When it comes to using a drill instead of a shovel, the heavy-duty garden auger drill bit is truly a revolutionary tool for today's landscaper. Gardening has always required a lot of physical activity and digging, which takes up a lot of time. Before there was the drill, we used our hands (and backs) to use either a spade, trowel, or handheld post-hole digger to create holes for planting. These three tools have made many of us physically tired, bent over repetitively and taken up much of our time. A garden auger is simply a long, large industrial-sized screw that will attach to a regular handheld power drill. Using the drill's mechanical torque, this device drills into the earth like a surgeon. Instead of physically having to dig each hole, the garden auger allows you to utilize your drill to make holes in your yard quickly and efficiently. There is no other way to describe what the garden auger does except as an advantage for anyone who is responsible for taking care of a backyard garden, a commercial landscape, or a reforestation project. With its unique design and spiral flighting, the garden auger pulls the soil upwards and outwards as it spirals downward into the earth. It leaves behind a perfect hole that is exactly the right size and shape for placing your plant roots into. At the same time, the garden auger breaks down the dirt into small particles that allow for easy filling in of new plant root balls.

A heavy-duty garden auger's true power is how well it is constructed and how versatile it is with different types of soil. High quality models are typically made of carbon steel or high strength alloy steel. Many models are finished with a rust resistant coating so they will resist corrosion due to exposure to moisture and acidic conditions. Unlike lower-end consumer version models that can break if they hit something hard, the heavy-duty model will continue to perform under pressure because of its reinforced shaft and sharp leading edge that can cut through hardened clay soil, rocky terrain and thick rooted areas. Because most drills operate at speeds of up to 2000 RPM, you can easily drill dozens of holes where you could only get one done by hand. That is why the garden auger is especially useful during the Spring planting season when you have to put hundreds of bulbs and/or bedding plants in the ground before the weather gets too warm.

While digging holes for planting flowers and shrubs is probably the most common use for a garden auger, there are other uses for this versatile tool on your property. One example is deep feeding trees. A garden auger allows you to feed your tree's root system with fertilizer or loosen compacted soil around perennial plants without damaging the surrounding lawn. Another good example is when installing temporary fencing and mail boxes or decorative lighting in your garden. An auger provides a consistent diameter hole for placing your fence posts or mailbox supports and allows them to stand straight and level. And although less commonly thought about, a garden auger is handy for other non-gardening type activities. Examples include blending batches of concrete mix, paint or liquid fertilizers together in a bucket, or even drilling holes through ice for Winter fishing. While there are certainly many advantages to using a garden auger, one of the biggest benefits is reducing the physical burden that gardening puts on you. Since you don't have to manually dig holes anymore, you protect yourself from chronic stress associated with repeated bending and straining from digging by hand. This makes gardening available to everyone regardless of age or physical limitations.

If you want to get the most out of your heavy duty garden auger then you need to know how it works with the soil. Typically working in a short intervals (allowing enough time to remove the loosened soil from the hole every 6-12 inches) and the clearing debris away from the auger as it turns will help keep it from getting stuck in wet clay. Working safely with a heavy-duty auger is extremely important since they produce significant amounts of torque. To maintain control and avoid injury and hold onto both handles on your drill tightly and keep your work area free from overhead utilities. As the soil is being turned, air pockets will be created throughout the soil profile providing better drainage for your new plantings' roots and nutrients will be absorbed more readily. This promotes healthy growth by giving your new plantings a head start versus planting into 'glazed' clay soils left behind after digging with a shovel.

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