One would expect that when prehistoric man first attempted to plant a seed or seedling he dug into the ground with his hands. Finding that to be not only hard on the hands but also futile, he probably graduated to some sort of sharpened stick. And so the first garden tool was devised. It is believed that the grapevine was the first woody plant pruned by man. This supposedly took place in Asia Minor around 6000 B.C. Then some 5000 years later history records bronze spades being used in China. Since then new tools were invented. Of course in modern times, there is a plethora of hand tools and many types of mechanized garden tools.
Even the essential good quality garden tools are expensive if we find ourselves replacing them because we did not properly care for them the first time around.
Keeping your garden tools in excellent shape requires only a few simple tasks. The tasks required to effectively care for your garden tools are covered in this article.
Remove all of the soil from your tools after using them. A screw driver or wire bush should be used to loosen the dirt or other material such as chemicals or debris that is wedged into any part of the tool. All dirt and foreign material should be hosed off the tools. The tools should then be thoroughly dried.
Once the tools have been cleaned and dried, they should be thoroughly lubricated. The tools can be sprayed with household oil or penetrating oil.
The wood handles on the tools should be maintained. If the handles have become rough, sand them to remove the rough spots. Once the handles are smooth, rub in a light coat of linseed oil.
The tools should be sharpened. You can sharpen them yourself or take them to a professional sharpener. There is plenty of information available from your garden store or on the web to teach you to sharpen your own tools.
Finally, keep your tools in good repair. Tighten the bolts on you garden cart and wheelbarrow. If they have pneumatic tires, check the air. Replace cracked wooden handles on hoes, rakes and spades. Remove all rust from the metal parts of your tools. Patch or replace leaky hoses on your spraying and motorized equipment.
Garden tools have come a very long ways from ancient times. Maintain all of your garden tools properly to avoid the cost of replacement.
Copyright © Larry Gildea, All Rights Reserved.
This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.
Dr. Larry Gildea has authored several articles on gardening. Dr. Gildea also created the Gardening Bonanza website, [http://gardeningbonanza.com] Gardening Bonanza.com covers many types of gardening, including, bonsai design and cultivation, container gardening, flower gardening, rose gardening, hydroponics gardening and several others.
Article provided by Larry Gildea
Even the essential good quality garden tools are expensive if we find ourselves replacing them because we did not properly care for them the first time around.
Keeping your garden tools in excellent shape requires only a few simple tasks. The tasks required to effectively care for your garden tools are covered in this article.
Remove all of the soil from your tools after using them. A screw driver or wire bush should be used to loosen the dirt or other material such as chemicals or debris that is wedged into any part of the tool. All dirt and foreign material should be hosed off the tools. The tools should then be thoroughly dried.
Once the tools have been cleaned and dried, they should be thoroughly lubricated. The tools can be sprayed with household oil or penetrating oil.
The wood handles on the tools should be maintained. If the handles have become rough, sand them to remove the rough spots. Once the handles are smooth, rub in a light coat of linseed oil.
The tools should be sharpened. You can sharpen them yourself or take them to a professional sharpener. There is plenty of information available from your garden store or on the web to teach you to sharpen your own tools.
Finally, keep your tools in good repair. Tighten the bolts on you garden cart and wheelbarrow. If they have pneumatic tires, check the air. Replace cracked wooden handles on hoes, rakes and spades. Remove all rust from the metal parts of your tools. Patch or replace leaky hoses on your spraying and motorized equipment.
Garden tools have come a very long ways from ancient times. Maintain all of your garden tools properly to avoid the cost of replacement.
Copyright © Larry Gildea, All Rights Reserved.
This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.
Dr. Larry Gildea has authored several articles on gardening. Dr. Gildea also created the Gardening Bonanza website, [http://gardeningbonanza.com] Gardening Bonanza.com covers many types of gardening, including, bonsai design and cultivation, container gardening, flower gardening, rose gardening, hydroponics gardening and several others.
Article provided by Larry Gildea