CobraHead Weeder and Cultivater Review
A New Tool for My War on Weeds
Debbie Teashon
Philip Bloomquist, a professional gardener from Kitsap County, Washington, shows how to use the tool on tap-rooted weeds.
Not too many garden tools get me excited. My old standbys for weeding are a shovel, hoe, and mattock—that’s all this woman needs to tackle willful plants. Nevertheless, when a CobraHead Weeder and Cultivator showed up in a swag bag I received during a North Carolina Garden Blogger’s Fling, I was intrigued! I eyed it with suspicion—it looked impressively wicked—and put my finger to the tip of the blade. Sharp!
When I returned home to the Pacific Northwest, I tossed the tool into my garden bucket and soon forgot about it. A couple of months later I wanted to tackle some couch grass growing in my gravel walkway. In the bucket sat the unused and still pristine weeding tool. I decided to try it, hoping my chore might be less boring if I used a new weapon. I pulled the CobraHead out and waved it menacingly at the grass. Whisking the CobraHead Weeder and Cultivator across a thick stand of offending grass, I was amazed at how the wicked-looking tool made short work out of the task. For the deeper-rooted weeds, I pushed the blade down behind the unwanted plant and pulled it towards me. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the weeds popped out of the gravel and how easily they came out of the crevices between pavers.
This morning I tackled an area that was a virtual cornucopia of weeds on a rock wall. Large flagstones, which are used as a bench, sit on top on this wall. The soil in the crevices between the stones was packed down so badly that the spaces needed to be retrenched and replanted. I grabbed the Cobrahead weeder and easily pulled the excess soil and weeds out, cultivating as I went. I was able to complete the task quickly with the tool, after which I planted sedum rosettes in the newly repaired trenches, washed down the square flagstones, and finished my chore with a nice cup of tea.
A tool has to be amazing to get me to use it more than my three implements of habit. After using Cobrahead tool for a month, I’m finding new uses for it, such as scratching in fertilizer around plants. When I reach into my arsenal, I find myself selecting this new tool almost every time. I like that the manufacturer uses an organic polymer on the blade that protects it from rust—the coating breaks down into a nontoxic, biodegradable substance. Manufactured in the USA, the handles and blades are made from recycled materials. The handle—made out of reprocessed polypropylene and flax—is comfortable to use and works in either the left or right hand. In addition, keeping the blade sharpened is as easy as sharpening your kitchen knives!
I recommend this weeding and cultivating tool because it makes short work of garden chores, it’s affordable, and made in our country: a winning combination of great reasons to own the Cobrahead Weeder and Cultivator.
Photographed in author's garden.
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton