Sanitize those Pruners!!!!

Do you sanitize your pruners while you are pruning something?  Have you ever?  Do you need to?

My answer would be a resounding yes.

When you cut through a stem that is infected with any type of disease, whether it is a virus, bacterial, or fungal infection, it is likely that your pruners will now be carrying an infectious organism or two.

When you take those pruners to a different part of the shrub, or a different tree altogether, you may introduce said organisms to a new victim.

You may not see evidence of an infection or disease on the plant every time.  Healthy plants will not always succumb to disease pressure.  It takes a triangle of suitable host, correct pathogen, and environmental conditions conducive to the pathogen to create trouble (an upcoming blog topic).  If you have the right plant in the right place, you may never have pest or disease problems.

That being said, as I stated above you may not know that there are pathogens present.  You may take a few spores off a healthy, resistant plant and move them somewhere where they can be more successful in causing trouble.

And if you are pruning roses you had better be sure to disinfect at least between every rose plant.  Rose Rosette Disease (RRD) is a vicious virus-like disease that is quickly wreaking havoc among rose plantings.  This disease is typically transmitted by a microscopic mite invisible to the naked eye.  Wingless, this mite floats around on currents of air, drifting along aimlessly.  If this mite lands on a rose infected with RRD, and then happens to jump off and land on another rose, chances are that rose will be infected.  Seem unlikely?  Not really.  Just look around at any major planting of roses at a commercial establishment or subdivision entrance, and you may very well see it.

I will be posting more on RRD in a later post with a detailed description and pictures. Suffice to say for now that it can be spread through infected pruners, and there is no cure.  The only thing you can do is dig out and throw the plant out.

I use rubbing alcohol every time to sanitize my pruners.  It does the trick, is inexpensive, and harmless to the plant in the amount you will use.   Lysol works as well, but is more expensive and I really don't care for the smell of it.  And whenever I get a cut from a thorn, I just spray it with the rubbing alcohol also!

Never use bleach on your pruners.  While bleach will certainly disinfect, it is also very hard on the metal of your pruners.  Pitting of the metal and rust will be sure to follow an application of bleach to metal.

So just remember to sanitize your pruners at least in between each plant, whether it is a perennial, shrub, tree, whatever.  If you are very concerned, or know you are dealing with an infected plant, it does not hurt to sanitize between each cut.  Rubbing alcohol is cheap, much cheaper than replacing a prized plant.

Thanks for reading,

Jay