Green Space: Winterize garden equipment today to avoid costly repairs
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By JERRY CLARK
Saturday, November 3, 2007 3:26 PM CDT
For the Herald
Another Halloween has come and gone and with it comes an “unofficial end” to the growing season. Fall bulbs are in the ground, lawns have been fertilized, weeds have been controlled and the vegetable garden and flower beds are being cleaned up.
We can safely say that the 2007 gardening season is history. But, it isn’t time to relax just yet. Now is an excellent time to winterize garden tools and yard equipment. A little preventative maintenance now can prevent frustration and expensive repair in the future.
Proper maintenance also extends the life of tools and equipment and makes working with them easier and more efficient.
While garden hoses don’t need a great deal of care, the care that we provide is important if we want them to last. Rule one — don’t kink the hose. Any kink becomes a weak point in the hose and kinks restrict water flow. Quite often the hose will crack in those locations.
Store hoses on hose supports or reels or coil loosely rather than hanging them on nails. Use hose supports or reels to prevent sagging and kinking. Before storing hoses away for the winter, drain all the water from them and store in a dry location. Also, if necessary, turn off water to outdoor faucets to prevent freezing damage to outdoor water fixtures.
Remove caked on dirt or vegetation from all tools using a wire brush, scraper or a strong stream of water. Lubricate all pivot points and springs on shears and pruners. Sharpen hoes, spades, pruners, loppers and saws.
Be sure to check all tools thoroughly for loose screws or nuts and tighten them accordingly. Replace or repair broken handles and other bent or broken parts.
Finally, spray all bare metal parts and cutting edges with penetrating oil or liquid grease to prevent rust. Alcohol-based lubricants will dry out applied surfaces and won’t last the whole winter.
Wipe wooden handles with wood preservative to help prevent wood from cracking and drying. A good oil to use is linseed oil. Warming the oil before use allows deeper penetration into the wood. Hang tools in their proper storage spot so you can easily find them next spring.
Sprayers used for insect, disease, and weed control should be thoroughly washed and rinsed. All pesticide equipment should be triple rinsed. This includes all parts of the sprayer from the holding tank to the nozzles.
Apply oil to moving parts as required and follow the directions provided for your particular sprayer. Tip the sprayer upside down or hang upside down when not in use so that they can drain and dry thoroughly. Be sure to store fertilizers, pesticides, and other garden chemicals in a frost-free location that is secure and child-proof.
Fertilizer spreaders in particular should be washed thoroughly and lubricated as well. Fertilizers contain salts which can corrode metal parts quickly.
Wheelbarrows, carts and wagons may also need some attention before winter. Clean them thoroughly and touch up paint chips with spray paint to prevent exposed steel from rusting. Grease wheels to prevent squeaking and early wear.
Power equipment, such as lawn mowers, tillers and chippers, require additional winter preparations. Wipe down the equipment to remove collected grease, dirt and plant material.
This should be done after each use but many of us wait until the storage season to clean them up. Sharpen cutting edges and blades and apply a lubricant to prevent rust.
If your equipment has a four-cycle engine, change the oil by following instructions listed in your owner’s manual. Two-cycle engines, or engines that run with a gas and oil mixture, also should have the oil-gas mixture removed for the winter.
Run the engine with the choke open to remove fuel from the lines. Check the spark plug and replace if needed and other worn or damaged parts as well. Avoid storing gasoline over the winter or add a gasoline stabilizer to the tank to keep gas fresh. Old gasoline does not ignite easily, making the machines using it work harder.
This is the time of the year when many gardeners feel they’ve finally caught up with all their activities. However, don’t put your feet up until after the maintenance projects have been completed.
Jerry Clark is the Crops and Soils Educator for UW-Extension Chippewa County. He earned a B.S. and M.S. in Agriculture Education from UW-River Falls and serves as the advisor for the Chippewa Valley Master Gardener Program.
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