- For cutting that is slightly more demanding than deadheading and harvesting, a pair of secateurs is essential. Good ones will cut cleanly and easily through woody stems up to approximately 1 cm (½ in) in diameter. It is vital that the blades are sharp or you will achieve either a ragged stem, which will encourage disease in the plant, or a crushed stem.
- There are a confusing range of secateur types available. As always, your hands are the best guides. Select a pair that suits the hand you use most, since both left- and right-handed pairs are available.
- Bypass secateurs are a good, multi-purpose pair. They have a convex upper blade, which cuts in a scissor motion against a narrow, concave lower blade, and are comfortable for general use. If your hand span is small, or you do not have particularly strong hands, opt for ratchet secateurs, which make pruning thicker stems infinitely easier as the ratchet action makes the cut in several small stages, rather than requiring all your strength to make one powerful cut. However, the ratchet action is frustratingly slow if used for general cutting tasks.
- Other options include parrot-beak secateurs, which use a scissor action, and anvil secateurs, which have a sharp upper blade that cuts against a flat anvil. All secateurs have a safety catch, which should be easy to operate single handed.
- When choosing any pair of secateurs, consider how easy it will be to sharpen or replace the blades. Clean the blades after use to remove dried sap, and rub them with an oily rag.
- To use secateurs correctly, always place the stem to be cut well down at the base of the blades. This holds the stem securely, making an accurate cut much simpler to perform. It also preserves blade life as the blades are less likely to be pushed out of alignment.
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