Garden Shredder
A garden shredder is used to break down garden waste such as leaves, branches and twigs. By turning such waste into mulch it can then be used around the garden or if broken down into small shreds then used as compost.
When choosing a garden shredder there is a few things to take into consideration before you buy, these are as follows:
- The noise level and the type of blade used; some garden shredders can be very noisy and the ones that create the most noise usually use a spinning blade in order to chop up the noise. This model unfortunately is usually the cheapest. For a quieter type of garden shredder you can purchase one called 'The silent garden shredder' which will use a different cutting method. This type of model is normally self feeding; they use turning cogs to pull material in and then crush it before cutting it. This makes the process quieter and some may say more efficient, however, they are usually more expensive.
- Choose between an electric shredder or a petrol shredder; The cheapest of the two is normally the electric shredder however keep in mind that you must make sure that the cable is long enough to stretch to wherever you would like to do the shredding.
- A petrol shredder will give you a lot more freedom to move around your garden or work space however are more expensive. It may be worth investing in a petrol shredder for the convenience and for the quality cuttings that they produce however please do keep in mind that you will have the added cost of filling the machine up with petrol and may require more maintenance than the electric model.
- Be informed; make sure you know what is entailed in maintaining your garden shredder. You will have to clean out the shredder on a regular basis as wet garden waste can end up clogging up the machine. You must also have a suitable place for the shredder to live, an electric shredder should not be kept outside and both models should be easily accessible for you to use, and clean out.
- Types of garden waste that you may put in the shredder; you can put plant foliage, leaves, twigs and cuttings from your hedges into the shredder. You may also put fruit and vegetables into the garden shredder.
- Be aware of the size of the waste you can put in the shredder; always make sure you read the guidelines on your shredder to make sure you are not trying to put materials such as twigs or branches into the machine that are too big, in most cases it can handle anything around the 40mm but remember to check your shredder to make sure. It is vital to keep in mind that a garden shredder is no substitute for a chainsaw or log spitter, therefore, in order to maintain it do not over fill it or put materials that are too large in it.