Disinfecting tools?

12 years ago

I spent a couple hours yesterday cutting down multiflora most with signs of RRD that were off my back fence line in my neighbor's pasture. When done I snuck in the garage entrance staying away from my gardens and immediately dumped all my clothes in the washer and jumped in the shower. Between being in close quarter with so much RRD not to mention poison ivy I was feeling pretty toxic!

So the body is clean, the clothes are clean, what about my pruners? I know RRD is spread by mites so I'm not sure if it is necessary, but how does one go about disinfecting tools?

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Comments (8)

seil zone 6b MI
12 years ago
Soak them in some bleach water or hydrogen peroxide. Whether they can spread RRD or not it's a good idea to keep them disinfected. I don't do it between every plant (like I should) when I'm pruning but I do clean them frequently.
wirosarian_z4b_WI
12 years ago
Yes the bleach solution is the most effective way to disinfect your pruners but there are 2 things you should know:

Bleach only disinfects "surfaces" so you should wipe off any dirt or plant debris on your pruners before dipping in the bleach solution (a cap full of bleach in a pint of water will be plenty strong). It only needs to be wet with this solution for 1 min. to be effective.

Bleach solutions form Hypochlorous acid which is very corrosive to the metal in your pruners. After disinfecting, wipe your pruner dry with a clean paper towel. Then spray a metal parts with WD40 & work all moving parts (blade hinge, spring & lock)& reapply a little extra WD40 to these moving parts. Let sit for a few minutes & wipe down pruners so there is just a very light coating of WD40 left.
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Merilia
12 years ago
You might want to try Lysol instead. Rather than typing up the full explanation, I'll give you a link to an article about it from somebody who actually knows what she's talking about, unlike me!

Here is a link that might be useful: Disinfecting pruning tools
hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
12 years ago
Speaking with an orchid grower told me that flame (gas stove, lighter) is actually the best sterilizer. A bleach soak requires 30 minutes to remove most pathogens. Flame does it better faster (just a few seconds) and does not damage the metal in the way bleach (a corrosive) does. Orchid growers are much more fanatic about spreading bacterial and fungi than rose growers, so I trust that opinion.

It's also easy to carry a lighter around in your pocket in the garden.
dove_song
12 years ago
Wow, hoovb, I have never heard of disinfecting my garden tools by using a lighter. I'm going to give it a try. Thanks! :)
anntn6b
12 years ago
I wish Chalker-Scott had differentiated between treatment for bacteria, fungi, phytoplasmas, viruses (and the different viruses at that.)

I would expect a lighter would do real damage to a finely honed edge.
RpR_
12 years ago
I have used denatured alcohol and take tools large enough and put them in hot coals.

I quench them after I take them out of the coals.\
saldut
12 years ago
I use rubbing alcohol full strength, I carry a large plastic coffee-can out to the garden and use 3 pruners, every time I finish a rose I dunk the clipper into the alcohol and leave it, and take another clipper to use on the next rose.... it only takes abt. 30 seconds to sterilize the clippers... I also grow orchids and this method is used by pro. orchid folks... I fill the coffee-can w/alcohol and it covers the clippers...if there is debris on the clipper I wipe it off w/a rag I carry, before I dunk it into the alcohol..... when finished I put the lid back on the can so the alcohol doesn't evaporate, and drop it and the clippers into a larger plastic pail to carry back into the house....works for me....sally

Disinfecting tools?

Comments (8)

seil zone 6b MI

wirosarian_z4b_WI

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