equipment and uses
The use of proper pruning equipment, to complete the job at hand is very important. It will not only save you time, but also money. One problem that we see at the garden centre is that people bringing in broken pruning equipment want to know why it happened. Often it happens because we try to save time by doing the job with one tool.
Small hand pruners should only be used to cut branches the thickness of your little finger maximum. The next tool up would be the lopper. The longer the handle the more leverage you will get, but cuts larger than 1 inch (2.5 cm) should not be made. This size of cut can also be made with a long handled pole pruner, but the more the pole is extended the harder it is to prune. Leverage is a funny thing. Whenever possible use a ladder with the pole pruner, this will enable you to get higher up into the tree without extending the handle all the way. When the cut is larger than one inch in diameter, a saw should be used. For very large branches, a chainsaw would be the tool of choice, but must be used with extreme caution, and proper safety equipment.
Both the small one handed pruner, and the lopper come in two different styles. The first is the anvil pruner, where the blade comes down onto a chopping block. We however do not recommend this type of pruner, because it tends to crush the branch, and tear the cambium layer, which slows the healing process, and can cause health problems later on, such as rotting, as well as, insect and fungus entry. These anvil type pruners are great when removing a tree completely, because it allows you to use more pressure without causing more damage to the pruner. These now often come in ratchet style for this purpose. Ratcheting makes it possible to taking down thicker branches with ease.
The second type and most practical is the hooked or curved blade. It is frequently called a by-pass pruner, where the blade passes by the cutting block, similar to a pair of scissors. This allows a nice clean cut to occur, which helps the healing process. There are many styles available so it is important to find one that is comfortable and practical for the amount and type of use.
Some larger bypass pruners will make short work of heavy branches. They are designed for this purpose strictly and sometimes smaller branches get caught in the pruner and are torn not cut. Take a good look at what you need to prune before you buy. Bigger does not always mean better.
If pruning hedges there are manual, gas, and electric hedge shears available. For small jobs manual hedge shears work great and are much easier to sharpen. For larger jobs, electric or gas shears will save you time. Gas shears are much more powerful and versatile, however are not as easy to service or sharpen. One thing to keep in mind when pruning a hedge is that the bottom of the hedge should be kept wider than the top of the hedge, as this enables sunlight to reach all the leaves, and to prevent die-back and thinning from lack of light and air circulation.
Pruning at a glance
Know when to prune
Your plant material and determine the type of pruning needed. For trees and shrubs to be healthy they need diseased, damaged or dead wood removed. Correct poor shape by eliminating crossing or poorly spaced branches.Pick the right place to prune your plants. Prune above a bud pointing in the direction you want branches to grow. Prune about a ¼ inch above at a 45 degree angle. Cut your angle in the same direction as the bud so that sap will run away from the joint.
- Correct angle, direction and placement of cut.
- Angle to steep, with an incorrect angle as in 2,3,4 sap will run and collect in the joint of the bud.
- To close to the bud.
- Cut to far from the bud.