Are your pruners dull, stiff, and rusty? Pruners that don’t work correctly can ruin your gardening time. A clean-cut heals better, reducing the dangers of diseases and infections. Here is some information on how to sharpen pruning shears. It is also crucial that you keep your shears and other yard tools clean as well.
Steps on How to Sharpen Pruning Shears
Wash pruners with warm water and dish soap. You can also use Scrubbing Bubbles to spray the blades. Dissolve any rust by soaking them for 24 hours in white vinegar. Rinse pruners thoroughly after cleaning. Use an old cotton towel to dry.
Sharpen the bevel with a file, going along the same angle of the existing slope. Slice the file from the base to the tip a few times.
Clean Tools are Long Lasting
You need to clean your tools after every use. Doing so keeps fungi, weed seeds, and pest eggs from being inadvertently scattered around your landscape. Also, cleaning lengthens the life of a tool. Clean tools are free of rust enhancing, wet soil from steel surfaces.
You must hose off trowels, hoes, spades, rakes, and any other tools that touch the soil after every use. With the garden hose nozzle changed for maximum pressure, standard garden soil washes away cleanly. To get rid of heavy clay soil, scouring with a bristle brush might be necessary. After cleaning any tool, dry it with a cotton towel before putting it away.
Tools that don’t touch the soil, especially those with sharpened edges like knives, axes, and pruning shears, must be cleaned with a cotton rag to take off any saps and gums.
When working on pitch-producing plants such as conifers, moisten a rag with a little paint thinner before wiping. With any cleaning job, remove residue and dirt then dry the tool with a clean cotton cloth.
Use Oil to Stop Rust
Motor oil is a practical, budget-friendly rust preventer. When putting on steel surfaces, the oil protects the steel and stops it from oxidizing.
If you require more information on how to sharpen your pruning shears or any other gardening tool, contact us at Durham Tree Service.
