# Low Voltage cable to cross the lawn for landscape lights



## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

I plan to do landscape lighting in my backyard next spring but I'm thinking I might as well purchase the Low Voltage cable and install it this fall to have 1 less thing to do in the spring.

I don't plan on using any trencher or special tools as I'm thinking I can just use my garden weasel edging tool or fiskars square shovel (I use both to cut landscape edges) and make a narrow trench about 6 inches deep and route the cable across the lawn (approx 30 ft). Then just stomp the area with my feet to close the trench. I'll be doing some leveling next spring anyway so I'm not too worried.

Sounds like a plan?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Awar said:


> I plan to do landscape lighting in my backyard next spring but I'm thinking I might as well purchase the Low Voltage cable and install it this fall to have 1 less thing to do in the spring.
> 
> I don't plan on using any trencher or special tools as I'm thinking I can just use my garden weasel edging tool or fiskars square shovel (I use both to cut landscape edges) and make a narrow trench about 6 inches deep and route the cable across the lawn (approx 30 ft). Then just stomp the area with my feet to close the trench. I'll be doing some leveling next spring anyway so I'm not too worried.
> 
> Sounds like a plan?


That's basically what I did when crossing the lawn. I used a flat spade shovel to split the ground when it was nice and soft. You'll just want to make sure you go deeper than any future mechanical aeration to avoid damage. I would also probably leave the cable rolled up on both ends in the beds so you don't end up with unnecessary splice points when you wire it all up next spring.

Ware's Landscape Lighting Project


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

Ware said:


> Awar said:
> 
> 
> > I plan to do landscape lighting in my backyard next spring but I'm thinking I might as well purchase the Low Voltage cable and install it this fall to have 1 less thing to do in the spring.
> ...


Thanks @Ware

This quote from your thread is exactly what I'm planning on doing _"I did have to cross the lawn in a couple places. To do this I waited until after a good soaking rain and used a garden spade to slice a small trench in the ground. I rocked the shovel back and forth to open it up wide enough to poke the 12/2 cable down about 6". Since the ground was really soft, I was then able to just walk everything back in place."_


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## BobLovesGrass (Jun 13, 2020)

https://www.wiltonthinlinetrenchingspades.com/store

I bookmarked this for future projects. I have not used one so I can not vouch for it, but it is on my wishlist.


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

@BobLovesGrass those look good but very expensive, why don't you check out the *Garden Weasel Edge Chopper* tool?The main advantage over other tools is that your foot rests in the center which makes it much more comfortable for longer runs as opposed to stepping on either side and having to switch feet.


























You can find it on Amazon :thumbup:


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## BobLovesGrass (Jun 13, 2020)

I was looking at something to bury a length of pex to the garden in heavy clay.

How deep is the blade on the weasel? Deep enough to have whatever is buried avoid accidental aeration?


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

BobLovesGrass said:


> I was looking at something to bury a length of pex to the garden in heavy clay.
> 
> How deep is the blade on the weasel? Deep enough to have whatever is buried avoid accidental aeration?


@BobLovesGrass The blade is 4 inches on the garden weasel edge chopper. When I need to go deeper I start my trench with the weasel and then use my Fiskars square spade to get a couple of extra inches.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

​I tried a manual edger tool (I don't recall the brand), but it was prone to flexing/bending when used in a rocking motion to open a trench. I felt like it was really designed to be used on the vertical axis only.


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

A manual edger will flex, bend and potentially break unless the soil is soft.  I made one of the thinline trenchers just like the Wilton above and it's a BEASY. They're expensive to buy but it is not even a comparable tool to the edger. If your soil is crazy compacted or has a lot of tree roots, it won't do squat.


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