Top 6 Shrub Trimming Tools- The Key to Get Perfectly Maintained Garden Bushes

SUMMARY

Are you ready to trim your shrubs? When it comes to shrub trimming for your yard, it is important for just winter pruning and all year round. You may not be ready to trim your overgrown shrubs, but your shrubs are ready. Yet, what is the best and fastest way to trim them? What are the best shrub-trimming tools? In this helpful article, we will provide you with the six best tools you should have for any shrub trimming job you need to take on. So, read on and learn more. After this article; you’ll be more informed and inspired to take action and tackle your shrub challenge head-on!

Shrub Trimming Tools For Extreme Precision

Pruning Shears

Pruning shears (AKA hand pruners or secateurs) are great gardening tools for cutting plant stems and branches. They help maintain the health and appearance of bushes and shrubs. Pruning shears are essentially heavy-duty scissors designed to cut through tough plant material that is often one inch thick. They come in many different types, each designed for a specific purpose. However, all pruning shears have sharp blades and are handheld tools.
If you notice a bush on your property that looks dead, diseased, or damaged, you can use pruning shears to help improve the bush’s overall condition. Once you have located what part of the bush is dead or diseased, you can use a pruning shear and squeeze it around the base of the diseased branch or twig. When you prepare to cut, cut it at an angle. This will help encourage new growth and prevent water from accumulating on the cut service. By doing this, you can regularly maintain the health of your bush by getting rid of any diseased or dead wood. After you are done, clean your pruning shears with rubbing alcohol or soapy water to prevent cross-contamination between your plants.

Bypass Pruners

Bypass pruners are a kind of pruning shear used for a specific purpose. It has two scissor-like blades, except one is sharp and curved, while the other is a flat hook. This helps you make precise cuts for shrubs. They are best used for live stems and branches with flexible and green wood. These pruning sheers are designed to create clean cuts to promote faster plant healing. Unlike secateurs, bypass pruners’ main purpose is to be used on live wood and plants and to make clean cuts without bruising and crushing stems. It can be used to trim any shrubs growing out of place.

Shrub Trimming Tools for Thick Branches

Loppers

Another essential tool is a lopper. A lopper is a pruning tool, like pruning shears. However, loppers are designed to cut thicker branches and stems too large for hand pruners. They have very long handles, making them easier to leverage when cutting thick branches and stems. Loppers resemble oversized scissors and can be used on shrubs and tree branches. They can help shape and thin shrubs, remove diseased or dead branches, and can be used for rejuvenation pruning. Rejuvenation pruning removes a significant amount of older wood from an old shrub. This will encourage a shrub to grow back new wood and improve its appearance. You can use a lopper by opening the blades wide and placing a thick tree branch between them. This will help ensure a clean cut and reduce strain on your hands. Let force and gravity assist you rather than just your strength. When you cut the branch, use a smooth but firm motion. Unlike pruning shears, could you not use them like scissors? Make a forceful, decisive clean cut to minimize bruising and damage to the plant or tree. When it comes to loppers, make sure that you keep the blade sharp and clean it after each use.

Pruning Saws

Pruning saws are similar to loppers. They are both designed to cut through thick branches and stems to maintain a tree’s or bush’s health. However, pruning saws look far different than loppers. Pruning saws have a medium-length toothed blade that can be curved or straight. The sharp blade is used to see through thick wood-like branches of trees and shrubs. While they serve the same basic function as loppers, pruning saws can cut through thicker branches due to their vastly different cutting style. When using pruning saws, placing it on top of the branch you want to cut is best. This will help keep it stable and find a groove. Then you can use a sawing motion, pulling and pushing the saw back and forth. Make sure to apply pressure to both strokes. Applying pressure helps remove shredded material and avoid clogging the saw with the wood shavings. While it does require more strenuous effort than a lopper, pruning saws are the best option between the two when it comes to handling extremely thick tree branches and shrubs.

Shrub Trimming Tools for Hard-to-Reach Places

Long-Reach Pruners

Long reach pruners are used to help trim branches and foliage that is very high up. With a long reach pruner, you don’t need a ladder due to the extremely long handle. This can help take away the risk of hurting yourself by falling off a ladder. Long-reach pruners are not generally used to cut through thick branches but rather give your shrub the element of a nice, clean-cut look from above. Using long-reach pruners, you won’t have to strain your back and arms as much or bend down and stretch to get to hard-to-reach places. Long reach pruners are used by a squeeze handle controlling the blade on the other far end of the pole. You squeeze the handle, which snips through plant material with no issue.

Pole Hedge Trimmers

Pole hedge trimmers are different from long-preach pruners. They have a long extendable pole with a blade attached to the end of it. The blade looks like the snout of a sawtooth shark. This helps pole hedge trimmers serve their specific purpose: trim hedges. Pole hedge trimmers can even be powered by electricity or gasoline to simplify the trimming process. Using pole hedge trimmers, you can easily shape and sculpt hedges and shrubs the way you want with minimal effort and no ladders required. Like long-reach pruners, hedge trimmers can trim and cut plants from far up. However, you can cover more area with the pole hedge trimmer. So, pole hedge trimmers are great when you need to trim a shrub quickly and efficiently, while long-reach pruners are for when you want a more precise and detailed shrub-trimming session.