Bulb auger?

Has anyone used one? Where did you get it?

Yes I have used a bulb auger. I bought it at Orchard Supply Hardware. I have very very hard clay soil. In some of the losser soil it worked fine, but in the hard areas not well at all. But I din't expect mircles. I found it to be very usefull when using fert. plugs around my trees. That was nice. Was it worth the money spent??I think it was $20 and I probably got $20 use out of it. I don't use it much though.
For what it is worth that is my opinion.
Dayna

my experience is exactly what dayna said. I suspect the good ole shovel is your best bet for bulb planting. But, a labor-saving tip somebody shared with me is to dig a trench, instead of individual holes. To avoid a
"soldier" configuration, you can still place the bulbs willy nilly inside the trench, for a more natural growth pattern. then cover w/ dirt.

Ghia-
I found mine at good ole' home depot.

I paid around the same as everyone else...about $20

I'm with Vossner...don't like the "lined up soldiers" type of bulb planting, but in one instance was very, very glad to have this tool. I had a bed with a lot already planted, and wanted to stick a few surprise lilies in there.

They needed to be 6 inches deep, and I wanted them tucked in around the other plantings. If I'd have trenched to plant them, I'd have dug up all my other stuff.

The bulb auger was especially helpful in digging deeply and narrowly, in these "tight quarters".

In a new bed, or not very crowded bed, I'd just use a sharpshooter shovel and rip an informal row. But if you need to get around other things, the auger is great.

Also, if your soil is compacted, the auger will require patience. We hadn't had rain in a while when I used mine, so the soil was hardened. I had to go down a few inches, then come back up...clean the blade, and go down, again. I had to do this about three times per hole. It was a pain in the neck, but still much better than redigging the entire bed.

If you have nice, soft soil, it will be a breeze!
-T

Any old hammer drill makes it a lot easier than a regular drill. I don't think most cordless drills would cut it, either

Hubby has a 14v cordless. He saw this bulb auger and was like "I can help plant your bulbs this fall, how fun this " I did not know how it works or do I just let him have it and let him help.

I bought a cheepie at Christmas Tree Shop which is a delightful shopping organization here in New England. It came with a weed pulling bit and was 4.99. don't you just love a bargain? as their advertising goes. They have usually got lots of interesting pots and gardening stuff most of the year including bagged fall bulbs for not too much money. I tried the auger out, but I didn't want to ruin my husband's drill. you have to clear the grass and weeds first or it tangles up in the bit but otherwise worked pretty well. I am going to find his old electric drill with the cord. I have miles of extension cord and this should do the trick. However, the drill doesn't come with hubby attached, as he is plant indifferent {up from plant challenged for the last three years!} but he does like his cordless drill, so I can't work it into the ground. More bulbs coming in addition to the several bags obtained at the Christmas tree shop and other places so there is planting to be done.
Martha

I think I agree with everyone!
If possible, dig a trench. That's the fastest way to plant a lot of bulbs.

I have a bulb auger, DH likes to use it an help so that's great when we plant 2500 tulips that need shallow holes AND there are already things in the beds. If he's not helping, I just use a trowel

He said there is no way it would work right with a cordless, I think they just know these things and leave it alone

If you're digging a deep hole, moist soil really helps but if you are like me and have tree roots everywhere, take care. That drill with an auger can really wrench your shoulder when you hit a root.

I'm also a big fan of the transplant spade for deep bulbs that are a distance apart like lilies.

Got my auger at Lowes also about $20. Found it with the bulbs
cynthia

I bought a cheap one from van bourgondien (15.00) which I used all day yesterday. The best part is that my DH loved using it, so the planting of 100's of Tulips and Daffodils went very very well. It was super fast in our garden beds. It worked OK in going through sod to naturalize areas of the yard, but we don't have any rocks. It took no time to plant masses of muscari and scilla as well. We have another couple of days of planting to do, so I hope it holds up. I will most likely buy a more substantial one in the future. I would spring for a 25.00 model in a heart beat! We are heading out to do some more drilling now. Patti

This message was edited Oct 24, 2006 4:02 PM

the best way to go if you have hard clay is a life time warranty heavy duty pitchfork from home depot. put the shovels away and go invest 30 bucks. i bought one about 6 yrs. ago. about every year to a year and a half my pitch fork breaks in the dirt. i load it up, go back to home depot and trade it in for a brand new model............all for my original 30 bucks. i am on number 5, i think. they give me a new one every year or so, no questions asked. if you are trying to make a new bed turn the water hose on that area for about 15-20 minutes before you dig. that way the dirt comes up with a lot of the larger chunks gone.
the first 4 pitchforks were the kodiak brand. this year they had the rigid brand. this is the best 30 dollars i ever spent.