Disinfecting your gardening tools is exceptionally mandatory. Without that, your garden may end up infested with disease-causing pathogens. That cannot be what you want! Your garden must mean the world to you. As such, you have to do whatever it takes to keep it healthy and alive.
When you disinfect garden shears, hand pruners, and hedge shears, you take the first step in keeping your garden blooming. There are various products you can use to disinfect your tools. This means you have a variety to choose from and there is no limitation. Before you start the disinfection process, ensure that your garden tools are clean to make the process more effective and easier.
When you want to sterilize garden tools, focus on their cutting parts. It is the best way to eliminate disease pathogens and to make the tool safe for you when handling.
Let us look into the different methods you can use to disinfect your gardening tools.
1. Liquid bleach
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This is one of the most commonly used disinfectants, which is quite affordable. Many times, Chlorine is used due to its effectiveness. To use this bleach, put some water in a large container and add one-part bleach. To disinfect garden shears, dip the shears into the solution and allow them to sit for not less than 30 minutes. After that, get your shears out and rinse them with cold water. You can use the same solution to disinfect hedge shears as well as hand pruners. However, note that the lifespan of this mixture is limited. This means you need to prepare another solution every two hours, depending on the number of cleaning tools.
2. Household disinfectants
You may not have thought that you can actually disinfect your tools using your typical household cleaners. The truth is you can. Listerine, Lysol, or Pine-Sol can be used to disinfect garden shears, hand pruners, and hedge shears. Put water in a bucket and pour in your favorite household disinfectant before dipping your tools. Don’t remove the tools too soon. Allow them to soak for a while to ensure the disinfectant performs effectively. Household disinfectants have been highly recommended to disinfect hand pruners.
3. Industrial disinfectant
If you have been using your gardening tools on plants infested with diseases, industrial disinfectants should be your ideal choice. You can use hydrogen peroxide-based cleaners to disinfect garden shears by following the directions on the package. What makes this disinfectant outstanding is that it instantly does away with bacteria, algae, and fungus. This makes your gardening tools safe to use once more.
4. Alcohol
This is the best method to disinfect hand pruners. You can choose to spray the alcohol directly on your tools or merely wipe with ease. Using isopropyl alcohol is quite handy for it works excellently to eliminate pathogens. Even though this product is deemed flammable, it is highly recommended as one of the best methods for disinfecting gardening tools.
5. Ethanol
This is a convenient method of disinfecting gardening tools. You don’t have to soak your tools and wait for some minutes to get them out! All you have to do is rub the ethanol on your tools, and you are good to go. Get a clean wipe, pour some ethanol on the wipe, and start rubbing it on your tools. The advantage of ethanol is it starts working immediately, especially when used to disinfect hedge shears. However, if you want to soak your tools in ethanol, you can still do it. Have a solution whose ethanol content is more than 70% and soak your tools.
Note
If you are working on infected plants, it is paramount to have a disinfectant on standby. That way, you will keep treating the tool you are using after each use. By doing that, you keep the disease from spreading to your entire garden.
Cleanliness
No matter the method or product you choose to disinfect your tools, you will have failed if you don’t keep the tools clean. Why? Because clean tools are what keeps your plants healthy. Therefore, it is incredibly critical that you get rid of dirt from your tools after every use.
Also, don’t just have one tool; get several of them so that you can rotate them working on your garden. The bottom line is cleaning your gardening tools is crucial. It is the best way to reward your garden with healthy, vibrant, and strong plants.
Conclusion
Irrespective of the disinfecting method you choose for your gardening tools, what you should be keen about is keeping them clean. After disinfecting, allow your tools to dry before strong them. Disinfect garden shears, hand pruners, and hedge shears regularly to make them safe for use in your garden.
Remember the mantra -better to be safe than sorry. With that, you will always put your garden first by doing whatever it takes to keep it healthy and robust. Why not have a number of tools such that once you disinfect one set, you use the other set. Imagine the joy you will have by seeing your garden flourishing. This can only happen if you keep your gardening tools clean and disinfected.
Frequently Asked Questions
The productivity of your garden is determined by the tools you are using. This means your tools should be disinfected regularly to prevent the spread of diseases. Some of the questions asked by many garden lovers include;
- Can pruning shears be sharpened?
Yes! Sharpening your pruning shears is what makes it easier for you to work on your garden. This is because you will not be using a blunt tool that demoralizes your work.
- Which oil can I use to prevent my tools from rusting?
Non-oxidizing oil such as mineral oil works best, being the ideal protective coating which hinders rusting. Motor oil can also be used for it delivers effective results.
- Is it possible to keep my garden tools in proper condition?
It is quite possible by keeping your tools clean after each use. Remember to keep them lubricated and well sharpened. Disinfecting your tools also comes in handy.
- How can I disinfect secateurs?
You can use household bleach to disinfect your secateurs. Other products can also be used depending on the diseases the plants have.
- Are disinfectants harmful to plants?
Only if used directly on the plant. When you apply a disinfectant on a plant, it prevents mineral absorption hence killing the plant.
