By Beechfield
Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Any advice on cleaning garden tools which have gone rusty please.
Should callistimon (bottlebrush plant) be cut back at this time of year and should the old seed pods be left in place?
Thanks
- 20 Mar, 2021
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Answers
WD40, spray leave for a while then rub with a dry cloth....I think I am right in saying now is the correct time to prune your shrub, which in effect would get rid of the seedheads..
20 Mar, 2021
Follow these instructions.
P.S. Baking Soda is Sodium Bicarbonate
Mix water and baking soda into a thick paste and spread the paste all over the metal, making sure that rusty spots are well covered. Let the paste sit on the object for an hour or so. Use steel wool or a wire brush to scour the object and remove the rust. Rinse the paste off with water and dry thoroughly.
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/how-to-remove-rust-from-metal-knives-tools-and-objects
20 Mar, 2021
With the bottlebrush, I would wait until after bloom to prune, and then cut immediately below a cluster of seed pods, just above the whorl of latent growth buds. Don't remove more than 1/3 of the foliage at a time.
A light dose of low phosphate fertilizer afterward will help it to recover faster.
21 Mar, 2021
Rusty tools: To prevent future rusting always clean tools after use and wipe over with fine coating of WD40 or similar.
21 Mar, 2021
Sorry Sue, just noticed that is what you said above...
22 Mar, 2021
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I find using them will remove most of the surface rust. then after you have used them wash and dry them. If I am being really good they get a wipe over with an oily rag. :o)
Don't know about the plant as I don't grow it.
20 Mar, 2021