AMES, Iowa — With spring just around the corner, now is the time to clean out the garden shed and prepare tools and supplies for the gardening season. In this article, horticulturists with Iowa State University Extension and Extension offer information on how to clean, disinfect, sharpen and prepare garden tools for spring.
How to clean and disinfect plant containers for reuse?
Reusing plastic, clay and other packaging is a great way to save money and reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfills. Plastic plant containers cannot be recycled in traditional single-stream household recycling programs, and unfortunately, programs to collect and recycle plastic plant containers are not common. It is important to clean and disinfect old pots every time you use them. Disease-causing fungi and other organisms, including insects, can remain in old containers and infect new potted plants.
To sanitize pots, use a brush or stiff cloth to remove all loose soil particles. Soak the container in a solution containing one part bleach to nine parts water for a minimum of 10 minutes. Then wash the pots with soapy water (dish detergent works great) and rinse.
Mineral deposits can often form around the top inside rim of the pot near the soil line. Remove this mineral deposit from the pots with a scourer. Hard-to-remove deposits can be removed with a knife. Smooth the rough edges with steel wool. Rinse the pot and it will be ready for reuse.
How do I disinfect my pruners to prevent the spread of certain diseases?
Proper cleaning and disinfection of pruners and other garden tools is important to prevent the spread of disease. At a minimum, when removing disease-infected plant material, pruners should be disinfected between plants. The ideal would be to disinfect them between each cut.
Always start by removing dirt, sap and other debris from pruning equipment before disinfecting it.
A 10% solution of household chlorine bleach prepared by adding 1 part bleach to 9 parts water can be used to disinfect pruning shears. The solution should be used within two hours of preparation and the tool should be soaked for at least 10 minutes in the solution.
One of the easiest ways to disinfect pruning equipment is to use ethanol or isopropyl alcohol. To disinfect with alcohol, wipe or immerse the tool in alcohol. No need for prolonged soaking. Rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl alcohol) and ethanol are readily available at most drugstores and other retail outlets and can be used directly from the container without dilution. Alcohol disinfection is preferred by homeowners over most other methods because it is easy to use, easy to find in stores, relatively inexpensive, and does not require prolonged soaking.
How do I clean and prepare my garden tools?
Proper care of garden tools and equipment extends their useful life, avoids costly repairs and improves their performance. Remove caked-on soil from shovels, shovels, hoes, and rakes with a wire brush or stiff putty knife. Wash the tools with a strong jet of water and then dry them. Wipe metal surfaces with an oily cloth or spray with WD-40 to prevent corrosion. Sand rough wood handles, then wipe with linseed oil to prevent drying and cracking.
Over time, farming tools such as hoes, spades and shovels are cut and damaged by rocks and soil. Sharpening the blades of your cultivation tools will make them easier and safer to use. To sharpen cultivation tools, start by clamping the tool by the handle in a bench lathe with the front side facing up. Using a metal file, 
sharpen the edge by pushing the file away from you across the blade. Keep the file at the same angle throughout, using the existing bevel angle on the edge of the tool as a guide. Work slowly and evenly so that a sheen appears about a quarter of an inch back from the edge of the blade along the entire edge. Then turn the tool over and deburr the underside of the blade edge by lightly pushing the metal file away from you in the same smooth, even motion as before. Depending on the amount of use, most grow tools only need sharpening once a year.
How do I prepare my lawnmower for spring?
Spring is the best time to service your engine and sharpen your blades to ensure your mower runs smoothly and cuts your lawn cleanly. Start by checking the oil. Some mowers benefit from changing the oil once a year. Others only require the oil to run out in the spring. Check your owner’s manual and follow these instructions to check or change the oil. Check all filters, including air, oil, and fuel filters, and clean or replace as necessary. Ideally, the fuel tank will have been emptied or dried out in the fall, but if it wasn’t, it’s important to remove the old fuel and replace it with new before starting the mower for the first time in Spring. Check and replace the spark plug every one to three years. A new spark plug will allow the engine to run better and start easier.
Take the opportunity to sharpen the blades and clean the mower deck while the fuel tank is empty. Dull mower blades cause the engine to run harder and break or rip up blades of grass instead of cutting them cleanly. The jagged edge of a grass blade cut with a dead mower blade will turn brown and allow some disease pathogens to infect the blade more easily. To remove the blade, wear thick leather gloves, disconnect the spark plug (or remove the battery from an electric mower), and clamp onto a short 2×4 to keep the blade from turning. Loosen the screw in the center of the blade with a wrench. It might take some leverage to get it going! Once removed, you can sharpen the blades yourself or take them to a hardware or outdoor equipment store to be sharpened. While the blade is out, this is also the perfect time to clean the mower deck. Use a strong stream of water and a putty knife to remove accumulated debris from the underside of the deck and wash or blow leaves and grass from all other areas of the mower.
Shareable photos: 1. Garden pruners. 2. Used gardening containers.
