Pruning Tools

Dan General

pruning tools
Continuing her series on pruning, Cathy Isom helps us in choosing the right pruning tools for our garden and landscape needs. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.

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Not every branch is created equal – so you’ll need different tools depending on your pruning needs. The most indispensable tool is a pair of sharp handheld pruners made for smaller branches and stems. Hand shears are used for cutting shrubs with a dense habit. Hedge sheers – which resemble large scissors – allow a much larger area to be cut helping to maintain the shape of the hedge. Loppers are a type of scissors used for pruning twigs and small branches.  Because of their size, they’re usually operated with both hands for cutting hard to reach woody stems. Long-armed Loppers are better for removing larger branches from overhead. When cuts cannot be made with hand pruners and lopping shears, then you’ll want to reach for a pruning saw. In either a fixed or folding blade design they will quickly and easily cut smaller branches and limbs. A Bow saw can handle bigger jobs such as cutting  limbs or pieces down to size after the initial cut. And an electric hedge trimmer will make any job easier, and a lot quicker, especially with longer and taller hedges.