The end of winter is nigh and very soon, it will be a wonderful time of year for garden jobs. The weather is starting to warm up, the evenings are longer as well as lighter, and plants are starting to bloom. It’s the perfect time to get out in your garden and carry out those long-awaited choirs around your space.

Whether you’re an experienced gardener or a beginner, along with approximately 27 million keen others, there are plenty of garden jobs you can do over the spring to get your garden in top shape.

We’ve thought about it here at Forest Master HQ and picked five that we’d suggest you look to do in time for the warmer seasons.

Pruning

Now that we’re well into spring, there is no better time to tackle those pruning jobs around trees, shrubs and other plants around the garden.

This would involve removing any dead or diseased branches or plants and clipping away any outgrowth that’s either crossing over each other or growing in a direction that it shouldn’t be. It’s key not to over-prune as this could result in both damaging and preventing your plant from growing properly.

Weeding

When it comes to weeding, this will be one of the most repetitive jobs you will do around the garden but can easily be managed – depending on the size of your garden. 

It’s key, when it comes to removing weeds, that both plant and root are removed – this prevents them from growing back. 

Using products can also cause harm to your garden, but there are many different resources that offer ways to manage weeding around your space safely, whilst protecting the environment, at the same time.      

Mulching

Mulching may sound like it’s something to go straight into your garden waste bin, but it has its uses that can help create a healthy environment for your plants and trees. 

Sprinkling, mulched wood chips, straw, leaves and even cardboard can help retain moisture and suppress weed growth around your garden, leaving your plants to grow healthy and in fantastic condition over Spring and Summer. 

Best of all, we could help even more with your Mulching by looking here. 

Planting

This is part of Spring that we feel most gardeners will be tackling and focusing on – planting. 

Introducing new flowers, trees, and vegetables will be high on many people’s lists, as well as tidying up, as they almost run to their local garden store to pick out the seeds, pots and packs they will be giving most of their attention to.

There’s plenty to choose from, and it all depends on what mood you’re in or what colour you’d like your garden to focus on. The Nation do have favourites that you could look into such as, Sunflowers, Irises, Roses, Dahlias and Lillies.

Key elements to take into account when it comes to adding plants to your garden would be, adding compost and fertiliser, making sure it’s planted correctly (obvious, we know) and that it receives plenty of water and sunlight, too.

Cleaning & Maintenance

Finally, it might slip down the pecking order on the ‘to-do’ list, and that’s cleaning gardening equipment.

From digging tools to chippers, they all need to be checked and maintained to prolong their lifespan and work consistently around the garden, such as sharping blades in your lawnmower or chipper – avoiding any annoyance of waiting for parts or nipping to a shop to frantically replace items which could delay those chores.

Even make sure items like your hoses, sprinklers (if you have them) and even watering cans are checked for any slack parts, holes or leaks, just so you’re not caught short, especially when the Summer weather arrives. 

From the Infographic below, the average size of a UK Garden is 188 meters squared. So make sure that you set sections up to focus on during the day or weekend, just so you’re avoiding rushing around or trying to do everything all at once.

Whether you’re pruning, weeding, mulching, planting, or cleaning and maintaining your tools, there’s plenty to keep you busy. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to a beautiful and healthy garden that you can enjoy all season long.

Getting into gardening doesn’t have to be something to try when you’re older. 54% of Millennials that start gardening prefer it to going out to nightclubs. But don’t take our word for it, check out our infographic around the different statistics about gardening.

As the winter begins to set in, it’s time to start preparing your wood chipper and garden shredders for winter storage to keep it fresh and in tip-top shape for the spring. Let’s go over 5 tips to ensure you don’t open your shed doors to a pile of rust in March.

Drain the fuel in the wood chipper (or add stabilizer)

Perhaps one of the most important tips within this article; we strongly recommend that you drain, run dry, or add a fuel stabilizer to the engine. If your chipper utilises a four-stroke engine, you can empty the tank by either running the engine dry or you can pour the fuel out of the tank into a can.

Fuel stabiliser is the easiest, cheapest and recommended option. Simply make sure that there’s fresh fuel in the tank and that it’s about 90- 95% full. You can then pour the fuel stabilizer into the tank and run the engine for around five minutes to ensure that it’s distributed throughout the system. Typically, this will keep the fuel fresh for up to 24 months.

Another tip to remember is to never store it for a long period of time when using E15 fuel. E15 fuel contains a significantly higher percentage of ethanol content than standard E5 fuel. This ethanol count is a lot more corrosive to your engine and is likely to cause a build-up over periods of non-use.

Clean your chipper

While not necessarily essential, we recommend is to clean the wood chipper before storing it away. Any leaves, grass, wood chips, soil, dirt or other debris left on or in the machine. This is because the moisture stored in these substances can lead to the machine’s finish being damaged and worn. This also eliminates the risk of dirt entering the petrol tank which can lead to further issues.

Engine maintenance

While you should be performing regular engine maintenance throughout the year, we like to have one thorough maintenance check before storing it away for the winter. This ensures our downtime is minimal when the time comes to break it out of its hiding hole in the spring.

When purchasing your machine you should have received an accompanying manual for the engine – the manual should cover all expected and recommended maintenance.

If you haven’t received this, let’s take a look at our recommended maintenance guide.

In order to maintain your machine at optimal performance, you should follow the below rules.

After every 25 hours of use you should:

• Check the tire pressure
• Clean the engine exterior and cooling
• Change the engine oil
• Replace the air filter

After every 100 hours, you should replace the spark plug. Personally, we prefer to replace the oil and change over to a new spark plug at the start of the season to ensure that everything is fresh and ready to use when the time comes.

Remove the battery

Removing the battery isn’t applicable to everyone, however, if your chipper features an electric start battery it’s definitely advised to remove it for the winter.

Cold weather can have real negative effects on your battery. You should always disconnect the battery and be sure to store it in a cool and dry place, always above 0 celsius. This helps to combat potential battery discharge. If your chipper uses a battery that needs to be charged periodically, you can use a trickle charger to maintain the voltage and sustain the battery life. 5

Cover the wood chipper up

Our final tip is to invest in a breathable cover for your wood chipper/garden shredder. The last thing you want to discover come march is that a family of rodents have made a winter home within your machine. The cover also works to protect the machine from dust and potential weather mishaps. It’s important that the cover you use is a breathable material or it could lead to condensation which can have a negative effect.

If you’re anything like me, the second you received your wood chipper you were eager to test it. Personally, I find watching a wood chipper extremely satisfying – I could sit and watch one go to town on a big pile of garden debris all day long.

If you’re anything like me though, you ended up with a large pile of wood chippings at the end, scratched your head and thought “well what am I supposed to do with all this?”.

We’ve all been there, no judgements. If you knew exactly what you could do with that big pile of wood chips though, you’d be amazed.

Quite frankly they’re a gardener’s dream, they’re extremely versatile and a cheap solution to a number of problems that many face in their garden at some point. Interested? Read on.

Wood Chip Mulch

If you haven’t already got a wood chipper, take a look at our wood chipper buying guide to find out which machine is best for you and your needs. If you think you can get all your gardening jobs done in one day, check out our article on the benefits of renting vs buying a wood chipper.

We’ll get the obvious one out of the way. Using wood chippings around your plants in the garden comes with a host of benefits, including providing excellent nutrition to your plants as they decompose.

Wood chippings are a staple element in making excellent compost, and simply by layering them on top you’re providing this to your plants.

Additionally, it helps regulate soil temperature by keeping your plants cool in summer and warm in winter due to the natural insulation it provides, as well as aeration.

And that’s not all. Wood chippings absorb water whilst providing shade to the top layer of soil, helping to also regulate moisture levels. This will help you prevent overwatering your plants and keep them moist for longer.

Weeds find it challenging to grow in the presence of wood chippings, so spreading chips on problem areas where weeds frequently grow is an easy and cheap solution to your problem.

Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s the miracle cure for everything though, there are some disadvantages that come with using wood chip mulch.

Chippings can cause a nitrogen deficiency in your top layer of soil, which is something that needs to be monitored if you want your plants to grow without problems.

Disease-prone plants such as roses and tomatoes can be easily overcome by fungal spores that like to grow inside the recesses of chippings, so don’t use them one planting beds if you’re unsure on the resilience of the plant first.

Best practices are to keep a small gap between your wood chips and the stem of your plants, allowing them to breathe and prevent fungal growth from killing your plants.

Wood Chipping Walkways

Walkways made from wood chippings are an excellent way to repurpose the produce of your wood chipper if you find yourself having an excessive amounts of the stuff.

Exceptionally quick and easy to make, and fantastic at keeping your boots free from mud, all you need to do is create a guide for your path and dump your wood chippings inside.

The chippings provide a natural drainage system for rain to filter in the ground, without creating a muddy top that you have to walk over.

 It’s exceptionally easy to make curved paths using wood chippings which is much more difficult to achieve with pavers for example, and as already mentioned in the previous point will help prevent weeds from sprouting.

Obviously, these chippings will eventually begin to degrade, which means you will need to top them up every so often.

And to make the path initially, you’ll need quite a large quantity of chippings depending on the length of the path you’re creating, which are the two biggest downsides to this idea.

We recommend creating your path with at least 3 inches deep of wood chippings, though anywhere up to 6 inches is better.

Chips Make Excellent Compost

If you’re a fan of composting, which I imagine you are, then smaller sized chippings make excellent ‘brown material’ for making top quality compost.

Wood chippings are extremely carbon rich, a must have ingredient, along with nitrogen, needed to make quick and mineral intensive compost.

Be warned however, the chips do need to be as small as you can get them in order to break down faster, otherwise you’ll be looking at an unnecessarily elongated amount of time to create your compost, and nobody wants that.

You’ll also need to add an equal amount of green material in order to add nitrogen to the mix and balance out all that carbon.

Tips on creating the best compost possible can be found here.

Preventing Soil Erosion

If you’re a frequent sufferer of your nice clean lines being eroded by the elements, then you can comment and thank me for this ingenious solution.

Wood chippings make an excellent, albeit temporary, barrier for any areas of your lawn that are suffering from incessant erosion, ruining your hard-pruned nice clean lines.

Doing this will lead to your plants being healthier and stronger whilst simultaneously reducing the amount of spread of dirt around your lawn.

All you need to do is to till the wood chips into the soil to build up lower areas. The wood will absorb any excess moisture and help hold the ground firm until you can come up with a more permanent solution.

The thicker the layer, the more moisture it will absorb, and despite it compressing down it will still allow excess water to drain through without ruining your lines.

And once you have found a more permanent solution, you can rake up those wood chips and either add them to your compost pile or throw them on your chip path, so nothing goes to waste.

For the green-minded folks out there, it’s an excellent solution that minimises waste whilst maximises results.

Invasive Plant Growth? Not Anymore

If your property borders a wood or natural area, you can find that wild plants often encroach on your property.

Wood chips not only form a border that isn’t sore on the eyes, but are excellent at delineating lines that prevent the wild plants from growing onto your property.

You will need quite a large quantity for this, as the depth must reach the roots of the wild plants in order to stop the spread.

It is an excellent use of a large pile of wood chippings however and has seen excellent results from us in the past.

Enjoy this article? Check out some of our others.

Troubleshooting your log splitter really isn’t as daunting a task as you’d think it’d be. Thanks to the great design of our log splitters, pretty much nothing can go wrong which is unfixable. We stock all the spare parts you could ever need, but first, we need to work out the problem.

Before diving into how to fix your log splitter issues, let’s cover the different ways can fail.

There are four main categories of troubleshooting; power issues, log splitter ram failing to move correctly, oil leakage or the log splitter failing to split logs.

If your log splitter is much like triggers broom and you want to upgrade – you can find our selection of award-winning log splitters on our website.

What this article covers:

• Is my log splitter broken?
• Is my log splitter suffering from power issues?
• My log splitter is tripping the RCD
• Why isn’t my log splitter ram returning?

Is my log splitter broken?

It may often appear as though something critical has affected your log splitter, such as the ram failing to move or it appears as though there’s no power getting to the log splitter. More often than not, there are small errors that can be easily fixed.

Let’s look into some quick fixes which will quickly tell us if the log splitter is indeed broken.

If you’re not comfortable playing around with your log splitter – let us take a look for you. We offer a log splitter repair service, no matter the brand. We offer a full repair of your log splitter. This includes collecting your machine, repairing it in our workshop and delivery back to yourself. The repair may include a full strip-down, rebuild or fitting of replacement parts.

If you like to tinker and fix with your own hands – let’s move on with our top troubleshooting tips.

Quick Fix #1: Handle Issue

This may sound silly or obvious, but trust us when we say that this is actually a common error when operating the log splitter.

Check that the plastic knob of the lever is screwed on fully. If this becomes unscrewed it then prevents the lever from being pushed right down, and this prevents the log splitter from operating.

Quick Fix #2: Low Oil

The oil level in your log splitter may be running low, you can check this by using the dipstick. You can also run a quick test by raising the front end of the log splitter on a block of wood or something similar. If you raise the front of the log splitter and the log splitter then starts operating as normal, then this is a clear sign that you are low on oil.

Quick Fix #3: Log Splitter Pointing Downhill

This is similar to the last, but when the log splitter is pointing downhill it struggles to circulate the fluid right around the machine. This causes it to fail when operating.

The log splitter should always be operated on level ground or pointing uphill. If your log splitter is failing to split any logs, 90% of the time this will be the issue. If the log splitter is not pointing downhill then it’s likely low oil.

Log Splitter Power Issues

Now that we’ve covered the most common issues and quick fixes. Let’s look at some of the rare problems which can affect the performance of the log splitter.

Gentle Humming Noise (non-operational)

A humming noise will result in the log splitter blowing a fuse and typically means that the motor is tight.

First, turn the log splitter over and close off the air vent, remove the motor and pump 3 x 13mm headed bolts and 1 x support bolt.

Place the log splitter back upright and try the splitter again, if it produces the same noise then loosen the bolts a little from the end of the pump (13mm) and try again.

No power to the motor

Fuse has blown or RCD Tripped

First, check the fuse in the plug. If this is blown then replace it with a working 13 amp fuse, we also recommend installing a 13 amp slow blow fuse which you can purchase directly from our website.

You should also check the RCD for the ring main has not tripped. If the RCD has tripped, try the machine on a separate ring main.

If the RCD repeatedly trips then unplug all other equipment from socks on the ring main and switch these sockets off. You can then try to start the motor.

Capacitor Failure

Another possibility is that the capacitor in the electric motor has failed from misuse over time.

The capacitor in the electric motor can fail from misuse over time. When operating the log splitter, we strongly advise that you press the power button before operating the lever, this allows time for the motor to gather speed before attempting to split logs.

Pressing the lever before the button can also often result in blown fuses.

There are many different reasons why there may not be any power to your log splitter:

If you’re using an extension lead, ensure that the extension cable itself is a wider diameter than the power lead of the electric log splitter.

As stated previously, the capacitor failing will also stop the motor from starting up. After you have checked the previous solutions, unplug the log splitter from the mains. Then remove the six screws on the outside of the switch cover, take the switch cover off and you will then see the capacitor.

If the capacitor has failed, you will sometimes see burn marks on the capacitor itself.

Replacement capacitors are available on our website – Click here to purchase.

Log Splitter consistently trips RCD or blows a fuse

There are a few different fixes to this;

It’s possible that the motor is jammed. First, check that the motor turns freely. You can do this by removing the black fan cover, then it should be possible to turn the fan with slight pressure from one finger. If this isn’t possible, check for obstructions of the fan.

Another possibility is that the operating lever is loose or not bent correctly, this would prevent the valve from operating correctly. To fix this, check that the face of the lever that operates the valve is bent through a full 90 degrees in relation to the mounting face. If not, remove the lever and correct the bend in a vice.

Pump gears binding is an issue that can sometimes present itself within a log splitter which would cause a trip. This is easily fixed by loosening each of the 6 bolts on the back of the pump by ¼ of a turn and then checking to see if the motor turns freely.

Pump gears can also get jammed. To fix this you should remove the 6 bolts from the pump and separate the motor and pump. You can then check the gears for any silicone sealant or other material. When you’re reassembling, the torque for the bolts is 12 ft-lb, 16 N m.

Log Splitter Ram

If the ram of the log splitter is not returning fully or is jerking upon return, there are a couple of fixes you can perform to get it back up and running smoothly.

First, check that the moving carriage isn’t obstructed. You can do this by checking underneath the blade/pusher and down the sides of the carriage for any splinters of wood that may be obstructing the carriage.

Also check that the plastic spacers underneath the blade, between the carriage and the underside of the splitter, have not been dislodged.

This one is fairly simple to figure out but check the log bed of the splitter for a build-up of sap. You can then also apply a thin layer of workshop grease to the bed to allow it to operate more smoothly. Avoid using WD-40 to grease the bed as this can lead to the log splitter ram ‘juddering’ rather than solving the issue.

In order to fix this issue, use the ram stop to lock the ram in a position about 150mm forward. Remove the 4 bolts holding the DuoCut blade or pusher to the carriage and remove the blade/pusher. Unlock the ram stop, if the carriage returns then the arms are bent.

You can check the amount of bend with a straight edge, if it is less than 5mm then you may be able to straighten them in a vice.

Another possibility is that the ram is bent. Remove the DuoCut blade from the splitter. If the ram does not return after removing the DuoCut blade, loosen the 2 rear lock nuts on the carriage arms and remove the 2 nuts in front of the crosspiece. You can then remove the carriage from the log splitter. If the ram does not return then the next part is a bit tricky so give us a call.

There are a lot of myths and rumours which frequently circulate around the internet regarding composting, these rumours often result in people giving up before they’ve even started the process of creating their own.

We’re going to take a look into some of these rumours and shed some light on the composting myths that so often result in waste going directly to landfill where it slowly turns into a greenhouse gas.

Do your part for the community and reap the rewards of an invaluable resource for your garden. What’s not to love.

Composting Myth #1: Is composting too much hard work?

This is one of the biggest composting myths that we often hear, and it’s not even close to being true.

The process of creating your own compost at home is a straight forward task which could be done in less than an afternoon. If you start midday you’ll likely be sat with your feet up by 2 PM with a brew.

After your compost pile is set up; a simple once a week, ten-minute checkup and a quick mix of your compost pile will suffice for keeping it efficiently decaying at a good pace.

Composting Myth #2: Do Compost piles attract rodents, vermin and pests?

This one is a slightly more complicated matter, but the short side of it is that if you create your compost pile with the right materials in the right way, then you won’t have an issue.

A goal of composting is to attract worms, this is because they help break down the materials inside of the pile which speeds up the composting process.

If you add the wrong materials to your compost pile, then it is possible that pests will come calling. Follow our guide to composting to find a list of all the materials which can and can’t be used when compiling your compost heap.

As well as selecting the right materials for the pile, you can also strategically place your materials in your pile to avoid any smells seeping out and attracting pests.

This leads us nicely on to the next common misconception:

Composting Myth #3: Do compost piles smell?

As previously mentioned, this really just comes down to using the right materials and creating your compost bin the correct way with the right materials.

You can learn a lot from the smell of your compost pile, if it starts to smell then its likely too wet.

Too much green material used within the mix will make your pile smell like sewage or ammonia. This is a good indicator that your mixture of greens and browns is off-balance, this can be solved by adding more brown materials in order to restore the balance.

A well-kept compost heap will produce a rich, earthy smell.

Composting Myth #4: Does composting cost too much money?

This is a strange myth because in fact composting does the exact opposite. When you compost at home, you’re creating your own rich soil from waste instead of having to go out and spend money buying it from shops to produce the same, if not worse, results.

Granted, some compost bins can cost a fair bit, but more often than not these are unnecessary. You can quite easily go outside and create your own compost bin or pile from items you already have laying around the shed.

After you have your compost pile set up it just requires the simple task of adding new waste and giving it a mix every week or so.

Compost Myth #5: Do I need a large garden to compost?

Nonsense! You can create a small compost pile in on an apartment balcony if you wanted to. There are only three things you really require to get started with a compost pile; green waste, brown materials and a small bin of sorts.

In summary, there’s nothing stopping you getting outside and creating your own compost. Have you heard of any other myths? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Using a log splitter seems simple in theory, put the log in and press go. But there are nuances to getting the most out of your splitter, be it increasing its splitting power or avoiding damage through best practices. This article will share some of the insider tips and tricks that we who split logs regularly know, and will keep your log splitter in top shape for years to come.

Read on to find out how to get the best out of your splitter, avoid damage, or the must haves for using your splitter.

Log Splitter Tips And Tricks

1. Use the ramstop. You’ll be surprised how much time it saves per cycle, and if you’re cutting a whole pile of logs it could potentially save you hours.
2. Aim to split the log off centre slightly. The centre is the densest part of the log, making it the hardest part to split. If you aim slightly off centre, your log splitter will have a much easier time.
3. Use good quality oil. Not only will it last longer in the long run, but it’ll prevent loss of power to your splitter and keep it in tip-top shape for longer. 
4. Keep any knots in the wood pointing upward. As I’m sure you’re aware, knots are the biggest problem that splitters face. By keeping them pointing upward, it keeps the blade parallel to the knot. Failure to do this can cause damage to your splitter by bending the blade and/or pushing arm. 
5. Avoid splitting seasoned logs, if possible. Green logs are not only easier to split due to the higher moisture content, but the toughness of seasoned wood prevents it from being a smooth split, rather it will absorb the pressure and give suddenly, potentially turning your log into a wooden splinter bomb and this is one way injury can be caused. (Split green logs will also season quicker)
6. Buy a stand, it’s worth it. Not only does it help with mobility, but it helps prevent a bad back from twisting and turning trying to use a splitter on the floor.
7. Protection is important. Gloves even more so.
8. And perhaps most importantly, keep the splitter level. An unlevel splitter simply won’t split as the hydraulic oil can’t flow properly, and this is by far the biggest thing that catches people out.

And finally, this isn’t so much of a tip but a piece of advice, close the bleed screw if you’re moving your splitter unless you want oil everywhere.

I hope you’ve learned something from this article, check out some of our other posts for even more insider tricks.