Insaga 2 x 32 Inch Planting Auger Review: Digging Holes Standing Up With a Drill

Two Hundred Bulbs Before Lunch

A trowel plants a bulb in a minute of kneeling. A planting auger in a cordless drill does it in five seconds standing up. Insaga’s is a 2 inch spiral 32 inches long on a 3/8 inch hex shank, carbon steel under an orange powder coat, long enough for a tall gardener to drill a hole without bending and deep enough for a fence post pilot.

This review is based on the listing specifications and on how drill-driven planting augers perform generally. We have not used this auger ourselves.

Using It

Chuck it in a drill with a side handle, set a low gear, start slowly with the point on the spot and let the spiral pull itself in. Lift it out turning and the soil comes with it in a loose pile beside a clean hole. Drop the bulb, kick the soil back, move a foot and repeat. Two inches suits bulbs, plugs and small pots; a line of bedding goes in at a walk.

Length

Short augers mean stooping, which defeats the purpose. Thirty-two inches lets a tall user drill upright and reaches deep for post pilots and for mixing amendments into a hole. At speed a long auger wobbles; start slow and let it bite before squeezing the trigger.

Safety

When the auger hits a root or a stone the drill stops and the torque goes into the wrist. Hold the side handle, keep the trigger light and set the clutch low on a drill that has one. Reverse out of a catch rather than forcing through.

Ground

Loam and moist clay drill well; clear the flutes every few holes. Dry baked clay and rocky ground stall it and bend cheaper augers. Water the bed the day before planting.

Who Should Buy It

• Anyone planting bulbs or bedding by the hundred.
• Gardeners who cannot kneel.
• Fence builders wanting pilot holes for posts.

Common Owner Complaints

Wrist twist on roots and stalling in hard ground. Side handle and low clutch; water the ground first.

Technique Tips

Mark the planting depth on the auger with tape so every bulb goes in the same. Drill in a grid with the holes staggered and the spoil kicked back as you go, so you are not walking on a field of piles. For bedding plants in a mulched bed, drill through the mulch and the spoil sits on top for a quick tidy. Clear the flutes with a gloved hand when the auger starts lifting less soil.

Alternatives to Consider

A 3 inch auger for larger plants. A 1.6 inch auger for small bulbs. A traditional long-handled bulb planter for a few dozen bulbs.

Verdict

For bulbs and bedding in quantity, a long auger in a drill is the fastest and kindest method there is, and this one is the right length and material. Use the side handle, start slow and plant standing.