Sterilizing garden tools ..

With all the talk of rose diseases, thought i would bring up the subject of what everyone uses to disinfect their secateurs and gardening tools . I use Methalated Spirits , i read somewhere that you should have two pairs of secateurs and have one pair soaking in metho while you use the other pair ...This seems to work fairly well ....

Yes I use metho too, swipe the blades of the secateurs with metho soaked rag between bushes.

Lee (wife) loves my method. I wipe them on my dirty shorts.

Never really bother with all that and don't seem to have a problem. One day my roses will catch some virus and I'll reget it.

As far as two pairs of secetors. I'm sure we have several pairs but do you think I can find a pair when I need them!!!!

Metho's good Silky , nice and cheap too . Balinbear , i know what you mean , am always losing things , even in my little suburban garden , and i get soooo mad ....

I clean all the gum and glue after each pruning session...run the stone over it quickly to keep edge on it..... clean off with metho and bob is your grandma

I must admit as Gary has, I don't clean mine. As for the type of secateurs I use 2 different brands, Felco No 7 rolled handle and Sandvik rolled handle. Sometimes I pinch Carole's pair of Sandvik, non roll handle. As for sharpening I use one called Ezi-Lap(medium)

I have a felco No7 and Fiskar and the ezi lap is the purple colored one

does the rose production industry sterilise? i don't think so! neptune's process is perfect

Oh Finbarr , you mean i don't have to be so meticulous , another myth busted , or is that why i have a rose with RMV ?? and have had four others that i had to dig out , just asking . lol .. I'll just say too that i have never had a rose with RMV from Swanes , they have all been healthy roses from you guys ....

If you cut/prune a rose bush with RMV, and then cut into another clean bush, some of the pathogens from the RMV bush will be transferred to the clean bush via your shears....similar to what budding does

as far as i would be concerned rmv is not spread by tools. being meticulous is good, sharp and clean at the start, and if necessary during pruning too. but the commercial growers won't clean much, so how effective is being meticulous?

Here's my sterilising process. Buy a pair of $100 Felcos. Prune a rose, put Felcos down somewhere and never see them again. Weep and gnash teeth.

Buy a pair of $7 secateurs from Coles. Prune two roses. Put secateurs down to answer phone, and never see them again. Cheerfully buy another $7 pair, and prune two more roses. Lend secateurs to friend. Never see them again. Buy remaining display rack of of $7 secateurs. Prune, lose secateurs open new pack, prune, lose secateurs.

Pruning all done. Statistical probability of passing RMV infection from rose to rose via secateurs reduced to a mote in a gnat's eye. No alcohol necessary (unless you're offering some to the gardener.)

$100 Felco's you cheap skate, buy proper ones, upto $140/ Aldi, have cheaper than $7 and work well that is what my boss is using to de-sucker the grapes at present.
As for the alcohol with pruning it goes unsaid. You have to keep the fluids up.

Betsy, I had to laugh reading your sterilisation technique, classic. So many lost - but think of the joy when you unearth them in the garden, behind the shed, under the letterbox, in the compost heap. And don't forget the roof! I'll lost some in my time but I'm too stingy to fork out for Felcos.
I haven't seen any sharpeners around (EziLap?). Where can you get those? Are they easy to use? I've never sharpened secateurs in my life.

Hah !!! How about you add reading glasses , gloves and all sorts of things that i put down and never find again , well i do , but as Silkyfizz said , its down the track a bit , lol !!! Felco's though i love em , guard em with my life, tried the cheapies , nah , no good , i just buy new blades every year before pruning time and thats it , wouldn't know how to sharpen blades ......

Eze Lap Diamond sharpeners, easiest way.

Okay Roseman , better have a look , thanks !!!!

Great on kitchen knives as well

Sounding good Roseman , but where did you get it from ?

I get mine from our rural store here named Landmark. They are available on Ebay.

Okay, thanks Roseman ...

also in the tool store at Bunnings

Great, thanks I'll get some. Do they come with instructions for dummies like me?

Pretty well, it should be on the back of the packet, be careful what colour you get or how hard you press when sharpening. I would not go past the medium which is purple

Thank you