourage a surprise Indian summer lol, a week of going ” darn it… should have waited!” >.<
George,
Days away from a frost that is sure to destroy those annual flowers. It’s far easier to deal with them now then later.
I have two stirrup hoes. One with the long handle and one with a short handle about a foot and a half long. The short handle one you can go down a row of vegetables in a minute and get real close to the plants. The only disadvantage of the short one is you need to bend over.
I have two of them and a hand one for my raised garden beds. Best invention since the weed
Great tool and f you like to weed. I prefer to mulch.
Great tool if you like to weed. I prefer to mulch.
Where can I buy this new tool ?
Ronald Beville
Ronald,
Amazon or a good hardware store would have them.
Where can I buy this new tool ?
Hula hoe.
Have used them for years, Scuttle hoe
What mine was named HulaHoe !
Amazon
That’s the name I know them by as well! Great tool!
Yep, Hula Hoe from abut 30 years ago. I bought one then and still have it. It works great,just like you said. It looked like an off the wall idea, but it actually works.
Hi Mike
I first saw one of these on “The Victory Garden” Television show and it was called a stirrup hoe. I thought I wanted one and happened to find one at a flea market so I bought it. I really do like it.
Hi Mike,
Boy that is a GREAT little tool, i Love it! Do You sell it? I will just Have to get one of them! I have never seen anything like it, but i can just tell how good it would work.. Thanks for showing it! You make it look pretty easy..
Kathy.
Kathy,
You can get them at just about any hardware store.
We always called it a stirrup hoe. Takes the work out of weeding.
I love all your videos and articles. I’ve learned so much! How about writing about hydrsngea. I have 54, but can always learn more. Thank you. You’re the best.
Hi Bonnie, check out what Mike had to say about Hydrangeas here:
https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/?s=hydrangeas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu9PzMZdg60&list=UUJpWafkPQoOJRGwgAllDNiQ
I’ve been using these critters for over 40 years. I’ve always called them a ‘scuffle hoe’, a friend insists they are ‘stirrup hoes’. You are right about one thing, not many people have seen or used them, no matter what one calls them!
My fascination with hoes was why the wife left me.
Have had my Hula Hoe about 15 year. Still works great..
Wow, I really like the way that hoe works, I have bad knees,so standing up would be great. Thanks for the information.
HI MIKE
YOU SHOWED ME HOW TO GROW JAPANESE MAPLES WITH SEED. THE METHOD STARTS IN FEB. MY BEAUTIFUL LACE LEAF MABLES DIDN’T PRODUCE SEED LAST FALL. NOW I’M HOPING THAT THEY BECOME PREGNANT IN NEXT SPRING. WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE>
hey thank MIKE my sister got she love it keep all the info coming
i’ve used my for years. love your articles
My dad got two of these the when I was a kid (now I am 62). They called them hula hoes back then . I am still using the original two and are the only thing I use in the garden to weed ,They are GREAT !
I’ve had one of these hoes for 4 or 5 years, and I love it. I’ve not used a regular hoe since I got this one. I got mine at Lowes, and it was less than $20. If mine breaks today, I’ll buy another one tomorrow.
Mike, I have had three of these hoes and liked them but found they don’t stand up to hard surfaces. I have worn them all out. Yours looked like a heavy duty one..what is the model/manufacturer?
Bill, I have to guess here, but I’m pretty sure Ames is the model I like the best.
thanks Mike
AMDG
carl
I bought a Hooke and Crooke hoe this past summer for my garden. This thing is the best I’ve ever seen. Go to holdredgeenterprise.com and watch the videos. I bought the Heron style. Cuts my work time by at least eighty percent while hoeing out the garden.
Holdredgeenterprises.com. I left off an s
I have a Homelite tiller that is small like the mantis and it does it good too. But, I need a new motor and I can’t find one anywhere. It is a HTC12. Anyone??
LOL – NOW I know what that ‘weird’ tool in the shed is for!!! That thing just got moved around quite a bit, but never used….Ohhhh, can’t wait to get to the garden with that tool!!! Thanks 🙂
I’ve been useing this for a long time and really like it.
I have an action hoe and beware they are super sharp. They slice through the soil and cut out the weeds. One was left out and sliced my toe, so be careful with this great tool.
I have had one of these for years, some one wanted to know how to sharpen it, You use a file
Thanks Mike !.Thanks again that looks terrific, where can I find The action hoe .Thanks again.Mercy
Thanks for showing me how this hoe is used. I want to buy one, but I see that there are several brands available. Do you have a favorite brand that you would recommend? Thanks!
Thanks for the dimatration, I went out and bought me one at Sears they had them on sell $ 13.00 can’t wait to try it. Thanks Again, Michael,and Jean.
Thanks for showing this, Mike. I remember the “Hula Hoe” too. Dates us, doesn’t it! Looks like just the thing I’ve been needing. Will “add it to my collection”.
That is a dandy tool to have.
Got to have one but maybe next spring.
What about flowers that have bulbs?
They will still come back and multiplies….
Like day lilies, tiger lilies, tulips.
Sure would be nice to have closed captioned, too.
It is a great gardening tool, we have had one for several years now, first one we purchased was at an Ace Hardware store, then we moved to Texas and tried finding another, finally we found one at Lowe’s. We now have two and would not be without one. It is the greatest gardeining tool we’ve ever had and we are in our 60’s.
Tip for easy weeding — on a day you know will be sunny, hula-hoe (or action hoe) your dirt when the weeds sprout. The sun will dry out the soil and kill the seedlings. No mess to clean up.
I bought one of these when I lived in California 30 years ago. It was called a Hula-Ho. I stil have it, but rarely use it now that I live in Oklahoma. There’s too much clay in the soil.
We have had these in CA. for about 50 years. They are called “hula hoes” out here and are a must for any yard or garden
Great hoe!
I bought one at a yard sale for 1 dollar and I love it !!!
Show me a demo with REAL weeds
Great tool! It’s also good for edging in areas where your lawn might meet an area of dirt. We use it where the infield meets the outfield at our park’s baseball fields!
The garden center ones are not as good as those that are Swiss made. Johnny’s Select seeds carries them in three sizes. I got the (largest) 7 inch size for big time weeding, and the (smallest) 3 1/4 inch size for weeding inbetween plants. There is also a 5 inch size available, which is what I started with. These Swiss made ones seem to move more freely than the garden center ones, making them easier to work with.
Thanks for the info on the action hoe. I,ve seen them but never really understood their use.
thanks Mike,i could really use this tool.weeding is such a chore! some comments mentioned the commercials about an a hula hoe and it bought back memories of that commercial.i wasn’t into gardening then but i will get one as soon as possible.thanks for the tip.
Mike, thanks again for the video. These are very useful tools in the garden.
I have had one of these for a few years. Works great between rows of vegs. Got mine at Menards for a reasonable price.. First saw it on P. Allen Smith’s program. Great for cleaning up the top soil without killing all the great little worms and bugs underneath.
I got one like it at the hardware store and they called it a dutch hoe- just a little narrower than yours and it doesn’t pivot – I keep it sharp and it does an awesome job!!
I love my dutch hoe! Best garden tool by far! Works so well in between the rows of the garden. I like to keep mine sharp too
I’ve only heard it refered to as a scuffle hoe, so I guess it must be a regional thing. This is the ONLY type of hoe I use anymore. I’ve given all of my other hoes to my neighbor.
Wow, I would have waited for the frost before taking out the flowers. The weather forecasts aren’t always that accurate.
Janet, time is a precious commodity in my world. I had the time and they were short lived for sure.
I thought it was pretty amazing how that thing wiped out those flowers! Would work great on tumbleweeds out here in West Texas. I know what you mean about time being a precious commodity, it seems there is never enough if it. Great info Mike!
Great tool. I’ve used one for years.
Back in CT we call it a stirup hoe.
I actually have the wolf that has the action hoe behind the tiller head, it’s a terrific tool….that is if your soil isn’t made of rock!
Wouldn’t garden without it! Do landscaping, we refer to it as a scuffle hoe.
I’ve owned the same one since 1982 (called a “Hula Hoe” back then).
Over time, the edges will get dull.
Had to sharpen the edges only twice with a file since I bought it.
Works great except on very hard soil.
If your soil is that hard, you should till it anyway.
Yes, I have had one of these for years. I used to use it in my garden I didn’t know they were still out there. thank you
Thank you Mike, as always a great show. Your how to videos are my favorite tools. I keep them for reference. If I need to know how but it’s been a while I go back and watch one of your videos
I love that tool, if you keep it sharp, it’s almost a weapon in the garden. If you get too aggressive, you can do some serious plant damage. It’s a wonderful too.
Am I just TOO OLD, or doesn’t everyone remember the old TV commercials in the late ’60’s and early ’70’s, where these were telemarketed as “HULA HOES” ? All you had to do is call the toll-free number and pay way-too-high a price and they’d ship you one! Now I have one I got at a box store and it works absolutely great.
I just wish that Mike would tell us how to properly maintain the things! Do they ever need to be sharpened? And, if so, how do I do it? – Mark Shipp, Malvern, AR
Mark, just take a file to it. You don’t want it razor sharp, but you don’t want any knicks that cause resistance either. I sharpen my spades, mattock and spud bar as well. Sharp tools take the work out of things, but wear steel toe shoes! Sharp tools can be dangerous.
Yes, the Hula Hoe was invented by a good friend of mine back in Kingsburg, CA about 1964. I’ve used mine for years, actually wore the first one through the metal over the years. Sharpening not necessary because you are literally cleaning and sharpening with each stroke but if you really want it can be sharpened. Doesn’t work as well though, cuts instead of pulling.
I have one of theses, It works great and saves alot of time.
O.K. Where do we get one?
Oh yes Mike I too have one of these and you are RIGHT it is the best tool to have for your garden! Its a must have. I got mine at Home Depot.
My mom has one and I use it in her garden! I thought it was a silly tool at first but once I started to use it I was amazed! Thanks for letting more folks know about this tool, it will save a TON of hands and knees weed pulling!
GASP…Oh no… those beautiful flowers!! I can’t believe you took them out!! But I must admit that tool is a handy little thing to have around – for weeds tho, not flowers. Haha. Thanks Mike!
Dee, the flowers did their job, their time is about up and I had the time to deal with them.
Thanks Mike, that is one tool we don’t have that looks like we need!
Mike, I have had an action hoe for years. As you say, it is one of the best gardening tools.
Doesn’t take a lot of effort to use, either. I don’t want to be without mine!! Thanks for you for all your tips, etc. I enjoy your newsletter. Miriam Smith, St. Matthews, SC
I am definitely gonna invest in this garden gadget. I wish I had known about it earlier; it sure would have been useful in our small pumpkin patch! Thank you for introducing it.
i have seen this hoe, but never used one.
i wish, you and other interesting sites with video would also print dialog for those of us who cannot hear you. it would help enormously as i and i am sure others, are not good at reading lips on videos.
You can find a printed article about action hoes on Mike’s http://freeplants.com/ website here:
http://freeplants.com/garden-hoe.htm
Kathy Anderson
Mike’s Assistant
I love this tool and have used it for years! It’s so simple to use ~ easier than a vaccuum!!!
50 years, or there about, these were new and called hula hoes.
Very handy for the garden. I used one for years.
Mike, This is a great tool. I have been using one for the past 20 years or so.
I’ve always known it as a scuffle hoe.
thanks for the tip Mike…. that looks alot easier than trying to rake em out
We called them “Hula Hoe’s” when I was a kid in CA. Everyone had one. I’m amazed now that I live in TX how few people know what they are or even how to work one!
I have one of these hoes and they are great, disturb the soil less than regular ones.
I’ve never seen one of those before or if I did, I sure didn’t know what I was looking at. Thanks for demonstrating it!
I do and we love to use it to weed and edge
Thanks for the info. This looks like someting that I will look for. Maybe now when a lot of gardening things are going on sale.
You can’t have enough good hoes around. Thanks for the heads-up. May you and yours always be well.
I have one of these we called it a hula hoe and yes I love it for all the reasons you gave
My sister in CA had one these also called a Hula Hoe and swore by it. I need one NOW!!! 🙂