Sharpening Garden Pruners
My gardeners and outdoor grounds crew use their tools all year long, so it is important to keep them clean and in good working condition at all times.
If you're an avid gardener, you know sharp pruning tools not only make chores easier to complete, but they also make cleaner cuts, which allow plants to heal faster. Making clean cuts also exposes them to less damage from diseases, insects, fungi, and weather extremes. Everyone on the crew cleans, sharpens, and conditions their pruners, snips, and shears regularly. The process only takes a few minutes, and it keeps these gardening implements in proper working order.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- Pruners are among the most essential tools here at my Bedford, New York farm. Pruners, or secateurs, are used for grooming all the garden specimens. Their primary purpose is to remove dead, diseased, or damaged stems, and branches from plants and bushes.
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- Here’s Brian using his pruners on the hedge around my pool.
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- And here he is cutting the dead wood from one of the raspberry bushes.
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- Each member of my crew has pruners. We all like to use Okatsune secateurs. Bypass garden pruners such as these make nice, clean cuts using two curved blades that bypass each other in the same manner as a pair of scissors. One blade is sharpened on the outside edge and slips by a thicker unsharpened blade.
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- Because they are used so often, every few days my gardeners take stock of their cutting tools, and clean and sharpen their hand pruners. Here, Brian shows his pruners before they are cleaned and sharpened.
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- For this task, Brian uses a coarse cleaning block and a whetstone. Both are soaked in water for about 10-minutes before using. A whetstone will help keep the pores of the stone clean, dissipate frictional heat, and ensures smooth sharpening.
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- This little cleaning block has a slightly rough texture for removing grime from the blades. Cleaning blocks are great for removing rust and other debris. They’re made of a semi flexible rubber compound with abrasive grits for scouring.
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- Brian uses the block to remove any dirt, sap, etc.. Brian goes over every part of both blades. One can also use a medium grit sandpaper.
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- Here, it is already beginning to look a little bit cleaner.
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- It is important to also get all the dirt off the metal parts – anything left on tools can attract and hold moisture and cause rust.
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- Sharpening stones, water stones, or whetstones are fine-grained stones used for sharpening the edges of steel tools and implements through grinding and honing.
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- Next, Brian uses the whetstone to sharpen the blade. Brian holds the pruners firmly and places an even and gentle pressure drawing the stone along the blade from hilt to tip.
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- Here’s another view. Most secateurs are single bevelled – Brian sharpens the outside, and then smooths off the inside, going slightly over the edge.
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- Brian holds the whetstone at an angle to sharpen the edges and maintain the bevel. The bevel is what makes a tool sharp, and blades are factory ground to a precise angle that’s just right for each tool.
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- These blades are now very sharp. And be sure to always watch what is being done – keep fingers away from the blades.
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- Brian carefully feels each side to be sure there are no burrs. A burr is a bit of waste metal forming at the edge. If a burr is present, one will feel a slight catch on the blade.
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- Brian lightly lubricates all the clean, sharpened metal parts. Oil will help the pruners perform more smoothly.
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- He also oils the joint where the two sides meet. After oiling, it is a good idea to open and close the pruners to hear how the parts move together – they should work smoothly and evenly.
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- On the left is a clean and sharp pruner – on the right, an uncleaned, unsharpened pruner.
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- Brian does the same process for this pair – first, he uses the cleaning block…
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- … then the whetstone…
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- … and after oiling, he wipes it down with a cloth.
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- Now both pairs are ready to go back out into the gardens. Cleaning and sharpening supplies are available at many garden shops and online. It is crucial to keep these garden tools sharp at all times. Sharp pruners for working in the gardens… it’s a very “good thing.”
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