Which Tool Is Right for Your Pruning Project?
By Kay DiVerde
When faced with a pruning job, sometimes it's hard to decide which tool to use-loppers, hand pruners, snips, long reach pruners or pruning saws. Follow these guidelines in this article when choosing a pruning tool to give your trees and plants the kindest cuts possible.
Sharp Blades
Choosing a tool with a sharp blade is the number-one priority when choosing a tool. When blades are clean and sharp, they produce straight, smooth cuts. This type of cut promotes a natural healing with the formation of calluses. This is similar to the formation of a scab on human skin. Dull blades can tear the tissue and leave a jagged cut, which can become infested with diseases and pests. After cutting each tree or plant, be sure to wipe the blades clean. This helps prevent the spread of disease from plant to plant.
Bypass or Anvil
Lopping and hand pruners are available in two different types of cutting blades. The bypass blade functions similarly to a pair of scissors. These blades make a slicing cut by having one blade slice past the non-moving blade, which holds the branch in place. This type of blade produces a very clean cut and is ideal for tender stems and living plants.
An anvil blade set works like a knife cutting a vegetable or chopping something on a block. The thin upper blade cuts down onto the non-moving, non-cutting block. Cutting with dull anvil blades can produce a crushing-type cut. For green wood a wound caused by crushing A tool with anvil blades are best for cutting dead wood when you don't need to worry about pests and wounds. An anvil-crushing cut can get through tough dead wood easier. Occasionally, you will find a very high-quality pruner with anvil blades so sharp that they cut as cleanly as a bypass blade.
Diameter
The diameter of the branch to be cut is the deciding factor in choosing the type of tool you need. Trying to cut a branch beyond your tool's limit is dangerous to you, the tool and the plant. Here are some basic guidelines to follow:
Long-Reach Pruners
A long-reach pruner will cut out-of-reach branches up to 3/4 inch in diameter. The long-reach option is perfect for pruning high branches in lieu of standing on a ladder. Choose a cut-and-hold blade to hang onto fruit and branches instead of it falling on the ground after trimming it. Some long-reach pruners have handy accessories such as saws and sprayers for added reach.
Pole Saw
A pole saw should be used for cutting out-of-reach branches 3/4 inch in diameter or larger. The long extension poles allow you the safety of standing on the ground while pruning, instead of on a ladder.
Hand Pruners
A hand pruner can usually cut a branch up to 3/4 inch in diameter. Some may go up to 1". Use a bypass blade on roses and for cut flowers unless you are simply cutting off dead branches. Hand pruners are also appropriate for annuals, vegetables, small trees and shrubs.
Snips and Garden Scissors
Smaller snips and scissors are handy for more petite plants like herbs and lettuce and are perfect for harvesting fruit, vegetables and cut flowers. They can also be used to prune vines and for deadheading flowers.
Loppers
These tools are typically used for branches 3/4 inch to 2 inches diameter. The longer handles on loppers give you extra reach and greater leverage for added cutting power. Loppers are great for vines, small trees and shrubs. Loppers are especially useful for pruning prickly plants and branches that are hard to reach.
Hedge Shears/Trimmers
The maximum cutting capacity of hedge shears is about 1/2 inch. The longer handles and long blades make it easy to reach to tops of plants and also to reach into prickly plants without fuss. Hedge shears are ideal for cutting and shaping bushes, shrubs and hedges.
Pruning Saws
Use a pruning saw for cutting a branch about 1 inch in diameter or more. A folding pruning saw is handy, its safer to carry and works anytime a hand pruner, lopper or hedge shear won't due. Most pruning saws have a high tooth pitch (3-4 mm) for cutting green wood or branches. Pruning saws with a smaller tooth pitch (1-2 mm) are used for cutting hard wood or dead branches.
In Conclusion
Choosing the right pruning tool for your project is easy if you know the tools' cutting capacity. Protect yourself, your tools and your plants by not going beyond the recommended cutting capacities. Help your plants heal quickly by choosing tools with sharp, clean blades. Purchase quality tools with a reputation for long-lasting sharpness and durability. Select the right tool for all your pruning projects, and your plants will thank you with beauty year after year.
Kay DiVerde is a freelance writer, horticultural researcher and consultant for Orchard's Edge. DiVerde also writes for a variety of newsletters and publications in the Midwest.
