How To Choose The Best Pruning Tool For Your Needs

Pruning can be one of the most important and necessary tasks a gardener performs to keep their plants and trees healthy, thriving, and beautiful. Choosing the right pruning tool for your needs can make a big difference in how easily and effectively you care for the plants, shrubs, and trees in your yard. Pruning your trees the right way without calling a pro is possible, but you have to have the right tools for the job. There are many types of tools available just for pruning: hand pruners of all shapes and sizes, loppers, pruning saws, and pole pruners — and that list doesn't cover power tools like hedge shears and mini chain saws. With so many choices, it can be overwhelming to know which tool to reach for. Ultimately, finding the best pruning tool for your needs comes down to matching the tool's size, blade type, and strength to the specific plants you have to prune and making sure certain tools, like hand pruners, fit your hand size correctly.

There are several mistakes to avoid while pruning your plants and using old, rusty tools is a big one, but before you invest in a new pair of pruners or shears, it's helpful to know what each tool is designed to do. Hand pruners are made for precision and clean cuts on delicate stems, while loppers handle thicker branches, and pruning saws and pole pruners are built for power to tackle woody shrubs or small trees. Understanding the differences among these tools not only helps you choose wisely but also makes pruning safer, faster, and easier. Choose the best quality tools you can afford because quality does matter when it comes to performance and longevity. 

Small pruning jobs like removing plant stems and thin branches from shrubs and small trees require a hand pruner. Hand pruners cut twigs and branches up to ¾ inch and come in either scissor or anvil style. They also have a variety of handle sizes and styles including swivel handles. Most gardeners prefer the scissor-style pruners since they are much easier to use and produce cleaner, more precise cuts. 

If you have a lot of trees, shrubs, and plants with larger diameter branches, your best tool is a lopping shear or lopper. These pruners are one of several tree-trimming tools you simply can't go without. Loppers have long handles anywhere from 16 to 30 inches and can handle cutting branches up to 1 ½ inches in diameter. Loppers also come in scissor or anvil style. Pruning saws are the tool of choice for gardeners pruning branches that are over 1 ½ inches in diameter. Pruning saws come in a variety of lengths, with some having curved blades that cut the branches as you pull back and others having straight blades that work like traditional hand saws. Some pruning saws have folding blades that fold up for easy and safe storage or come with safety sheaths, which keep users and the blades safe. 

If you are pruning trees with branches that are way over your head, you will need a pole pruner, which is a pruner on a pole. Pole pruners are either saws or feature something similar to a hand pruner, working by pulling a rope or through squeeze action. By matching your pruning tool to the size of the branches you are cutting, you will have great results, healthier trees and plants, and much less strain or fatigue.