Pruning Tool Tips
Last updated September 7, 2023
Pruning tools are essential to keep your garden healthy and thriving. The right pruner ensures clean cuts, reduces hand fatigue and will let you work longer in your landscape.
When you prune out damaged or dead branches in trees and shrubs, you keep plants healthy and make your home landscape safe. Additionally, pruners are the tools you need to keep perennials and annuals in shape throughout the growing seasons.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to pick the right pruner for the tasks in your garden.
Table of Contents
Choose the Right Size Pruners
Select Bypass Loppers
Choose a Pruning Saw
Long Pole Pruners and Saws
Choose the Right Size Pruners
A bypass pruner is the most effective tool for day-to-day cutting tasks in the garden. Bypass style pruners feature two sharp blades that work like scissors and make clean, sharp cuts.
Bypass pruners cut plant material that is 1/4-inch to 3/4-inch in diameter.
When shopping for bypass pruners, try them out to make sure they fit your hand. They should be a comfortable weight and match the size of your hand.
Bypass pruner features:
- Spring action and ergonomic grips reduce hand fatigue.
- Brightly colored handles make them easy to locate
Choose pruners that:
- Fit your hand
- Have an ergonomic grip
- Are easy to control
How to measure your hand:
- Measure the width across the palm of your hand at the base of the fingers.
- Measure the height from the middle of the base of your hand to the tip of your middle finger.
- A pruner rated for 1/4-inch cuts is good for small hands measuring less than 3 1/2 inches wide and less than 6 1/4 inches high.
- Medium hands: 3 1/2 to 4 inches wide and 6 1/2 to 8 inches high can take a 3/4-inch rated pruner.
- Large hands: more than 4 inches across and more than 8 inches high can take a 1-inch capacity pruner.
Look for pruning tools that include an adjustable feature that allows you to customize the pruning tool to fit your hands.
Select Bypass Loppers
When you need to cut branches that are up to 1 1/4 inches in diameter, choose bypass loppers. The compound lever and ratchet actions add strength and extend your reach for a mechanical advantage that makes the job easier.
For increased reach and leverage, look for versions with extendable handles.
As you shop for bypass loppers, seek out padded handles for a comfortable, secure grip. Forged steel construction means blades will last longer.
Choose a Pruning Saw
Invest in a folding pruning saw for stems and branches that are too thick for pruners and loppers. These handy saws fold and lock to fit in a tool kit or back pocket.
Choose a pruning saw with these features:
- Full stroke cutting
- Ergonomic handles to reduce hand fatigue
- Locking positions for safety when working overhead
Tip: Folding pruning saws are handy to have around the house and also for campers. Keep that in mind when you’re outfitting for your next camping trip.
Long Pole Pruners and Saws
Bring high branches within reach when you use a pole saw and pruner, often called a tree pruner. If you have old-growth trees on your property, you'll appreciate being able to trim damaged or dying branches out of your trees.
Long pole pruners can extend up to 16 feet in length and the pruners can cut branches 1-1/4 inches thick.
Features to look for:
- Locking systems to keep pole in place.
- Safety features to keep blade in place.
- Lightweight, strong materials like aluminum.
When you use proper pruning tools, you’ll reduce hand strain and will be more productive in your garden. When you need the right tools for your garden, The Home Depot delivers
online orders
where you need them.
