For my birthday this past July a friend gave me a Hori-Hori knife.  I was quite surprised because we had both attended the same gardening conference the previous year and she purchased a hori-hori tool for herself.  I liked seeing her new tool and decided to get one for myself, however by the time I got to the vendors area at this conference, he was all sold out of hori-hori knives!  Some time passed, and I kinda forgot about the knife.  However, my friend kept exclaiming about how she was enjoying her knife and how it was such a useful tool for so many garden jobs, especially for splitting Hosta, (a job I Ioath).   Well, this year she went to the same garden conference and I asked her to pick me up a hori-hori knife and I would pay her back.  She returned from the conference this year only to tell me that the knife salesman sold out of all his hori-hori knives once again before she could get there. (Boy are these a popular tool or what).

So, you can imagine my surprise when my friend presented me with this long sought after present!  I just LOVE this tool.  It is my “go to” garden tool, my “Jack of all trades” tool, “don’t know how I gardened before it” tool.  Ya, I like it a lot so I would like to share it with our readers as the October Horticultural tip of the month.

The word “Hori” in Japanese means “to dig” and “hori-hori” relates to the repetitive digging activity. The tool is referred to by many names such as: “soil knife”, “weeding knife”, “leisure knife” and “Sansai knife”.   Sansai is the Japanese word for “mountain vegetables” that grow wild naturally in certain regions of Japan and are harvested by local farmers using their hori-hori knives. Many of the vegetables harvested in the wild are difficult or delicate such as bamboo shoots, Japanese Knotweed, field garlic and Fiddlehead Ferns. The knife is razor sharp on both sides of the blade.  The blade is serrated on one side and smooth and VERY sharp on the other. It is tough and durable, but it can delicately excise small bulbs and rootlets as well.  Functionally it can be a knife, a saw, a digging tool, and a depth measuring device (since the blade is marked off in inches).  The knife size varies from 11 to 15 inches long (handle to tip), and can weigh a hefty 10 to 18 ounces. The blade is made of carbon steel or stainless steel.  It is concave shaped to make it ideal for digging or prying.  In the garden it is excellent for hacking out tough old weeds, cutting roots, transplanting and splitting perennials.  I highly recommend this tool for all the tough jobs that you encounter in the garden.  It will surely become your “go to “ yard tool for all seasons.

Prices average $19.00 to $29.99 but can be as high as $50.00 (with accessories).  They are available on line at Amazon as well as Home Depot. 

PS.  Be careful, this thing is SHARP.  Get a scarab or protective sheath to carry it around