There are times when you want to give your plants around your house a trim. But what kinds of tools do you need? There are many different types of tools that you can use, and each of them are created to prune a different type of tree or shrub. Below are the tools that you need for pruning trees and bushes, and which tool is best to use for each job and shrub.
1. Pruning Shears
These are also called clippers, secateurs, or pruners. They’re the tool that is most used when you are pruning things like vines, small tree growth, flowers and shrubs. They’re held in your hand and they are able to cut twigs and branches that are ¾ inch or less.
There are three different basic pruning shear types: anvil, bypass and ratchets.
· Anvil – These feature a blade that is straight and has an action that splits. They work well on stems and dry branches.
· Bypass – These are the ones that are most popular and they act just like scissors. They’re good for using on stems that are growing.
· Ratchet – They’re a lot like anvil pruners, but they also have a feature which will cut in stages. These are good for people who are watching their wrist strain.
2. Loppers
Loppers are wonderful for branches that are as thick as 2 ½ inches. They’re particularly useful when you’re pruning nut trees, vines, and fruit trees. They’re similar to hand shears, however they have a longer handle and thicker blades. They also come in bypass, ratchet, and anvil styles.
3. Pruning saws
Most pruning saws can cut a branch up to five inches and they come in a lot of various styles.
4. Hedge shears
These are great when you have small shrubs, deadheading perennials, evergreens, or hedges. You can use them on any type of hedge shrub to cut a branch up to 2 ¼ inches in thickness.
5. Pole Pruner
A pole pruner is great for reaching a tree’s dead wood or if you want to do a light pruning. They can be used on just about every type of tree, and they’re able to cut through a branch that has a diameter of 1 ¼ inches. One thing that a lot of people love about them, is that most of them are able to reach at least 8 feet or higher, so you don’t have to use a ladder usually. So, you are able to stay on the ground. They come in electric as well as manual.
These are the tools that you will need for pruning your trees and shrubs. Each of them will do a certain job and help you make your landscape look great. If you aren’t sure about doing it yourself, you can always hire someone to do the pruning. But you are never going to find a better amount of satisfaction then when you make your trees and shrubs around your house look great. These tools can help you do that.