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Pruning tools of the trade
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Photo credit: Fiskars - Power-gear by-pass pruners
You wouldn’t cut paper with a hack saw, why would you try to prune with a pair of scissors? While using the proper tool for the proper job seems self-evident, this gardener admits that on more than one occasion, I’ve tried to short cut the walk back to the garage and use a hand pruner when a lopper was the tool for the job. The result is a sore hand, tool abuse and a rough cut, the latter being the largest crime. You prune to promote health not invite infection. OK. Mea culpa. The pruning demonstration Saturday Marc 14 at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens will set you straight.
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Photo credit: Oxo - By-pass loppers
Like the memory on your computer, there have been a lot of upgrades in tools that are making the job easier and more efficient. Gone are the heavy wooden, although lovely to feel handles, here are lightweight metals and ergonomically designed grips. Gear mechanisms are more powerful making even the daintiest pruner a veritable Paul Bunyan. It’s worth taking a look at some of the newer designs.
Replacing one older tool with one of the smarter versions will make the job much easier. Evaluate the jobs on your property and see if the tools fit. A pruner by the way is a tool you can use with one hand and a lopper uses two. Most jobs in the yard can be accomplished with those two tools although a folding saw and pole pruner come in very handy. When approaching the larger jobs it’s important to evaluate whether an arborist is needed. If you find yourself propped in the crotch of a tree reaching out with your loppers, it’s better to reach for the Yellow Pages instead.
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Photo Credit: Lee Valley Tools - Pruning Sharpener
Tool cleaning is important and it’s recommended to clean tools after each cut with rubbing alcohol, although easier said than done. Sharpening is a given and best accomplished by taking the tool apart, cleaning it with 3 in 1 oil, and using steel wool to remove the rust. Using a sharpening stone, push it across the cutting blade the length of the bevel. A mid-summer tune-up can be done without dissembling the tool with a special sharpener that adjusts to any pruning blade.
Finally, a few guidelines: Don’t prune when you’re angry. Don’t leave your tools on the ground because the garden gnomes will get them. Squinting works when you are trying to see the shape of your work and talking to yourself provides moral support. Prune on!
www.fiskars.com
www.leevalley.com
www.oxo.com
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