Life has been busy, and the garden has become unruly. Thanks to a burst of unusually hot weather in May and then sporadic downpours ever since, the weeds have happily made themselves at home. The leaves of the spent spring bulbs I planted in the front garden beds are yellow and dry. There’s a bramble I’m now swerving to get to the front door and there are several containers in need of a refresh. Thankfully, I have one tool that can take each of these gardening tasks on: The Hori Hori.

Sometimes referred to as a Japanese gardening knife, soil knife or weeding knife, the Hori Hori, which literally means ‘dig, dig,’ was traditionally used by Japanese farmers and foragers to unearth mountain vegetables (sansai). But it wasn’t long before the strength and versatility of the Hori Hori was recognised by gardeners.

Since moving to a bigger space with a ‘grown-up garden’, I’ve decided to slowly start upgrading my collection of (knackered) inherited tools, and after a decent pair of pruners, Niwaki of course, the Hori Hori was next on the list.

It’s a knife that looks like it means business and is widely dubbed as a cult favourite amongst gardeners. Niwaki’s original Hori Hori has a 167mm carbon steel blade and a beech handle. Its sharp edges slice through weeds, while the subtle concave face helps with digging in tight spaces. But its talents extend well beyond weeding and digging – from drilling seed beds to scraping out root-bound pots, each job can be tackled easily, without switching between tools.

The alluvial soil in our new garden is a mix of sand, clay, silt and gravel, but the compacted, balding lawn, shaded by an overgrown hornbeam, is tougher. The Hori Hori seems to handle both without complaint, and I suspect it would have made light work of our old garden’s heavy clay soil too, as the knife’s slim profile and sharp sides are built to cut through sticky layers, though if you’re working with very hard or stony soil you might need to sharpen the blade more regularly – but more on that later!

Lifting bulbs

By early to mid-summer, spent bulb foliage has usually dried and yellowed, and this is your cue to lift and store the dormant bulbs beneath it. Gardeners lift bulbs mainly to free up space for summer planting, thin congested clumps, or protect tender or vulnerable bulbs from rot, pests, or accidental damage over winter. (If your bulbs are naturalised in grass or borders and flowering well, it’s often best to leave them undisturbed, since lifting unnecessarily can do more harm than good.)

I had a mix of tulips, daffodils, muscari and crocus to deal with. Tulips are the ones worth prioritising, since they’re prone to rot if left in damp soil over summer; the others lift and store well too, provided the foliage has properly died back first, but they generally don’t need lifting until the clumps become congested, flowering begins to fail or you want to use the space for something else, which I do.

Using the Hori Hori, I rooted around for each bulb and popped them into old egg trays to dry separately in a cool, dark, well-ventilated spot. Once dry, I’ll store them in paper bags, away from direct sunlight, until I’m ready to plant them in the autumn. Another task the Hori Hori will be ideal for.

Clearing out old pots

Clearing containers full of compacted soil and old roots or releasing rootbound plants can be tricky with a trowel. The Hori Hori scoots around the inside of a plant pot far more cleanly as the blade’s concave face releases soil and roots without the knife binding or sticking. The pointed tip is equally useful for gently teasing out tightly wound roots free without tearing them.

I don’t have herbaceous perennials in my garden old enough to be divided, but when that time comes, the knife’s precision makes it ideal for working through masses of roots without causing damage.

Tackling the weeds.

The blade slid easily into the soil between plants I didn’t want to disturb, lifting weeds out with the tap root intact. For a job that could have been tedious, it was dealt with quickly thanks to the knife.

The odd jobs

As I moved around the garden, I kept finding new uses for the knife: slicing open a bag of compost, pulling back soil to create the perfect-sized hole for plug plants, backfilling with the pointed tip, even flicking the odd snail off a flower head.

For someone facing a garden re-design and lots of new planting, wielding a Hori Hori at this early stage of the process feels oddly comforting.

Perhaps presumptuously I have kitted myself out with Niwaki’s Hori Hori Pro. The Pro bit indicates a host of subtle upgrades from the original, including a longer blade and SK-5 carbon steel blade, a high-carbon alloy prized for holding a sharp edge while staying tough enough not to chip easily. It’s also lighter than the original, and the beech wood handle has been redesigned, making it easier and more comfortable to handle over long periods of time. The sides of the knife are sharp and straight, and the tip has one longer angled edge for more accurate slicing.

Like all carbon steel tools, though, it needs regular care to stay clean and sharp, and for that you’ll need a bucket of water, a Niwaki Clean Mate, a #1000 grit sharpening stone, kitchen towel or an old rag, and Niwaki Camellia Oil.

1. Submerge the sharpening stone in the bucket of water and leave it until the bubbles stop rising – it needs to be fully saturated before use.

2. Brush off any loose dirt.

3. Dip your clean mate into the water and, using light pressure, rub up and down the blade to remove any grime and rust. Wipe the loosened debris away with a rag or kitchen towel.

4. Place the sharpening stone against the blade at roughly a 30-degree angle and move it in smooth, consistent strokes along the edge of the blade. The more often you sharpen, the quicker the job becomes. It may take several minutes if you’re doing a once-a-year clean.

5. Dry the blade thoroughly, then apply a thin coat of camellia oil to the whole blade to protect the metal from rust.

Another style of Hori Hori knife has a smooth blade on one-side and a serrated edge on the other. It’s ideal for cutting through roots and dividing mature plants. At Niwaki, this style is dubbed the S-Type Hori Hori. It’s made from stainless steel, so it’s lighter and easier to maintain, but not as strong as SK-5 Carbon Steel, so take care not to use it as a lever for stubborn stones.

Niwaki also have a Mini S-Type. A nifty knife built for tight spots: weeding in-between paving slabs, transplanting seedlings, maintaining houseplants. It’s precise, deceptively sharp, and great all-rounder for smaller, urban gardens.

One tip: don’t pocket a Hori Hori of any size without its sheath. Niwaki ships most Hori Hori with a canvas pouch for good reason.

1. Budget
Prices vary, but the real measure is value for money. If you’re building a tool collection meant to last, it’s usually worth investing in quality now rather than replacing it sooner than you’d like which is why I opted for the Hori Hori Pro.

2. Maintenance
Carbon steel blades aren’t hard to care for once you know how, but you do need to invest a bit of time and money to keep them looking their best. How often you sharpen depends on use: digging bulbs dulls a blade far less than cutting through weeds.

3. Comfort
If you’ll be using a Hori Hori often, the weight and handle shape matter. Try before you buy if you can, a garden centre or show is a good place to test the feel.

4. Usage
Think about your garden’s size, soil type and planting style, and match the blade to the job. A balcony garden full of containers and houseplants calls for a Mini S-Type; a larger plot with borders and beds suits a full-size knife.