Is there a Best Disinfectant for Cordless Pruning Shears?
Pruning shears are a particular danger because of the job they are designed to do.
When those blades cut through a stem or branch, they come into contact with the entire structure of the plant. This means they can (relatively) easily physically transmit a pathogen from one plant to the next.
And please remember. There is a good chance you wont even see any evidence of the disease you are potentially spreading.
And unfortunately it needn’t be restricted to just the next plant you prune.
If the pathogen is fairly hardy you could transmit the disease to many more plants. This is particularly true if you are pruning e.g. an orchard. Here the trees you are pruning are all the same and they are all susceptible to that specific pathogen.
What to do?
So the obvious answer to preventing your pruning shears from spreading an infection is to give them a good scrub with soap and water to remove all organic material (aka visible dirt!) and then disinfect them.
Soap and water don’t mix well with electronics. Also most of these blades are made from carbon steel which is not immune to rusting.
So that is probably not a good idea if you want your cordless cordless pruning shears to have a long and productive working life!
Plan B
Plan B involves firstly finding a way to remove the bits of organic material that inevitably cling to the tool without scratching or damaging the blades (or electronics).
Something like a wire brush will be too harsh on the blades. A soft cloth and some elbow grease should be sufficient. Add in good old fashioned cotton earbuds for the nooks and crannies.
Once you have dealt with the organic matter and the blades are free of any visible dirt, then its time to deal with any invisible pathogens left on the blades.
Don’t Beat about the Bush
There are a lot of options that will claim to do the job, but lets just go for the most effective, easily available, easy to use and cheap option.
Isopropyl Alcohol or Ethanol Alcohol
Either of these will do the job.
They are easy to use in that they can be used as is straight out the bottle. Another benefit is that the blades don’t have to be soaked or otherwise exposed to these for a specified period of time.
Just apply to the blades either via a cloth or fine spray, wipe down and you are done.
Final thoughts
How often should you disinfect your cordless pruning shears?
Well, ideally, probably after every plant or tree you prune.
But that isn’t really practical.
So if you are in for a big day pruning a whole orchard, perhaps once an hour.
If you are just wandering around your patch of garden lopping off bits and pieces here and there, then it would be a good idea to disinfect them BEFORE you start, and again just before you put them away.
Remember – pruning should be an undertaking that benefits your plants. So guard against doing the opposite by inadvertently spreading disease as you prune by simply getting yourself some disinfectant for your cordless pruning shears