So I have to admit, I’m a lazy gardener sometimes. Not with everything of course, but I definitely need some “hacks” to help keep me on track here at Ardenelli Farms with the less “sexy” parts of gardening – i.e., keeping clean tools!
It’s always a good idea to sanitize your shears and pruners in-between plants so if you are removing diseased branches (knowingly or unknowingly) it doesn’t spread to other plants or trees.
I never used to clean my pruners (oops!) until I started learning about grafting. There was a nifty idea to keep a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol with your tools. I usually keep mine right in the garden shed with the tools and sometimes it migrates around and hangs on trellises wherever I used it last. It’s in a bright neon bottle that is easy to spot.
Wipe off debris first, give both sides of the blades a good spray, and you’re good to go!