Gardening tools are expensive and good gardening tools are outrageously expensive. Protect your investments by taking good care of them and they will contribute to many years of productive gardening (www.homeandgarden.com).
By John Green, Certified Texas Expert Gardener, Orange County, TX
Last week’s topic focused on the poinsettia (which is a personal favorite) with a brief history lesson on their origin, how to care for them during the holiday season, and long-term care requirements afterwards, to ensure another blooming cycle.
We are so fortunate to have finally received rainfall, as most areas of SETX are experiencing severe to extreme drought conditions. Many locales have received rainfall with many areas getting 1 to 3-inches or more. Receiving any amount of rainfall during a drought is always good by providing plants and trees with some amount of moisture and reduces supplemental watering but by no means is the amount of rainfall received considered “drought-busting”. Hopefully, we will continue to receive more rainfall over the next several weeks.
And with the rain, it appears winter has arrived this past week (aka… the 2nd cold snap of the season), daily temperatures (high & low) decreasing significantly lower. All gardeners in SETX know this temperature shift is but a brief “weather moment”, and that balmy conditions will return soon enough! The 30-day weather forecast has our daily high temperatures rebounding, then moderating into the upper 60’s. Typically, I look forward to the seasonal shift in temperature (it makes the holidays seem true) but now that ‘winter’ has arrived…it’s just cold!
Many gardeners enjoy cultivating winter gardens as there are numerous vegetables which thrive in our mild winter climate. Some gardeners (me included) have planted fall and winter vegetable gardens, or colorful fall flowers. Adding a layer of mulch will provide them warmth and retain moisture during the colder weather.
Colder weather is a gardeners’ signal for other gardening tasks which are more mundane but nonetheless important. Yes, I’m speaking to the ‘dreaded’ lawn equipment and garden tool maintenance which includes a host of implements such as riding and push lawn mowers, shovels, hoes, rototillers, rakes, hoses, and more, all of which require inspections and maintenance.
Most gardeners conveniently or selectively “forget” the importance of garden equipment and tool maintenance. There are numerous times where I have decided to circumvent tool and equipment maintenance, preferring to wait until the time is right (implication being there is a better time…right…let me know if this ‘practice’ works out for you)! Speaking from experience, this approach is never fruitful (pun intended), so gardeners, perhaps this is a wakeup call- the time is now.
Too many times, I have chosen not to follow good maintenance practices and simply ‘knock’ the debris off a tool, before ultimately deciding to store it! My thinking (rationalization) was that the gardening tools will not be needed during the cooler months… ‘convincing’ myself all is good! Let me simply state that this is not good practice, in fact, it’s an especially bad routine and always leads to increased costs due to repair! Proper care and maintenance of lawn equipment, hoses, and gardening tools will ensure implements are always ready for immediate use and in good working order when needed.
Tool Maintenance & Care
Lawn equipment and garden tools will eventually deteriorate over time, amount of use, exposure to weather, and when used with soil (forming oxidation- rust. Thorough cleaning and proper care will keep implements in good working condition, greatly extending their useful life. Use the following steps as a basic maintenance guideline for gardening tools and lawn equipment.
- Before beginning maintenance remove dried, encrusted soil with a wire brush, followed with a rinse in clean water, then thoroughly dry. Soak extremely dirty tools in water for an hour, if necessary.
- Sharpen dull tools (shovels, hoes, bypass pruners, and loppers) by using a file or whetstone. Working at a 45-degree angle, starting at the outer edge and moving toward the center.
- Use fine grit sandpaper and steel wool to remove rust. Once rust is removed, coat the metal surfaces with vegetable oil.
- Inspect gardening tool wooden handles closely. If splinters are evident, lightly sand with fine sandpaper, removing dust once completed. Using linseed oil or paste wax, apply a thin layer (light coating) to the wood handles to preserve them and prevent cracking, splitting, and splintering.
- To mitigate rust from forming on garden hand tools, store hand trowels and other small tools in a bucket containing sand which has is saturated with used oil.
- After rust has been removed from lawn and garden tools, hang rakes, hoes, and shovels in an easy-to-access location.
- Garden hoses need to be thoroughly inspected for leaks and cracks while pressurized. After inspection, drain, and relocate into an area out of the weather. Repair leaks using a hose repair kit or replace leaky fittings which can be purchased from a hardware store or home and garden center. Hose repair is easy, requiring minimal effort, cost, and time.
- Lastly, the hardest working garden tool is the lawn mower. Clean and sharpen dull, rusted blades or simply replace the blades. Change the oil and oil filter at least once per year (utilize the spent oil into the bucket containing sand, to store garden hand tools). Avoid storing gasoline in lawn mowers or weed trimmers over winter. Drain the gasoline or use in another gasoline powered tool. Additionally, adding fuel stabilizer to gasoline can mitigate residual gums from forming in the fuel line, injector and carburetor.
Storage
Store tools in a clean, dry area. Tools can be stored on shelves, racks, or simply leaned up against a wall. Do not store tools that have wooden handles with the wood in contact with soil, concrete, or outside environment.
Garden tools are expensive and good gardening tools are outrageously expensive. Protect your investments by taking good care of them and they will contribute to many years of productive gardening.
Until next week fellow gardeners, let’s go out and grow ourselves a greener, more sustainable world, one plant at a time! Gardening questions answered by email: jongreene57@gmail.com.
Social Media