Easier Than Pluck-Pulling: The Amazon Tool That Makes Deadheading Plants A Breeze

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For many plants, deadheading throughout the season is a must. Some flowers should be deadheaded for additional blooms, including roses, snapdragons, and zinnias. Deadheading can also help reduce the spread of seeds for plants you want to keep contained in the garden. With this Amazon tool, you can reap the benefits of deadheading without the elbow grease involved in pluck-pulling.

The Vivosun 6½ pruners are micro-tip snips designed for both pruning and deadheading in the garden. These pruners are 6½ inches long, with a blade opening width of almost 1½ inches and a handle opening distance of just over 2½ inches. At this size, they're best for medium or smaller hands, as well as soft, non-woody plant stems. As a result, you wouldn't want to use the Vivosun pruners for tackling bigger tasks like pruning trees before winter, but they're perfect for deadheading flowers, including some smaller shrubs and bushes like roses or hydrangeas.

The Vivosun pruners are designed with ergonomics in mind, with a focus on reducing hand fatigue through their curved handles. However, the most important part of choosing ergonomic tools is deciding which ones best fit your needs, which is why paying attention to recommended usage here is essential. At the time of writing, the Vivosun pruners have a 4.6-star average across more than 40,000 reviews on Amazon, and they typically retail for $9.99 on the website for a single pair, although you can buy packs up to 12.

When you're the Vivosun pruners to tend to your garden, it's important to properly clean and maintain them. This helps ensure that both your prized plants and your tool stay in good shape throughout the growing season. While you're deadheading your plants, your pruners may be exposed to sap, moisture, and other substances in the environment. Not to mention, if you're trimming away diseased or pest-damaged flowers, there's also a risk of spreading those contaminants. To prevent this, it's essential to disinfect the pruners between cuts and after pruning.

The Vivosun pruners are made of stainless steel, which makes them easy to clean with alcohol or bleach. You can simply wipe the blades clean with alcohol, but if you go with bleach, dilute it to a 10% solution first by mixing 1 part bleach into 9 parts water. Soak the tool for 10 minutes in the solution, then rinse with water. Because this advice is for general garden tools, any instructions included with your Vivosun snips will provide a better glimpse at product-specific care.

You'll also want to make sure you store these pruners properly to preserve their lifespan. Fortunately, they do include a protective cap that helps cover the tip of the blades, keeping both them and you safe from damage. They also include a locking mechanism to ensure that the blades stay closed when not in use, reducing the likelihood of any bumps or nicks that could damage the blades. Place them in a dry location, and don't forget to regularly oil and sharpen the blades.