Gardening With Allen: Give garden gear some fall TLC

I had trouble starting my lawn mower last spring. Is there something I should be doing now to avoid that problem? What other winter preparations should I be making now?

I had similar problems with my garden equipment. When I took it to be serviced, the mechanic explained to me that the carburetor had become gummed up with hardened fuel. Since then, I have taken my mower in to be serviced in the fall instead of waiting until spring. If I wait until spring, there is a long line ahead of me. It is nice to have a sharp blade on my mower that does a nice clean job on my first mowing. He showed me how to drain all the fuel from each piece of equipment and then run them until all the fuel is burned in the carburetor so there is no residue that can evaporate and become sticky.

I also like to clean all my equipment and tools and then oil them so they do not become rusted over winter. I like to spray all the metal parts with WD-40 and then wipe them with a cloth. I also wipe wooden handles with mineral oil or vegetable oil. This keeps them from drying out and cracking and developing slivers.

Other winter preparations include removing hoses from faucets, draining them and storing them in a shed or garage. Hoses left attached to faucets can trap enough water to break faucets when it freezes. Freezing and thawing of water in hoses causes them to crack, reducing their useful life.

Sprinkler systems have a drain plug (usually where they are attached to the city water) which should be removed to allow water to drain out of the system. If you have had problems with winter breakage of sprinkler pipes in a particular section, you may have a low spot that does not drain from the drain plug. In that case you can attach a compressor and blow water from the system. Many irrigation contractors offer this service.

Continue to rake or blow leaves off your lawn. Or pick them up with your lawn mower. Leaves make an excellent protective mulch around roses and perennial flowers. They will deteriorate over winter and make a thinner mulch that will improve the soil for next year.

Trees, shrubs and other perennial plants growing in containers should be moved into a protected area such as an unheated shed or garage. Plants that survive in the ground will have roots frozen in exposed containers. There is no large mass of surrounding soil to buffer cold temperatures, so temperatures in containers drop much lower and roots are killed. Water plants well before storage and check on them monthly to make sure they do not dry out.

Now is a good time to put up Christmas lighting while weather is still relatively mild and you are not as busy with other holiday activities. Some landscape contractors have added Christmas lighting to their services. Contact them early before their time is completely booked.

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