By James Romer
Horticulturalist
Iowa State University Extension

Dear Dr. Grow-It-All,

I happened to be a lucky participant and witnessed a speech you gave entitled, “Hope for Change in Proper Pruning” to a large group of gardeners about five years ago. I found your talk to be so inspiring that I wrote down almost everything you said. 

Just recently, I was asked to give a presentation myself on proper pruning tools. I followed your presentation very closely and actually repeated some of your suggestions word for word.

As you might expect in an election year, politics entered the picture. Now, a competitor has gone to the media complaining that I haven’t given people real hope to change their pruning practices. He says it is merely a photo copy. He says the public should listen to him because he has more experience pruning. Dr. Grow-It-All, I never meant to steal your words. Have I done something wrong?

Hope in Lost Nation

Dear Hope,
I am flattered that you would think highly enough of my talk to write down what I said and use it again. The point is to inspire people to change their old habits and adopt better ways of caring for their trees and shrubs. Below is a review of proper pruning tools for those that have not seen this information before and as a refresher for those that have.
 
When pruning trees and shrubs, you need to start with the right tools. There are various types of pruning tools. Generally, the best tool for the job is determined by the size of the plant material and the situation.

Select high quality tools. Good, high quality tools are not inexpensive. However, if they are used and cared for properly, they will perform better and far outlast the poor quality, less expensive choices.

Hand pruners or pruning shears are generally used for cutting branches up to 3/4 inch in diameter. There are two basic types of hand pruners. Scissor-types have curved blades that overlap (scissor action) when making the cut. Anvil-type pruners have a sharpened upper blade which cuts against a flat surface (anvil).

Each type is available in different sizes. Generally, scissor-type hand pruners are preferred over the anvil-types. Sharp, properly used scissor-type pruners make close, clean cuts. Anvil-types can't cut as close as scissor-types and are more likely to crush stems when pruning.

Attempts to prune branches larger than 3/4 inch in diameter with hand pruners often results in torn, jagged pruning cuts to the plants and may damage the pruning shears. Branches from 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter can be effectively cut with lopping shears. Lopping shears consist of blades attached to long handles. The long handles provide more leverage, so cuts can be made through larger branches. Lopping shears are also excellent for pruning difficult-to-reach places.

Use a pruning saw on branches larger than 1-3/4 inches in diameter. Small tree branches that are hard to reach from the ground can be pruned with a pole saw or pole pruner. A pole saw is essentially a saw blade attached to a long pole. Pole pruners consist of a stationary hook and hinged blade operated by a rope and mounted on a long wooden or fiberglass pole. Pole saws and pole pruners are generally used to cut branches up to 2 inches in diameter.

Chain saws are often used when cutting large tree branches. Chain saws, however, can be extremely dangerous when used by individuals with little experience or skill operating these machines. To reduce the risk of injury, home gardeners should use pruning saws rather than chain saws when pruning trees. In potentially hazardous situations, such as the pruning of large branches high in the tree or limbs near power lines, individuals should always contact a trained arborist.

One last tool sometimes used by the home gardener is the hedge shears. Hedge shears (manual or electric) are used to shear formal hedges to a definite size and shape. They should not be used to prune trees and shrubs.

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