Forged steel weeding fork - Gschwind Artisanal Range

This Gschwind weeding fork, or dock fork, with a crutch handle made of ash has a head with 2 sharpened teeth that will work the soil in shrub beds and around trees and climbing plants, even if they are planted close together. Its ergonomic handle ending with a T-handle allows for a good grip. Its head is hand-forged from stainless spring steel. Durable, handy and resistant, it is a well-made tool that will last for many years.

Dimensions: head: 28 x 7 cm -·Handle length: 95 cm.

The dock (rumex obtusifolius), also called Wild Patience, grows everywhere in gardens, fields, pastures and especially wastelands or roadside edges.  Although similar to sorrel and therefore potentially edible in salad (young leaves), and despite the soothing virtues of its large leaves against nettle stings, dock is nevertheless considered a weed (or undesirable weed).

It is therefore essentially an invasive plant with extraordinary reproductive capabilities. Chemical and selective weeding is still the norm when it comes to combating the proliferation of rumex.  It is possible to manually uproot the plant (before it goes to seed if possible) when the soil is not too dry, but in most cases, the plant breaks and the root remains in the soil. The dock fork, thanks to its two forged iron fingers at the end of a wooden handle, driven into the soil at an angle of 45 to 60 degrees, allows the root to be manually extracted without too much effort. 

Gschwind is a Swiss company specialising in the manufacture of high-quality hand tools that combine robustness and ergonomics while meeting the most specific needs! This tool was manufactured in Austria.