garden helper
Blades made of steel: what good pruning shears must be able to do
Secateurs are part of the basic equipment of every allotment gardener. But what do you cut with which blade? And how do you look after steel knives? Tips and tricks for sharp blades.
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Snip snap, shoots off: Secateurs are part of the basic equipment of every hobby gardener. But which cuts what best? Little scissor science.
Secateurs are the all-purpose weapon of every allotment gardener. There is almost nothing that the handy blades cannot compete with. Roses, berry bushes, lavender, tomatoes, flowers or cutting the edge of the lawn – hardly anything can go wrong with the secateurs. Provided you have the right scissors ready. Because garden shears are not always the same garden shears. With somewhat thicker and older branches, you quickly reach your limits with bypass shears. For filigree cuts in the flower or herb bed, hobby gardeners are best off using a model with a microtip. What this is, what types of scissors there are, how they differ and what needs to be considered when caring for them, you can find out in the following article.
Secateurs: The different scissors at a glance
A little bit of pruning shears: bypass or anvil?
Anvil or Bypass? Or even both? Every allotment gardener should deal with this question before purchasing a new secateurs. Important: There is no such thing as a pair of scissors that can be used to neatly cut every bush, tree and perennial in a garden. Let us first come to the two types of scissors, between which a fundamental distinction is made. What is special about anvil shears and what are the distinguishing features of bypass shears?
1. Bypass secateurs
- two cutting blades sliding past each other
- Interface generally smooth and clean
- require little force
- cut thin, fresh clippings precisely
- recommended for roses, shrubs and perennials
bypass scissors | Advantages | Disadvantages | recommended for |
very precise cut | quite high effort | thin and soft wood | |
protects the tissue (hardly any bruises) | Wrist tires easily | green waste and cuttings |
2. Anvil Shears
- a sharp, wedge-shaped blade meets a fixed anvil
- better power transmission possible
- Longer scissor arms also minimize effort
- ideal for cutting fruit trees
- reliably up to a branch thickness of 3.5 to 4 centimeters
anvil shears | Advantages | Disadvantages | recommended for |
little effort | Bruises on the drive possible | Pruning such as fruit trees | |
hardly any canting | incision less precise | Thinning out dead wood | |
puts less strain on the wrist | frayed edges (with soft wood) |
a current one Secateurs comparison read here.
Buy secateurs: Three practical tips
Secateurs, regardless of whether they have an anvil or bypass mechanism, are usually not made specifically for left- or right-handers. If possible, should the model of choice be tried once, before adding it to the garden tools gallery. It is important that the scissors lie comfortably and securely in your hand. Also make sure that the blades Made from high-quality and precisely ground tool steel became. Secateurs have no place in children’s hands. For everyone’s safety, garden shears should be used have a safety lock, with which the blades can be locked with a simple movement. This is to avoid painful injuries.
There is usually more to pruning in gardens than fruit trees, berry bushes or rose bushes. And this is where the little and big siblings of the ordinary secateurs come into play. So gardeners move their hedge – be it thuja, cherry laurel or privet – ideally with one hedge trimmer to body. They are available in electric and manual versions. For a longer range, it is best to use one Hedge trimmer with telescopic handle. With electric scissors, the length of the knife is usually sufficient.
Pruning shears in action: when to cut what – and with what?
The decisive factor for successful flowering and harvesting in the next gardening season is not just how you prune your plants. At least as important is when the care or rejuvenation cut is made.
plant | cutting time | scissor type |
Apple pear | February/March | July August | Pruning shears (anvil) / pruning shears |
Blackberry/Blueberry | March April | secateurs |
book | March-July | hedge trimmer |
Lilac/Heather | March April | Secateurs (Bypass) |
hibiscus | March April | Secateurs (Bypass) |
cherry | March/April | July August | Pruning shears (anvil) / geared pruning shears |
pot plants | February March | Microtip scissors / secateurs (bypass) |
lavender | March/April | July | secateurs (bypass) / hedge trimmers (manual) |
rhododendron | March-June | secateurs (anvil) / pruning saw |
Roses (more often blooming) | March | July August | Secateurs (Bypass) |
Thuja | March-July | hedge trimmer |
Wild Wine | March-August | Secateurs (Bypass) |
Plum/plum ash | March | July August | Pruning shears (anvil) / pruning shears |
(Source: Hansjörg Haas, pruning – It’s that easy)
Maintain garden shears: That is important
Secateurs are normally in constant use and must be regularly maintained accordingly. After each use, soil and plant debris should first be removed from the blades with a household brush. Secateurs can also rust. You should therefore also dry the knives with a cloth before the scissors end up in the shed. In addition to daily care, you should devote more time to your pruning shears once a season. The best way to do this is to disassemble the device. The spring and other small parts can also be easily cleaned in this way. The scissors should then be placed in a small container with high-proof alcohol for a few minutes and disinfected. This is how you catch germs, fungi or viruses that have settled on the blades. The blades are then fine-tuned with a whetstone. So that this work was not in vain, the overhauled secateurs should be stowed away in a dry place.
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