Keeping Garden Tools Sharp
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.
Enjoy these photos.
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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, Ryan uses the pruners to cut unwanted branches from this camperdown elm tree outside my main greenhouse.
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- Here’s Pasang using his pruners on the hedge around my pool. Around the outside fence, I have a growing hedge of two dark-colored burgundy-black leafed specimens – Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’ and Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ shrubs.
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- Here is a cut done with the sharp pruners – it’s very smooth and clean.
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- Pasang uses pruners to also cut small dead branches on the bald cypress tree. Pruners can cut branches and twigs up to ¾ of an inch thick.
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- Each member has his own pair of pruners – labeled, so there is no confusion. These are 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 and snips. Here is Brian showing the blade that needs sharpening. For this task, Brian uses a coarse cleaning block, a whetstone, and oil.
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- This little scouring block is called a Creaning Mate by Niwaki. It has a slightly rough texture for removing grime from the blades.
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- First, Brian uses the block to remove any dirt, sap, or other debris. Brian goes over every part of both blades. One can also use a medium grit sandpaper.
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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. Once Brian cleans the pruners, he wipes it down with a cloth.
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- And then goes over it one more time to be sure everything is clean. This process only takes a few minutes, but makes all the difference when working in the gardens.
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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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- The stone is soaked for about 10-minutes before using. A wet stone will help keep the pores of the stone clean, dissipate frictional heat, and ensures smooth sharpening.
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- Next, Brian uses the whetstone to sharpen the blade. Brian holds it 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 to remove the burr.
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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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- Finally, Brian uses some oil to lubricate the pruners. One can use multi-purpose oil from the hardware store. Brian uses oil from the seeds of Camellia oleifera. This oil is the traditional Japanese choice for protecting tools from rust. This oil leaves a deep, non-oily, and odorless finish. It is available online or at various gardening shops.
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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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- There are all sorts of sharpening tools at the hardware store – many are hand held sharpeners like this one, which is handy to carry in a gardening bag. This has a single edge blade to sharpen each side of a pair of pruners or shears. It doesn’t need much to use – just about five or six strokes on each edge.
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- This sharpener is an all-in-one tool for sharpening pruners, loppers, or even household scissors. It allows for easy sharpening and is ergonomically designed for added control and accuracy.
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- Whatever kind of sharpener is used, it is crucial to keep these important tools sharp at all times. Sharp pruners and shears for working in the gardens… they’re a very “good thing.”
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