Preparing and maintaining your yard and garden equipment and tools for the winter season will lengthen their usefulness. They’ll be sharp, clean, and well maintained when your lawn and garden re-awake in spring, and you’re ready to go outside and get moving again!
Here are a few essential tips for the garden tools in winter, to lighten your load:
Cleaning Garden Hoses
Take out nozzles and completely drain hoses. Repair any leaks if there are any with a repair tape made for hoses. Replace the washers or the entire ends, if necessary. Coil and hang to store.
Maintaining Snow Blower
Snowblowers — also known as snow throwers — offers fast, efficient snow removal. Clear away the snow from the garden using a mighty snowblower. Get your snowblower ready for action by setting up a new spark plug, changing the oil, and checking the condition of the tires. Replace tires if they seem too worn out. And for those who don’t know: they come in a variety of sizes, types of engine, and built quality. There are mainly two types of snow blowers: one-stage and two-stage.
A two-stage snow blower is more efficient than a one-stage, it is best used for clearing big areas and it also has engine-driven wheels. If you don’t have one, you can easily buy two-stage snow blower online that fits your budget just right.
Pots and Planters
Cleanse and sterilize pots and planters to remove trails of mold, fungus, plant diseases, and pests. Remove all plants and soil, and thoroughly rinse it. Concrete planters can be cleaned with water mixed with bleach—3 cups per gallon—and a stiff-bristle brush. Wear gloves and proper eye protection when using bleach.
Terracotta pots can be cleaned with water, a little household dish soap or bleach, and a soft-bristle brush. For fiberglass pots, wash using mild soap and a soft-bristle brush to prevent scratching. Thoroughly rinse all pots after cleaning, dry, and store them in a protected location.
String Trimmer
Ready the gas-powered trimmers for winter the same way you prepare your mower. Clean the string head and install a new line. The line can become weak and break more easily. Sharpen the string-cutting blade on the debris deflector. Doing this can definitely increase the longevity of the string trimmer.
Gas Hedge Trimmer
Gas hedge trimmers must be prepped the same way as the mowers. Thoroughly clean the trimmer, including the intake and exhaust vents. If the blades are blunt, sharpen or replace them, depending on the model you own. Give the blades a light coating of oil, multipurpose spray lubricant, or resin solvent. And always remember to store it in a dry area.
With the use of these gardening tools tips you can keep your lawn tidy through winter and if all goes to plan, be ready to entertain again in spring.