6 Best Serrated Edging Trowels For Tough Roots That Old Gardeners Swear By

You’re on your knees, trying to plant a new perennial, but an old, woody root from a nearby shrub is in the way. You pry with your standard trowel, then grab a spade and heave, but you’re just compacting the soil and bruising the plants you want to keep. This is where the old-timers know a secret: the right tool isn’t about more force, it’s about smarter force.

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Why Serrated Trowels Beat Spades for Roots

Let’s be clear: a spade is for digging a hole, but a serrated trowel is for performing surgery in that hole. When you’re working in an established bed, you’re navigating a web of roots from nearby plants. A big spade is clumsy, severing important feeder roots of prized shrubs and perennials without you even realizing it.

A serrated trowel, on the other hand, acts like a small saw. It lets you make precise, clean cuts on the specific problem roots—the tough, fibrous ones from that stubborn weed or the invasive tree seedling. You can slice through them with a sawing motion instead of trying to chop or pry, which gives you far more control in tight spaces.

This precision saves the plants you want to protect and, frankly, saves your back. You’re not fighting the entire root system of a mature plant; you’re just removing the one piece that’s in your way. It’s the difference between using a sledgehammer and a scalpel.

DeWit Serrated Trowel: Forged for Longevity

When you pick up a DeWit tool, you feel the difference immediately. It’s not stamped out of a sheet of metal; it’s hand-forged from Swedish boron steel. This means the tool has a grain structure that makes it incredibly strong and helps it hold a sharp edge for a very long time.

The serrations on the DeWit are aggressive and sharp, designed to bite into woody roots and not let go. It’s attached to a solid ash or cherry wood handle that feels balanced and comfortable in your hand. This isn’t a tool you buy for one season; it’s an heirloom you’ll pass down.

The tradeoff is the price. A forged tool like this costs more than the cast aluminum ones you find at a big box store. But the investment pays off when you’re not replacing a bent or broken trowel every other year. This is the tool for someone who believes in buying it once and buying it right.

The Classic Hori Hori: A Multi-Purpose Root Slayer

The Hori Hori isn’t just a trowel; it’s a Japanese gardening knife that has become a legend among gardeners for its sheer versatility. One edge is serrated for sawing, the other is a sharp, straight blade for slicing, and the tip is perfect for precise digging. Most also have depth markings for planting bulbs.

For roots, the Hori Hori is a beast. The long, slightly concave blade gives you excellent leverage to saw through thick, stubborn roots that would laugh at a smaller trowel. You can use it to cut twine, open bags of soil, divide perennials, and weed with surgical precision. It truly is the Swiss Army knife of the garden.

The only real downside is that it’s not a great scooper. The narrow blade doesn’t move as much soil as a traditional trowel. But if your primary challenge is cutting, weeding, and planting in tough soil, the Hori Hori often makes a dedicated trowel redundant.

Radius Garden Trowel: Easing Strain on Wrists

Gardening shouldn’t be painful. The standout feature of the Radius Garden trowel is its unique, curved handle. This patented "Natural Radius Grip" is designed to keep your wrist in a neutral position, minimizing stress and strain on your joints and tendons.

For anyone with arthritis, carpal tunnel, or just wrists that ache after a long day of planting, this ergonomic design is a game-changer. It allows you to push into the soil using the larger muscles of your arm and shoulder, not just your wrist. The blade itself is a lightweight but surprisingly tough aluminum-magnesium alloy with sharp serrations.

The curve takes a little getting used to if you’ve spent your life with straight-handled tools. But once you adapt, you’ll find you can work longer with less fatigue. This is the clear choice for gardeners who prioritize comfort and joint health above all else.

Fiskars Ergo Trowel: Lightweight Root Cutting

Fiskars has built a reputation on smart, ergonomic design, and their Ergo Trowel is no exception. Made from a single piece of cast aluminum, it’s incredibly lightweight yet surprisingly rigid. You won’t have to worry about the handle snapping off where it meets the blade, because there’s no joint to fail.

The serrated edge is sharp enough for most common garden roots, like those from invasive grasses or dense perennial clumps. The handle has a soft, comfortable grip and a hanging hole for easy storage. Best of all, because it’s aluminum, it will never rust, even if you leave it out in the rain.

This isn’t the tool for prying up rocks or hacking through tree roots; it doesn’t have the brute strength of forged steel. But for general-purpose weeding and planting in moderately tough soil, its combination of low weight, comfort, and rust-proof durability makes it a fantastic and affordable workhorse.

Wilcox All-Pro Trowel: Unbendable in Tough Soil

If you’ve ever bent a trowel prying a rock out of compacted clay, the Wilcox All-Pro is for you. These trowels are famous for one thing: they are practically indestructible. Made in the USA from a single piece of 16-gauge stainless steel, they simply do not bend.

The design is minimalist and utilitarian. The handle is just a comfortable vinyl grip wrapped around the steel tang. The serrations are sharp and functional, and the pointed tip is excellent for penetrating hard ground. It comes in various lengths, with the longer models giving you extra leverage.

This tool is all about function over form. It lacks the ergonomic refinement of a Radius or the old-world charm of a DeWit. It’s a pure, unadulterated digging and cutting machine built for the worst soil conditions imaginable. When you need to pry, dig, and cut in rocky, root-bound soil without fear of tool failure, this is your answer.

Bully Tools Serrated Trowel: American-Made Power

Bully Tools lives up to its name. This trowel is a heavy-duty piece of equipment made from thick, 12-gauge American steel. It feels substantial in your hand—a tool built for power and durability rather than delicate, precise work.

The serrations are deep and aggressive, designed to rip through tough roots and sod. The handle is typically a robust polymer or wood, designed for a firm grip even with gloves on. This is the kind of trowel you can abuse, using it to chop at stubborn roots or pry against compacted soil without a second thought.

The tradeoff for this power is weight. It’s heavier than aluminum or even some of the forged steel models. For a quick planting job, it might feel like overkill. But for breaking new ground or clearing a heavily overgrown area, that extra heft and robust construction provide the confidence you need to get the job done.

Choosing Your Trowel: Blade vs. Handle Comfort

Ultimately, the best trowel for you depends on a simple tradeoff: Are you fighting the soil or are you fighting fatigue? Your answer dictates where you should focus your attention.

If your primary challenge is the ground itself—compacted clay, rocks, and a dense mat of woody roots—then prioritize the blade.

• Forged Steel (DeWit): For a sharp, durable edge that lasts.
• Thick Gauge Steel (Bully, Wilcox): For unbendable prying strength.
• Multi-Function Blade (Hori Hori): For versatility in cutting and sawing.

If your main challenge is physical discomfort—sore wrists, aching hands, or general fatigue after gardening—then prioritize the handle and overall weight.

• Ergonomic Grip (Radius): To minimize wrist and joint strain.
• Lightweight Body (Fiskars): To reduce arm fatigue during long sessions.
• Balanced Feel (DeWit): A quality wood handle can absorb vibration and feel good in the hand.

Think about your most common task. If you spend hours weeding, a lightweight, comfortable tool is best. If you’re constantly dividing tough ornamental grasses or digging in a former woodland, you need a blade that can take a beating. The perfect tool is the one that solves your biggest, most frequent problem.

Don’t let stubborn roots turn a pleasant afternoon of planting into a frustrating battle. A good serrated trowel isn’t an expense; it’s a small investment in making your work more effective, more precise, and far more enjoyable. Choose the one that fits your garden’s soil and your body’s needs, and you’ll wonder how you ever gardened without it.