My Mom and Grandma Garden Are Serious Gardeners, and This $23 Tool Is Their Pro Secret

I live in New York City, so I’ve never really had the chance to find out if I have a green thumb — although I finally have a balcony, and I’ve been tempted to start a small garden this spring. My mom and grandma, on the other hand? They know their stuff, and the gorgeous state of their yards prove it. My mom, for one, gave her new front yard a complete overhaul — and trust me, she had her work cut out for her.

Even now that it’s new and improved, my mom still spends more time gardening than anyone else I know, aside from my grandma. (She jokes that it’s her therapy.) Now that I’m thinking about getting a few plants — ’tis the season and all of that — I decided to check in with them about their go-to tools. I found out that they both swear by the same do-it-all garden knife for everything from transplanting to weeding to digging. Take it from the pros: The Nisaku Hori Hori Garden Knife is an essential in every gardening tool kit.

If you’re like me and haven’t heard of a hori hori knife until now, let me catch you up to speed. There are a few styles of garden knives out there, but the hori hori has a few features that make it stand out. First of all, it originates from Japan — its name translates to “dig dig” — and includes a heavy steel blade that’s sharp on both sides. It also has a semi-sharp point. All of these features make it suited to cutting through roots, tough soil, and more.

The brand Nisaku says that each of its pieces, including its hori hori, is “forged by master blade craftsmen with the highest grade Japanese stainless steel for durability, precision, and control that withstands intense use and harsh conditions.” In addition to weeding, seeding, transferring, and cutting branches, the 7.25-inch blade can also be used for hunting, fishing, and camping. One side is serrated and the other has a straight edge, and it’s engraved with inch markers. Finally, the wooden handle measures 5.25 inches.

First and most importantly: This knife is guaranteed to make you feel like a certified badass, according to my mother. Her words! She’s owned her hori hori for about two years, after my grandma gave one to her. “Since the ground gets pretty hard in the spring with no rain for a while, the sharpness of this knife is extremely helpful in breaking up the soil in my flower beds,” my mom says. “It breaks up any small roots that need to be cleared out.”

It’s also ideal for use in flower pots with looser soil, she continues, thanks to the blade’s narrower width. She also uses the hori hori for cutting garden twine. My grandma agrees, adding that the wooden handle fits easily in her palm and it’s comfortable to grip while digging. (While working with her hori hori, my grandma also usually puts on her Farmer’s Defense Sleeves to protect her skin from any scratches from branches and thorns.)

It seems like Amazon shoppers recognize the value of having a tool like this in your arsenal, as it’s been purchased over 3,000 times in the past month alone and has thousands of perfect ratings. If you want to become a gardening pro this spring, Nisaku’s garden knife is definitely worth grabbing while it’s on sale!

Buy: Nisaku Hori Hori Garden Knife, $22.80 (normally $29)

This article originally published on Apartment Therapy. See it there: My Mom and Grandma Garden All Day Long, and This $23 Tool Is Their Pro Secret