Knowing how to properly care for your gardening tools is vital to keeping your plants in good health. One tool gardeners tend to clean ineffectively is pruning shears. Many people believe vinegar is the best cleaning solution. Does it disinfect? What are the different ways to clean pruning shears effectively? This article is the ultimate answer to these questions.
The importance of cleaning pruning shears
Pruning shears come in direct contact with plants in the garden, meaning they must be disinfected regularly. Disinfecting your pruning shears helps avoid spreading diseases from plant to plant.
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When you prune away infected leaves from a plant, you need to disinfect your tool before you use it on another plant. Cleaning shears also removes the buildup of debris and makes the tool last longer.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Although hydrogen is usually sprayed on terra-cotta plant pots and seed-starting trays to prevent damping-off, it can also disinfect pruning shears. To eradicate germs, wipe your shears with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution.
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However, this method might not be the best for cleaning your shears between each plant as it takes time. Hydrogen peroxide might take up to 10 minutes to disinfect, so it’s better to use it to clean them at the end of the day.
Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is inexpensive and always readily available at most pharmacies. It is also an effective disinfectant for pruning shears and other gardening tools. First, you’ll have to get at least 70% isopropyl or rubbing alcohol.
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Then, you can either spray the liquid on the shears or wipe it over the tool with a damp cloth. This is effective for cleaning pruning shears between plants since you only have to wait for 30 seconds or until the alcohol dries for it to be sterilized.
Heat
Heat is another common way of effectively disinfecting shears. However, since heating takes up to 30 minutes to kill plant pathogens, it’s best to clean shears at the end of the day or during the growing season.
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You could steam, boil, or bake your pruning shears at 180°F to 200°F. Another thing to consider is the size of the pruning shears and what they are made of. You can’t heat large shears that can’t fit on the stovetop or shears with plastic parts.
Bleach
Another way to disinfect your pruning shears is by using a 10% bleach solution. This method is particularly good for larger pruning shears because it is super affordable and effectively eradicates plant pathogens.
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To make a 10% bleach solution, mix 1 part bleach with nine parts water. Then, soak the shears in the solution for 30 minutes and air dry. You should wear gloves when mixing the bleach to prevent skin damage.