Just like we need pens for writing, tools are crucial for gardeners. Cleaning, sharpening, sanitizing and proper use, are regular maintenance. Proper maintenance can keep garden tools functioning well and safe for the gardener and plant. Here, I will provide tips and insight on how to keep garden tools in good working condition. This will be helpful for new gardeners.
Please follow the below steps to keep your garden tools working well:
Clean your tools
You should wipe tools after every use with a damp rag. You can wipe them dry or put them dry. Sap, dirt and wetness are all bad for garden tools storage. Wet can speed up the rest of the tools.
Choose the right tool
You should stop or slow down to go for the next tool up, if you need to use excessive power to lean in or use two hands, in relative order: hand pruners, thumb pruner, hand saw, loppers and power saw. Use a trowel to dig up. Use cutters to cut wire, and use a screwdriver to adjust sprinkles.
Find the right place to put your tools
Take care and don’t lay your tool in the dirt, as we all know, grit may quickly dull the workings and blade. Please remember to put your tools in the bucket when you are pruning a tree or rose.
Tighten up
Tighten the nut in the center, if there are wiggles between blades. Guarantee the blades are tightened.
Add label for your tools. Use your name to mark tools. You need to do it, especially if you loan out your tools and garden in a normal area. You also need to use bright colors, so that when they are on the ground you can see them easily. To get easy detection, you can attach a bright ribbon of cloth.
Protect yourself. For the time you are in the garden, wear gloves and a hat to protect yourself. You can keep yourself safe and avoid injuries if you have sunscreen and sturdy shoes on.
Maintenance tools
We should keep garden tools in good shape, to keep regular sharping, cleaning, inspections and sanitizing of your tools. And this will also improve your garden’s health. You can use Scrub, Sharpen, and Sanitize these 3 words to remember the steps for garden tools care easily. Below are points and steps for your reference to keep your garden tools in good condition.
Scrubbing
You can use a tool with soap, a gentle scrubbing pad and water to scrub and remove debris. It is also an effective tool for foaming the bathroom.
To improve garden tools’ performance and longevity, we should clean tools regularly.
Use a brush to remove rust. If the rust affects a lot, you can soak the tool with pure vinegar for a few hours or overnight. You can choose the way as needed. If there is remaining rust, you can brush off it with a brush or wool. If you need to do it frequently, repeat it.
Sharpen your tools
We always choose shart tools, as it uses easier and safer. With sharp tools, you can cut smoothly, and your hands, arms and wrists bear less torque. You should keep your tools clean also, as it is safer if you are cut.
If the tools feel dull or fold back, you should sharpen them, especially for hoes, shovels and non-pruning tools. You can use a coarse stone or a flat-file to sharpen them.
Sanitize your tools
If you want to stop the transmission of disease from one plant to another, you should sanitize tools timely. You can do it between pruning plants and should be done prior to pruning. It is an effective way to sanitize tools in the field or at the end of the day with alcohol wipes or a disinfecting spray. Keep garden tools dry before storing them. Don’t put away the wet.
Finally, remember to use lubricating oil to oil joints, blades, or metal parts. It helps to reduce rust when in storage and maintain smooth motion for tools with pivots. Make sure that all the metal surfaces are coated, when you wipe oil with a rag.
To prune Mechanisms
Anvil and bypass are two main types of pruning mechanisms. When one blade connects to the other, a bypass pruner cuts.
How to inspect your pruners? Check the blade. Tools need to be sharpened professionally if you see there are divots or nicks. Divot comes from the result of pruning a tree or shrub which is big for the tool.
