tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736928270390224037.post742067371099694334..comments2024-03-29T09:45:58.686+00:00Comments on Rachel the Gardener: Garden Hygiene III: First, sterilise your secateurs....Rachel the Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17025126472323801610noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736928270390224037.post-90529142001361588992021-01-19T11:49:19.814+00:002021-01-19T11:49:19.814+00:00This post has suddenly gained new readership, than...This post has suddenly gained new readership, thanks to the Covid problem: I had a comment from Marisa (*waves*) pointing out that people are doing the quick 2-second wipe on supermarket trolley handles etc, and thinking that's going to protect them from C-19.<br /><br />Well, trolley handles shouldn't be covered with organic matter, they're smooth inert plastic, so they should be a lot easier to clean: and again, I would point out that there is a difference between cleaning - physically wiping off the "germs" - and sterilising, which takes a long time.<br /><br />So do continue to wipe your trolley handles: but keep your hands away from your face while you're shopping, and remember to clean your hands with gel as soon as you leave the shop: again, after you've loaded your (contaminated) shopping into the car, again once you've unloaded it at home, and again before eating.<br /><br />It's not easy, being clean....Rachel the Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17025126472323801610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736928270390224037.post-9924001828501050842020-07-04T10:08:45.337+01:002020-07-04T10:08:45.337+01:00Hi Peter,
I have never heard of dipping blades in...Hi Peter,<br /><br />I have never heard of dipping blades in milk to prevent infection, and a fairly cursory internet search does not reveal any mention of such a thing, so I have no idea!!<br /><br />On the face of it, it seems a ridiculous thing to do: milk is itself full of pathogens - you only have to leave a cup of milk sitting outside the fridge for a couple of days to see how "germy" it is. So I can't think of any logical reason to use it in gardening.<br /><br />It is entirely possible that this is one of those awful "received wisdom" practices, of which I so disapprove: you know, where someone does something just because "it has always been done this way". They might have been taught to use milk by someone who didn't know why they used it: they might have mis-read something somewhere: it might be that they tried it once and it seemed to work, so they've continued with it ever since!! <br /><br />I really don't know. But it's not something which I will be trying for myself!Rachel the Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17025126472323801610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736928270390224037.post-86028967108307204602020-06-28T16:33:58.336+01:002020-06-28T16:33:58.336+01:00Great article! Thank you. On television I saw a pr...Great article! Thank you. On television I saw a professional grower dipping their secateurs in milk inbetween cuttings prevent infection. How does that work (does it work?) by trapping viruses / bacteria or by killing them? They were a proper professional growing thousands of cuttings.PeterLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06320032401598061860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736928270390224037.post-29984933823525303042020-05-24T01:34:37.706+01:002020-05-24T01:34:37.706+01:00Thank you so much for sharing. Little knowledge i...Thank you so much for sharing. Little knowledge is dangerous knowledge as they say.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15013611031640887596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736928270390224037.post-79521344959397350802020-02-22T09:40:50.947+00:002020-02-22T09:40:50.947+00:00Hi Rachel (*waves bottle of vodka while wobbling o...Hi Rachel (*waves bottle of vodka while wobbling on top of a ladder*) yes, it did take aaaaages but so worth while, I thought. I'm glad you found it useful.<br /><br />I am laughing hysterically at the thought of using vodka - if I tried that, my Trainee would probably be trying to drink it! (that's a joke, intended to convey a humourous self-deprecating knowledge of how hard it must be for my Trainee to have to listen to me for four hours at a time!)<br /><br />Of course, now that you know the true effectiveness - or not - of all these products, you could just as easily use plain tap water in an re-used bottle with "Sterilising Alchohol" written on it, thus saving money!!Rachel the Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17025126472323801610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736928270390224037.post-57935335517815897092020-02-22T09:10:09.061+00:002020-02-22T09:10:09.061+00:00This is exactly the info I was looking for, but di...This is exactly the info I was looking for, but didn't expect to find do well researched and summarised. This must have taken you aaaagges! Thank-you. All makes sense, dare I say sounds like common sense, however I'll probably continue to wipe clean my secateurs with an old flannel and alcohol between plants whilst working as explaining all of this to disbelieving customers isn't going to pay my way! Own brand supermarket vodka in a reused water bottle is my product of choice. Anyone else?!<br />Thanks again RachelAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17583837432687660508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736928270390224037.post-64561782264233288482020-02-13T16:29:26.131+00:002020-02-13T16:29:26.131+00:00You're welcome, Ellie!You're welcome, Ellie!Rachel the Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17025126472323801610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736928270390224037.post-4737576887501687752020-02-13T14:35:00.725+00:002020-02-13T14:35:00.725+00:00Thank you so much for researching and sharing this...Thank you so much for researching and sharing this! Much appreciated elliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901818244426480785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736928270390224037.post-86334347964145712852019-02-22T08:21:15.524+00:002019-02-22T08:21:15.524+00:00Glad to hear it! I'm sure your roses will appr...Glad to hear it! I'm sure your roses will appreciate a pair of lovely new, super-sharp secateurs - and it's much easier to keep a new pair clean than it is to try to clean an old, rusty, pitted pair.<br /><br />Besides, it's nice to have new tools now and again!<br />Rachel the Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17025126472323801610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736928270390224037.post-20366551268512950852019-02-22T06:56:08.615+00:002019-02-22T06:56:08.615+00:00Thanks so much for your hard work. Everyone can be...Thanks so much for your hard work. Everyone can benefit from your diligence. I'm going yo start rose pruning today and you know what? I'm just going to buy a new pair of secateurs, dedicate them to the one job and then follow your advice about cleaning. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02415532563390509103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736928270390224037.post-26169124963949545742018-09-16T08:16:47.801+01:002018-09-16T08:16:47.801+01:00Yes, I did include disinfectant for hairdressers i...Yes, I did include disinfectant for hairdressers in the research: the chemicals recommended for hairdresses are no more effective than those used medically.<br /><br />You are right, there are a couple that claim not to promote rust formation - which is not the same as preventing rust - but I couldn't find any supporting evidence for that claim.Rachel the Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17025126472323801610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736928270390224037.post-60243134447704871262018-09-13T14:41:52.490+01:002018-09-13T14:41:52.490+01:00Thank you for your advice I just wondered did you ...Thank you for your advice I just wondered did you look at a disinfectant for hairdressers for those occasions when you want to disinfect your tools I know one brand claims to prevent rust.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00460325031941084879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736928270390224037.post-7403055532332917472018-01-15T09:13:01.608+00:002018-01-15T09:13:01.608+00:00Glyn, you are most welcome: it's one of those ...Glyn, you are most welcome: it's one of those subjects where "most" people just do what "everyone else" does, and never query it.<br /><br />And you are so right about the diseases being ubiquitous - I must go back and add something to that effect *frantic typing sounds in the background*.<br /><br />I'm interested to hear that you get your students to de-sap their blades, I wouldn't have thought about that. I teach mine how to sharpen their blades with a pen-file, and the demo does actually include the comment that you can "feel" once you've cleaned off the dirt and sap, the penfile starts to "grip" and that's when sharpening begins.<br /><br />It hasn't occurred to me that I should teach them to clean the blades before they start sharpening them - but I will in future! I don't think I'll encourage them to use wipes of any sort (there are too many non-biodegradeable ones out there) but I will certainly instruct them to go and find some mare's tails (Equisetum)!!Rachel the Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17025126472323801610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1736928270390224037.post-43459695140761638612018-01-14T21:34:43.884+00:002018-01-14T21:34:43.884+00:00haha! brilliant! thank you for the work you have p...haha! brilliant! thank you for the work you have put into this! it has always been my intuitive and semi knowledgeable belief that disinfecting on the go is a bit of a myth. As you say both the time it needs and what you are concerned about. You could also have mentioned that many plant disease are ubiquitous in the environment and will happily infect your plants regardless of your pruning. Apple Canker typically infect via leave scars. I've actually found a link to this being stated in 1921! Yet the idea that we must disinfect our secateurs in case we spread Apple Canker remains strong almost 100 years later! <br />Saying that! I teach a class of 20 students and I think wipes has a place there, bio-degradable ones! Sure it would be better if i could provide everyone with a nice rag but the wipes are well just easier. They will clean off sap and help make sure that the blades cut cleanly. And actually that is the crucial bit. If we are worried about infection, clean, as small as possible, cuts are important! So worry about sharp blades as much as disinfected blades imo! Thanks again. Glyn Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01853517162251670851noreply@blogger.com