Pruning shears, often called hand pruners or secateurs, are specialized handheld cutting tools used in horticulture and gardening. These implements are designed to provide mechanical advantage, allowing a gardener to cleanly sever woody stems and small branches that household scissors cannot cut. They are widely used for maintaining the health and shape of plants, offering the precision and leveraged force necessary for detailed work.
Purpose and Cutting Capacity
Pruning shears are primarily used to manage plant growth by removing spent blooms, shaping shrubs, and controlling the overall size of a plant. This selective removal of material helps encourage new growth and directs the plant’s energy toward desired areas. Another common application is the removal of dead, diseased, or damaged wood, which helps prevent the spread of pathogens to healthy parts of the plant. Making a clean cut allows the plant to heal rapidly, minimizing the exposed area where insects or diseases can enter.
These hand tools are engineered to handle material up to a specific diameter, typically ranging from 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick (about two centimeters). Cutting material larger than this capacity can damage the tool’s blades or pivot mechanism, resulting in a less precise cut. For thicker branches, gardeners must switch to larger, two-handed tools like loppers or a pruning saw to safely complete the task.
Bypass vs. Anvil: Understanding the Mechanics
The two main designs for pruning shears, bypass and anvil, operate using distinct mechanical actions, each suited for different types of plant material. Bypass pruners function similarly to a pair of scissors, featuring two sharp blades that slide past one another to make a slicing cut. This scissor-like action produces a clean, precise cut that is ideal for pruning live, green wood where the health of the plant is the main consideration. The clean separation of the plant fibers minimizes damage to the remaining stem, allowing the plant to quickly seal the wound and reduce the risk of infection.
Anvil pruners utilize a single sharp blade that closes down onto a flat, fixed metal plate, which acts as the anvil. This action is akin to pressing a knife against a cutting board, forcing the blade through the material. Because the blade crushes the stem during the cut, this design is better suited for removing dead, dry, or very woody material. The crushing force can damage the cellular structure of tender, live tissue, which is why anvil pruners are not the preferred choice for making cuts on growing plants.
Essential Maintenance for Tool Longevity
Maintenance is necessary to ensure pruning shears remain functional, deliver clean cuts, and prevent the transmission of plant diseases. After each use, the blades should be cleaned to remove sticky sap, dirt, and debris, which can cause binding and encourage rust. Cleaning involves scrubbing the tool with warm, soapy water or using a solvent, such as mineral spirits, to dissolve stubborn sap deposits. If the shears have been used on diseased plants, they should be disinfected by wiping the blades with rubbing alcohol or a diluted bleach solution.
Regular sharpening is another important practice, as dull blades tear and crush plant tissue rather than slicing it cleanly, leaving behind ragged wounds that heal slowly. Sharpening is typically done with a whetstone or file, following the original bevel angle of the blade and moving the abrasive tool in one direction only. For bypass shears, only the cutting blade is sharpened, while the flat back of the blade is honed to remove any burrs.
After cleaning and sharpening, the metal parts should be oiled to prevent corrosion and keep the pivot mechanism moving smoothly. A light coating of mineral oil or boiled linseed oil applied to the blades and hinge point protects the steel from moisture. Storing the clean, oiled shears in a dry environment, such as hanging them on a wall, prevents rust and maintains the blade’s integrity.