- Author: Michelle Chin
Tool care: why perform routine tool cleaning and maintenance
It may seem counter-intuitive to clean a tool that will get dirty again. But proper tool care starts with cleaning and maintenance. The routine ensures your garden tools maintain the correct working order and will last you for seasons. Winter time is an excellent opportunity to prepare your tools for spring. This guide covers everything you need to know to clean and maintain the typical gardening tools.
Cleaning materials needed
- Soft brushes, wire brushes, or scouring pads—old toothbrushes, retired dish sponges, etc. work well
- Mild detergent or dish soap
- Water bucket or utility sink
- Sandpaper
- Old rags/towels or paper towels
- Lubricating oil or spray—found in most hardware stores
- Boiled linseed oil—available in most hardware stores
- Rust remover
- Sharpening tools—files, sharpening stones
- Sanitizing tools—70% isopropyl alcohol, household spray disinfectants or wipes, or 10% bleach solution
- Cotton balls or pads
- Screwdrivers or other tools as needed—to fix any loose parts
Safety gear needed
Depending on the tool you're cleaning, we recommend you wear proper gear to protect yourself from injury.
- Work gloves
- Rubber or latex gloves—to protect your hands
- Long-sleeve shirt, long pants, closed-toed shoes
- Safety goggles
Cleaning hand tools
Hand tools include pruners, garden shears, trowels, shovels, and brooms.
- Remove dirt, grit, and sap with a brush or wire brush. Scrub off as much rust as possible with a wire brush or scouring pad. Wire brushes are helpful for cleaning in between saw blade teeth.
- Wash your tools with warm, soapy water. Soak tools for a few minutes if the grit and sap are tough to remove. Some tools can be taken apart for easier cleaning.
- Dry your tools thoroughly.
- If needed, sharpen dull blades with a sharpening tool.
- Check wooden handles for splinters. Gently remove fragments with sandpaper.
- Sanitize your tools with rubbing alcohol. With cotton pads, wipe the surfaces of your tools, especially any blades. Disinfecting your tools reduces the spread of diseases in subsequent uses.
- Lubricate any blades and moving parts. Lightly oil any metal part to prevent future rust.
- Oil any wooden handles with boiled linseed oil. Follow the container's instructions for use and proper storage. Handle and dispose of oily rags by following National Fire Protection Association guidelines. Important: Oily rags stored improperly can lead to spontaneous combustion!
- Inspect your tools to ensure they aren't cracked, broken, or dangerous. Depending on the damage, some grip handles might be replaceable or re-dipped in a grip coating. Hardware stores usually have options available. Tighten any loose parts. Replace any tools that have outlived their usefulness.
Cleaning power tools
Power tools include lawnmowers, string trimmers, leaf blowers, and more.
- Follow the manufacturer's guidelines for cleaning. If you can't find the original manual, manufacturers might have them online for downloading. If not, they might have some general cleaning instructions.
- Unplug or remove any elements that can power the tool on (e.g., spark plugs, batteries).
- Remove any debris like dirt, grit, and grass clippings. Use an old rag or soft brush on plastic parts. Metal parts might be able to handle a tougher scrub brush, but consult the manufacturer's guidelines.
- Dry any parts you washed thoroughly before reassembling.
- Inspect and replace any worn-out parts.
- Lubricate any blades or moving parts as needed.
Cleaning protective gear
Protective gear includes gloves, hats, aprons, boots, and more. While these might not be the first tools you think of, they still count!
- Shake out your protective gear to remove any loose bits of dirt, grit, and debris.
- Scrape dirt off of your boots and leather gloves.
- Wash fabric gloves, aprons, and hats as directed. If they are machine washable, wash them separately from other laundry.
- Dry out your gloves, aprons, and hats thoroughly before storing them.
- Inspect your protective gear for any holes or wear and tear.
- Repair or replace as needed.
Staying ahead tool cleaning and maintenance
Light cleaning and maintenance throughout the gardening season can keep your tools in good working order and make winter cleaning easier. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
- Wash your hand tools after every use. Dirt and grit are much easier to remove when they're still fresh. Thoroughly dry your tools before storing them, and lubricate them as needed throughout the seasons.
- If you're using tools frequently, consider keeping a bucket full of sand and oil. In any bucket mix layers of oil (any oil like vegetable oil, mineral oil, etc.) sand together. After rinsing dirt off your tools, plunge the tools in the bucket as needed to sharpen and clean the tool simultaneously.
- Sanitize any cutting tools after use. This is vital if you use them to prune infected plants. Immediately sanitizing them prevents the spread of any disease. A sanitizing solution can be made with bleach and water. (See this PDF for details.) And you can confidently know they're clean the next time you cut something.
- Create a kit for your cleaning supplies. Having all your cleaning supplies in one place will make cleaning your tools easier at any time. Ensure you properly store cleaning supplies like oily rags or boiled linseed oil to prevent spontaneous combustion. Keep your kit out of reach of pets and young kids.
If you'd like to know more about tool care, consider these other resources:
- Tool care tips from the UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County
- Shovel sharpening tips from the University of Florida IFAS Extension
All photos are by Michelle Chin, UC Master Gardener.
- Author: Judy Quan
Container gardening is enticing. We love the option to grow plants where space and sunlight might otherwise limit our choices. Most perennials, shrubs and trees are better off planted in the ground, but, with care, we can maintain our larger woody plants in containers.
Container plants need more monitoring
We must carefully monitor and nurture our container plants since nutrients and water are confined to what is available in the container. Woody plants such as trees and shrubs need larger containers and more care over the years since they have larger root systems than most annuals and perennials.
The importance of repotting
The periodic repotting of container plants is an important aspect of care that is often neglected. Over time, as plants mature, plants naturally produce more leaves above ground and more roots below ground. Most container plants tend to become root-bound, meaning the roots outgrow the container, and the roots overlap each other, often circling the bottom of the container and growing back up its sides. Being root-bound results in stunted growth and poor plant health. The organic portion of the potting soil slowly decomposes over time and compacts, losing pore space, air space and drainage space.
When to repot
Generally, containers should be repotted every two to three years.
Signs that indicate the need for repotting:
- Surface/drainage hole roots
- Sunken soil level
- Plant seems too big for pot
- Discolored or yellowing leaves
- Frequent wilting
Container selection and preparation
It is important to have the right size container. You need enough space for roots, and enough room for soil for hydration, thermal insulation and fertility.
Managing large containers
Selection of container, usually you need half wine barrel size to accommodate a larger plant like a tree or a shrub. TIP: Having a plant caddy with quality wheels that turn easily can make the job of moving the barrel and the plant ball much easier. There are plant caddies that are built to deal with the weight of a fully loaded half barrel filled with potting soil and a tree or shrub. Plant caddies are also helpful to monitor drainage.
Adequate drainage
Make sure that there are adequate drainage holes in the bottom of the container. No need to add rocks or gravel as they can interfere with proper drainage and take valuable depth from soil. To stop soil from leaking out, a mesh screen works well. Avoid sealing the hole.
Plan to elevate the wine barrel to provide air space so that wood will have a chance to dry out underneath.
Potting soil (not garden soil) and potting soil mix recipes
Plants in containers do not do well using ordinary garden soil, especially clay soil; they need a more porous soil mixture to thrive.
If you are buying potting soil, remember you get what you pay for. Consider getting potting soil from your local nursery. Another way to get quality potting is to mix your own. Here are links to some recipes: Soil Mixes for Container Gardening by UC Master Gardeners of Napa County
It is good practice to refresh containers with additional new potting soil or to replace all the potting soil with new potting soil. Prepare the potting soil that you are planning to use. If you are using old and new potting soil, mix the two. If you add compost, mix well with the potting soil. Never exceed 1/3 of the mix when adding compost.
Fertilizer
Mix in some slow-release 16-16-16 fertilizer. The slow release is recommended since plants in containers need to be watered more frequently than those in the ground, and nutrients are lost as the water drains out of the container.
During the growing season, apply a water-soluble fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks, supplementing the slow-release fertilizer.
Whatever fertilizer you use, be sure to follow the directions on the label.
Getting the plant out of the container easily and safely
Break down sides of a worn-out wooden barrel by tapping on metal rings and they should just drop down allowing you to take out the wooden slats, exposing the root ball.
Readying plant for transplanting
Camellia's extremely matted roots being loosened with garden tool - photo courtesy of Judy Quan 2024
Inspect and trim root mats, circling roots, tangled roots
Remove any diseased or damaged roots. When the plant is out of the container, gently separate the roots.
If the plant is root-bound, slice off outer 1/2 inch of roots including soil and root mats. Trim circling roots and any roots growing upward. Make sure not to remove more than 1/3 of the roots.
Transplant plant to new container
Fill by mounding potting soil for ease in root placement
Begin filling the container with potting soil. Build a mound in the center. Roots should be placed around the outer edge in a lateral, radial, slightly downward manner.
Place the plant on top of the soil mound, arranging roots away from the stem. Try to help roots avoid circling and being tangled with one another. Spread the roots apart as much as you can.
Position root crown in new container
Identify the plant's root crown. The crown is located where the first lateral roots start to appear. Estimate the location of the crown when it is planted in the container so it is at or slightly above the soil level. Positioning the root crown is especially important for trees since below soil level placement may lead to crown rot diseases. Crown Rot in the Garden - UCANR Pest Note
Be sure to keep track of the crown and keep it above the soil level as you are adding potting soil. Avoid packing the soil down. You can gently pat the soil just enough to remove big air pockets
Next, after transplanting into container
Gently water your plant.
Check by feeling the soil to make sure that the root ball is moist. When the root ball has dried out, it may be difficult to re-wet the root ball. A very thorough soaking may be necessary more than once. When you are finished, you can add some mulch.
Re-Check Soil Moisture and Soil Level Over the Next Few Days.
Check the top 2-3 inches of potting mix in the container for moisture over the next few days since it may be drier than you anticipate. You may need to add some additional potting soil once the soil has settled more.
Schedule frequent ongoing soil moisture checks
When it is dry, the plant needs water. Plants need more frequent watering when in smaller containers, higher temperatures, higher wind, and direct sun. Mature plants are more likely to need frequent, perhaps daily, watering in warm or hot weather., especially if located near heat-retaining hardscapes such as concrete, rocks, bricks, pavers, or stone.
When repotting is NOT enough, transplant to in-ground
Sometimes we realize that our plants are not thriving in their containers, no matter what we have done, and we need to plant them in the ground. Follow the same steps of separating the roots, and cutting and removing the roots mats that are at the bottom of the container. The holes should be wider than the root ball so that the roots can radiate out. Large rooted plants should be arranged so the roots are not tangled or only on one side. Remember, however the roots are placed, that is how they stay and grow. Repotting or transplanting plants in-ground often results in happier, healthier plants.
Resources:
Container Planting by Oregon State Master Gardeners Clackamas County (PDF)
Outdoor Container Flower Gardening by UC Master Gardeners of San Joaquin
Planting Landscape Trees - UCANR (PDF)
Repot Your Plants by UC Master Gardeners of Napa County (potting soil mix recipes included)
Repotting and Fertilizing Houseplants by University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension
Repotting Basics - Tips to Ensure Vitality in Woody Contain Plants, University of Georgia
Healthy Garden Tips -- Soil Mixes for Container Gardening by UC Master Gardeners of Napa County
Tips For Beginners: How to Transplant a Container-Grown Plant, Virginia Tech
Alameda County Master Gardeners Help Desk:
This blog post is brought to you by the Help Desk of the UC Master Gardeners of Alameda County.
Have a gardening question? We'll help. You can reach us by:
- Emailing acmg@ucanr.edu. Please include a photo of the problem, if you can, plus your name, phone number, city and a description of the problem.
- Using our online form.
- By phone, during our office hours, 10 am to noon Wednesday and 11 am to 1 pm Thursday: 510-670-5645. At other times, please leave a message and we'll return your call during our office hours.
- In person at our Hayward office, during our office hours, only by appointment.
