Why clean tools??
If you clean after every use, you prevent diseases, fungi,
insect larva, weed seeds from spreading around your garden. You also extend the lifespan when you remove
soil after every use- soil encourages rust (through moisture) and will eat the
sharp edge off of your tools! The sharper the edge of your spade, trowel, hoe, edger,
the easier they cut. The easier they cut, the less muscle you have to put into
the project!
How do I clean them?
Hose off any tool that comes in contact with soil after
every use. Use a garden hose set on maximum pressure or, with heavy clay soil,
scrub with a bristle brush. DRY YOUR TOOLS- just like that nice sharp knife in
your kitchen!
For cutting tools with sharpened edges that don’t come in
contact with soil (like loppers, clippers, axes, pruning shears, knives), wipe
them down with a rough cotton cloth. The idea is to remove sap and gum from the
blades. Use a little paint thinner on a cloth to remove really sticky stuff….
Again, dry the tool after cleaning!
Prevent Future Damage
Steel tools are still susceptible to rust, even after
cleaning and drying. Note: the higher the grade of steel, the more vulnerable
to rust. Use oil to repel dirt, dust and erosion. Interestingly,
motor oil is touted as a great
inexpensive rust preventer! They say, mix motor oil and kerosene in a 2:1 ratio
(two part oil to one part kerosene). Put it in a sprayer for easy use. [Please
dispose of it as you would motor oil and store in a safe way, away from heat
sources]
Sharpen Tools
Sharpening is a bit more complex, but shovels, axes, trowels and hoes are easily sharpened by hand. Get an 8" long mill file with a bastard cut (that's straight dudes, not curved). Mine cost $8.99 at the hardware store. Get one with a handle- you'll need it.
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| OMG- it's ma file! With a handle! |
RULE OF FILE: Only draw the teeth one direction over the
edge being filed. Sawing back and forth? Never. Ever.
Hold the tool to be sharpened in a vise or some other
bracing system, so you can use both hands. You must maintain the same angle to
the edge as you push the file across it.
To sharpen shears and knives, you need a vise and an oil
stone. Like sharpening the good kitchen knife, go one direction and follow the
instructions that your oil stone comes with!
Hang Your Tools
Really, fancy systems to organize your tools aren’t
necessary, unless you want them! Use a two-by-four with 10-penny nails as your
holder. Put the business end of your tool down, so as not to hit yourself or
something else when you take it down. With wooden handled tools, just drill a
¼” hole in the handle of your tools (axes, rakes, shovels, etc.). Put a piece
of leather through the end and Voila!
Random questions
about tree care in cold months:
Tree Bags? Try a
tree bag ( brand name Treegator) to help water correctly. It provides deep,
root zone watering with no run off or evaporation. So if you choose to ignore
my directions about how to water, you can use this device! This is a good
safety for newly planted trees and folks who have “brown thumbs”. Our opinion
around here: they should be one on every tree in every median, City of Lawrence.
Frank Male, our lovely production manager also reminds me of
this: water every holiday through the winter. Water on Thanksgiving, Christmas,
Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick ’s Day. This cold weather watering can really
minimize winter damage and help trees survive and thrive in the spring.
Bark Wrap? Trees
and shrubs can be damaged by sudden fluctuations of temperature (hello,
Kansas!), prolonged periods of low temperature with no insulating snow and
unexpected early/ late season cold snaps. Sun scald happens on the south,
southwest side of an immature tree. It can heat up on a cold winter day,
initiating cambial activity. (This means it starts to grow) Suddenly, the
temperature drops and it kills the tissue. This means a big old wound, dead
place and scar on your delicate new tree.
Put commercial bark wrap on your tree to insulate and maintain a more
even temperature. Paper or plastic work fine, as long as it’s put on in the
early fall and removed in spring. Trees with thin bark who need this special
attention: cherry, crabapple, honey locust, linden, maple, ash, plum.
Since
bark is much like skin, the wound can also heal. Take a sharp knife and cut out
the wound in the same shape. Wrap in future winters to prevent more damage. Do
no dress the wound.
Look at the picture at right-- This is a downtown Lawrence tree (awesome lights!). Notice the bark wrap? Yup. But also, look at the stakes. It is really important to stake young trees. Most nursery men agree that stakes are very important for the first year. If you are planting a tree on a windy, exposed site, leave the stakes on two or three years. Please note that trees in their 2nd or 3rd year in the ground can really grow exponentially. Watch that any cables or ties are not cutting into the bark (cambium).
Winter Kill of
Evergreens
- Winter
sun and wind cause excessive transpiration (foliage water loss) while the
roots are in frozen soil and unable to replace lost water. This results in
desiccation and browning of the plant tissue.
- Bright
sunny days during the winter also cause warming of the tissue above
ambient temperature which in turn initiates cellular activity. Then, when
the sun is quickly shaded, foliage temperature drops to injurious levels
and the foliage is injured or killed.
- During
bright, cold winter days, chlorophyll in the foliage is destroyed
(photo-oxidized) and is not resynthesized when temperatures are below 28°
F. This results in a bleaching of the foliage.
- Cold
temperatures early in the fall before plants have hardened off completely
or late spring after new growth has occurred can result in injury or death
of this nonacclimated tissue.
Foliar damage normally occurs on the south, southwest, and
windward sides of the plant, but in severe cases the whole plant may be affected.
Yew, arborvitae, and hemlock are most susceptible, but winter browning can
affect all evergreens. New transplants or plants with succulent, late season
growth are particularly sensitive.
There are several ways to minimize winter injury to
evergreens. The first is proper placement of evergreens in the
landscape. Yew, hemlock, and arborvitae should not be planted on south or
southwest sides of buildings or in highly exposed (windy, sunny) places. A second
way to reduce damage is to prop pine boughs or Christmas tree greens against or
over evergreens to protect them from wind and sun and to catch more snow for
natural protection.
(thanks university of minnesota extension for the great winter kill info)
