Remove Grass From Mulch Around Tree Roots With A Tool That's Better Than Hand Pulling

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If you have a tree growing in the middle of your lawn or near the edge of it, you've probably applied a ring of mulch around the base of the trunk. It's also likely that you've added edging around the tree, which keeps the mulch from spilling out onto the turfgrass. This mulch and edging combo is a classic lawn care tip to prevent weeds from growing under trees, but does it actually work? Grass can be surprisingly persistent and can gradually infiltrate the edging and grow into the mulch. While it's possible to remove the grass by hand, it's also yet another garden chore you may not want to do. Luckily, there's a common tool that makes the job much easier: the scuffle hoe.

This long-handled weeding tool, also known as a stirrup hoe or hula hoe, alleviates the need for kneeling and bending over when removing the grass — or weeds — from around the base of a tree. It's also one of the gardening tools that will save your back while pulling weeds out at the roots. At the end of the handle is a hinged blade shaped like a stirrup — hence the tool's name. It has sharp blades on both sides of the horizontal bar that slice through the roots of errant grass growing just below the surface of a mulch layer. However, it doesn't dig deep into the ground beneath the mulch, meaning that it's not going to disturb the roots of your tree or move the mulch around too much. What's more, the hoe is less likely to disturb weed seeds lurking in the soil beneath the mulch, ensuring they remain in the dark and don't germinate.

A scuffle hoe is one of the best tools for removing grass in mulch around the base of trees because of its action. You use it in a push-and-pull fashion, just as you would a mop when cleaning the floor of your home. As mentioned, this nifty tool features two sharp blades that first cut through the roots of the grass on the forward sweep and then dislodge the plant from the soil surface on the back sweep. 

For the best results, use a scuffle hoe on grass that has just started to grow, as well as on small, young weeds that have yet to establish their root systems. You'll find a stirrup hoe most useful when tackling swathes of grass seedlings growing in mulch around trees. in late fall and mid-spring. It will take you very little time to uproot these wayward blades with this tool compared to the time it would take you to pull the grass out of the mulch by hand.

Use a scuffle hoe around your mulched trees weekly to keep encroaching grass under control. It's also a better tool to remove weeds and grass from gravel driveways than a rake or torch. The well-rated Baraytus Long-Handled Scuffle Hoe won't break the bank at about $22. You can also get short-handled versions, like the Haliaeetus Scuffle Hoe, which sells for around $27, though this tool will require you to kneel on the ground to use it. To keep your hoe in good working condition, periodically sharpen the blades on the metal end using a hand file or a grinder.