A gardener’s best buddy is a pruner. We use them for so many various things that it’s no surprise they become a bit battered up. Garden pruners are easy to overlook when it comes to maintenance, but they will last considerably longer and work much better with good sharpening and frequent cleaning.
Nothing beats a well-maintained set of pruners with a fine sharp blade for pruning. Quality pruners should endure for years, and many brands provide replacement components. Sharp tools make pruning significantly more superficial, and it is well worth the effort spent cleaning and sharpening them.
Sharp pruners will not only reward you with more precise cuts, but they will also heal faster. Dull pruning tools are more likely to crush or shred plant tissue, increasing the risk of disease organism infection.
How to Sharpen Garden Pruners:
- Steel wool
- Sharpening Stone
- Multi-purpose diamond file(s)
- General-purpose oil (3-IN-ONE oil or mineral oil)
- WD-40 for rust removal
- Clean rag
1. Rinse pruners with warm dish soap and water to remove hardened sap or spray the blades with Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner. If your pruners have rusted, immerse them in white vinegar overnight to dissolve the rust.
2. Remove dirt and rust using a wire brush. Loosen the nuts or even disassemble the pruners to clean between the blades more completely.
3. After wiping off dirt, debris, and rust, rinse pruners.
4. Buff away any leftover rust or sticky sap with steel wool.
5. Use an old towel or sock to dry.
6. Sharpen the angle with a diamond file, paying close attention to the rise of the current level. Run the file many times from the bottom to the pointy tip.
7. Lubricate pruners in between all moving components with a few drops of oil such as WD-40 or 3-in-1 oil. They should now be clean, sharpened, and ready to use.
Here are easy methods for keeping your gardening tools in good shape this season:
Maintaining your garden equipment regular keeps them in good operating order and helps them last longer. Tools must be sharp, but they must also be sanitary and clean. Tools that contact infected plants or soil can transmit bacterial, fungal, or insect infestations across the garden. Cleaning up your tools and protecting your garden for the next time they are used takes less than a minute.
Regular Maintenance of pruning shears or Gardening tools
If you want your tools to last, you must keep them clean and store them properly after each use.
- Remove caked-on dirt with a wire brush or putty knife after rinsing digging equipment with a garden hose.
- Scrub pruners, loppers, or shears using a nail brush and soapy water.
- If your equipment comes into contact with diseased plants or pest-infested soil, clean it with rubbing alcohol-soaked cotton pads after immersing it in a diluted solution of 2 cups of household bleach and 1 ounce of water for a few minutes.
- Always use a towel or rag to dry your instruments properly.
- Keep a pail of sand mixed with a plant-based oil, such as boiled linseed oil, on standby for metal digging equipment. It’s best if the sand is damp but not wet. For a rapid clean, plunge the blade, tines, or teeth into the sand a few times, or do this after routine maintenance after the tools are dry. The oil prevents rust and corrosion on the metal surface.
- Forget utilizing petroleum products like motor oil because you’ll be putting petroleum into your soil the next time you use the equipment.
- For a quick clean-up on the go, keep disinfectant wipes on hand to remove sap, bacteria, and fungus.
- Tools should be kept in a well-ventilated, dry shed or garage. Smaller hand tools can place in a bucket of sand or small stones, but larger equipment should be hung or stored upside down to keep their blades from dulling.
Sap Removal
Pruner blades clogged with sap can be challenging to operate. Use solvents like mineral spirits or turpentine to remove fluid from pruning tool blades.
- Using a cotton ball or cloth drenched insolvent, wipe the blades.
- After using solvents, clean the blades with soapy water and treat them with linseed oil.
Rust Prevention and Removal
The most accessible approach to keep tools from rusting is to make sure they are dehydrated before storing them and treat them with linseed or mineral oil. However, if you do notice rust on your tools, follow these steps to bring them back in working order:
- Soak in a 1:1 vinegar/water solution overnight.
- Scrub in a circular motion using steel wool.
- After rinsing with soapy water, rinse with plain water.
- Allow drying completely before lightly rubbing with linseed or mineral oil.
How to take care of seasonal tools
Pruners, loppers, and shears require special attention:
Pruners should be dismantled and thoroughly cleaned at least once a season and everyday maintenance. You can perform this at the end of the season before putting your tools away for the winter.
- Remove the nut that connects them and wash each part individually in soapy water.
- Rinse and dry after soaking in vinegar and water and scrubbing with steel wool to remove any rust.
- To sterilize, soak in bleach and water, then rinse and dry.
- Reassemble after rubbing with boiled linseed oil.
Maintain the sharpness of your tools:
Cutting or pruning with dull blades frequently results in ripped or torn-apart branches, which are more vulnerable to disease. Keep your pruners, and other cutting tools sharp using a specialized pruner-sharpening tool or a sharpening stone. Sharpening files and sharpening stones can maintain the sharpness of other instruments such as hoes, shovels, and knives.
- Push the file or sharpener across the blade in the same direction (not back and forth) to maintain the original bevel angle.
- With a sharpening stone, polish the filed edges even further.
- Wear eye protection and strong gloves to avoid metal slivers when using any sharpening tool.
Maintain the sharpness of your tools:
Cutting or pruning with dull blades frequently results in ripped or torn-apart branches, which are more vulnerable to disease. Using a specialized pruner-sharpening tool or a sharpening stone, keep your pruners and other cutting tools sharp. Sharpening files and sharpening stones can maintain the sharpness of other instruments such as hoes, shovels, and knives.
- Push the file or sharpener across the blade in the same direction (not back and forth) to maintain the original bevel angle.
- With a sharpening stone, polish the filed edges even further.
- Wear eye protection and strong gloves to avoid metal slivers when using any sharpening tool.
How do you maintain pruning shears?
Pruning shears are a must-have item for everyone with a garden. You can extend the life of your pruning shears by taking proper care of them.
Another advantage is that using sharp trimming tools reduces the danger of injuries and infections caused by fungi or bacteria on the plant. As a result, we’ll provide you with a few pointers on keeping your pruning shears sharp and clean. It’s also worth noting that this information applies to hedge shears and branch loppers.
Pruning shears are relatively easy to maintain. Your shears must be kept clean, sharp, and flexible.
It’s better to be safe than sorry:
The first step in cleaning shears is to avoid getting them dirty in the first place. Never, ever, ever put your shears in the sand. Sand can become lodged between the spring and the hinge sections, causing the shears to break. A holster is recommended if you want to store your shears while using them. The holster is attached to your belt to ensure that it is always close at hand when you need it.
Like a diamond, shine brightly:
You’ll need to clean up any leftover plant juice after using your shears. Almost anything may be removed from your shears with a dry piece of cloth. Is it still too dirty? To clean the filth off the blades with a brush, use warm water and a small amount of detergent. Rinse any access detergent well with clean water and dry the blades thoroughly. This is crucial to avoid rust.
Maintaining flexibility:
After cleaning the shears, a drop of oil should be applied to the spring’s hinges. You do this to avoid rust and keep the blades from becoming stuck. Ballistol maintenance oil, for example, could be used. This oil can be purchased as a Ballistol spray can, a Ballistol pen, or a compact 50 ml bottle.
Video: How to Maintain Pruning Shears ( How to clean )
Pruning shears sharpening:
You can easily sharpen a portion of the shears. However, before you begin sharpening, make sure the shears are clean. You can start pointing it out after cleaning it. When sharpening, always use the proper instrument. If you use a standard file on your pruning shears, they won’t grow much sharper. After all, the knife is far more challenging to use than the file. Sharpening stones or diamond files can be used to sharpen blunt shears. Your shears will be sharper if you use a more delicate stone or file. Another benefit of good sharpening stones or files is that they may also be used to sharpen kitchen knives.
What’s the Difference Between Sharp and Dull Knives?
Sharp pruners will create a clean, smooth cut, whereas dull pruners would leave a rough cut, according to landscape contractor Jenn Nawada. Cuts made with worn blades take longer to heal and expose the plant to disease.
Why Should Pruners Be Maintained?
Some gardeners emphasize the necessity of keeping pruners in good working order because plants are living beings and should be handled. As a result, the tool you use to cut them should be sharp and sanitary for the wound to heal correctly and avoid rot and disease.
How to Maintain Sterility in Bypass Pruners?
- Using a household cleaner, spray the pruner.
- In a pail of clean water, soak pruners.
- To keep the blade from rusting, wipe it dry with a rag.
- Steel wool should be used to clean the blades.
Sharpening Bypass Pruners:
- Before sharpening the pruners, make sure they’re clean.
- Sharpen the blades as though they were kitchen knives. Rub the blade in one direction on a sharpening stone on the bevel edge side.
- Switch to the flat side. Look for elevated metal bits and use the sharpening stone to smooth them out.
- If the blades are exceedingly dull, you can entirely disassemble them and work on them on the stone. However, this shouldn’t be necessary if you sharpen your knives regularly.
- Put a drop of 3-in-One Oil or lubricant spray between the two blades.
How to Make Bypass Adjustments
After a lengthy period of usage, the jaws of your bypass pruner may loosen due to misuse, resulting in catching and jamming. Adjust the passing clearance of the blades by tightening the blade nut to fix this. If the blade is bent, tap it a few times with a hammer to straighten it.
If you want to long last your garden pruning shears then you have to maintain it on regular basis. I hope this guide gives an idea of how to maintain pruning shears.