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On BBC Radio 4's Gardener's Question
Time,
the team was asked: "What advantage, if any, do copper gardening
tools have over steel or iron ones?" Read more
...
We
have had a great deal of feedback from users of the tools. Here
is a selection from the comments in our feedback
folder. Read more ...
And
here are some longer comments. The first one is from Bioforce, a company
that grows and prepares medicinal herbs. Read
more ... Here
are a couple more reports
about the slug and snail
effect. Read more ...
On
Sunday 2nd September 2007, on BBC Radio 4's Gardener's Question Time,
the following question was put to the team:
"What
advantage, if any, do copper gardening tools have over steel or iron
ones?"
Chairman:
Do they have an advantage, Chris Beardshaw? Chris
Beardshaw: There are various theories, ... one of which is that in many
soils copper is deficient, and therefore by using copper gardening tools,
because copper and copper-derived tools are relatively soft, what you are
doing when you're digging in the ground is you are leaving a small residue
which will then help to make up for the deficit. So
that's the kind of broad theory. Although I have to say that copper and
copper-based gardening tools are relatively few on the ground and there are
only a few people who use them, of which I know Bob is one. Chairman:
Why, Bob? Bob
Flowerdew: Well, the one I use is a trowel. It's actually not copper,
it's phosphor bronze, which is considerably harder although it's mostly
copper. It has other things in it which makes it harder. I
must say it has the best edge of any trowel I've ever used, and it's held an
edge for three years. So bronze is not as soft as people think. It's very,
very good, it works well, it's heavier than steel which is a slight handicap
but not much. But
there are actually other reasons, esoteric reasons. Did you know that
between the great wars there was actually a man in Germany making a living
gold-plating people's ploughs because they had the theory that again gold
was very effective. You could have a cheaper copper-plated plough, but of
course the gold-plated plough was the one. And
there are other theories. A lot of people think that magnetism affects
plants, and of course copper is non-magnetic. And so when you dig with a
non-magnetic tool people believe it has a different effect to digging with a
magnetic one. I
personally don't give a lot of credence to that, but certainly I have found
them (to) work well, so that's the best reason.
Here
is a selection from the comments in our feedback
folder.
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"The Polux hoe is a lovely strong
tool that survives my flint filled garden. Other tools bend!"
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| "The
slug community in my garden has definitely reduced
as I have not seen the usual 'traffic queue' now the
mornings are becoming moist and dewy."
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| "The
tools are light and easy on the hand when working,
but best of all they somehow manage to stay clean,
even though we have typical clay based Essex
gardens."
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| "The
Sirius Hoe is absolutely brilliant. Perfect to use - so light
and easy. Just the right size and weight, and it's true - it has
helped to reduce the slug population. My best tool."
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| "The
Castor Trowel is worth every penny. It makes
gardening so easy when you are disabled and have to
sit or kneel. No matter how hard the soil is, it just
glides through it."
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| "My
wife swears by our trowel and our hoe. She says
that the difference is that with her iron trowel
whenever she comes to a piece of ground again after a
few weeks it feels rock solid and takes really hard
work whereas after going over it once with the copper
it remains light and easily worked."
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| "This
is the best trowel I have ever used. It is
much tougher than it looks and is perfect for prizing
out stones. It is the one tool that I would rescue
from my shed if it caught fire." (Castor Trowel)
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| "This
is the first spade I have been able to dig my
allotment with and not have back pain!" (Orion
Spade)
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And
here are some longer comments. The first one is from Bioforce, a company
that grows and prepares medicinal herbs.
"Copper
tools are a worthwhile investment.
Copper is antimicrobial, making it a more hygienic material to work with.
It is not a base metal so it does not extract oxygen from the air to form
oxides. This means it does not rust the way metals like iron do. More
important, it is non-magnetic and conducts electricity. The overall effect
on soil worked by copper tools rather than those made from other metals is
that they retain more nutrients. It does not disturb the magnetic field, but
in fact connects any breaks to make the area of soil being worked on more
harmonious. Additionally, copper does not leave a trail of magnetic residue
that would attract snails and slugs. They follow an iron trail – the
magnetic signature left by an iron tool - but not a copper one!"
Bioforce
(UK) Ltd, 2 Brewster Place, Irvine, Ayrshire KA11 5DD
Tel: (01294) 277344
Fax: (01294) 277944
"You
should require only a few tools so it is worth buying good ones. The best I
have found are made of copper in Austria (www.implementations.co.uk)
and last extremely well because copper does not rust. My copper trowel has
kept sharp, has a useful pointed end, and has outlived two stainless steel
trowels from a well-known store, which simply snapped at a poorly designed
weak point below their handle."
From
ORGANIC
GARDENING The Natural No-Dig Way by
Charles Dowding, Green Books 2007, p.21. More details at www.charlesdowding.co.uk
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"I bought my trowel at the Malvern Autumn Show
two years ago, with birthday money. £20 seemed a lot to pay for a trowel at
the time, but it proved to be worth every penny as it is such a pleasure to
use. The edge is so sharp you can use it almost like a sickle to cut down
growth, and the blade goes through soil like a hot knife through butter.
As Secretary of Beeston in Bloom
(Beeston, Leeds that
is, a very Urban Community) I do a lot of gardening in the community, in
troughs and planters, community gardens, the local park and so on, in
addition to my own small garden. My trowel has had more than average use I
would say. Unfortunately I left it behind on one of our projects; how I
could be so careless I don't know because I treasured it. I hope whoever has
it now appreciates it!
Anyway, I couldn't live without it, so I sent off for
a new one as soon as I discovered my loss.
My own garden used to be plagued with snails, and the
problem has definitely reduced since I started tilling with the bronze
trowel. I have recommended it to my friends, but
they all think "£20 for a trowel!" It isn't until you actually
use it that you realise what an investment it is. I wish I could afford a
spade, but that will have to wait.
Congratulations on an excellent product."
Vivienne Bate, November 2006
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"We
started using a copper trowel in the garden some two years ago and we have
had wonderful hostas and other plants ever since. Up to that time, slugs and
snails had been a major problem in the garden, with hosta leaves looking
like fine lace. We still find the odd nibble on a plant but we can live with
that.
...
Whatever the scientific validity of the theory, in practice the use of
copper tools seems to work!"
The
Hardy Plant Society Sussex Group Newsletter, Spring 2005
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"I
needed to prepare a bed for my French Beans which was weedy and had two
plastic bags of leaves on it, gathered last Autumn. There were a lot of
large slugs under them which I left where they were. I weeded in my usual
way using an iron fork where necessary for deep rooted weeds. I then
cultivated using a copper cultivator and a copper rake. This was all done on
very dry soil.
Next
day I planted some Swiss Chard. The following day there was no slug damage
so I planted my French Beans. This was all about 10 days ago and there is
still no slug damage to be seen!"
Mike
Spence, Hampshire, July 2005
Here
are a couple more reports about the slug and snail
effect:
from
Handley
Organics, Bromyard Herefordshire: trialled
in tunnels - noticed a large reduction in slugs & snails - now
in 4th year. from
Janet Wilkin: I
have a Phoenix Hoe and trowel and use them on my salad table. I
have never had slugs or snails (there) and we are on clay soil with
lots of the horrid things. from
Kate Doubleday:
I have been using PKS Copper
gardening tools for 6 years (I think it is that) and I really love
these tools - excellent for delicate weeding with really comfortable
handles and sharp 'digging deep' bespoke designs. I
remember reading with my daughter about the Egyptians when she was
young and we discovered that they also used copper for their garden
tools. I highly recommend these tools and they do seem to keep the
slugs and snails away too.
(Kate has a wonderful
website, by the way)
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If
you are a user of the tools, we would like to hear how you have got on
with them.
Please
contact us.
I
look forward to hearing from you.
Jane
Cobbald
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