How to use loppers?

29th February 2020

How to use loppers


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		Wonkee’s lopping and pruning tips
		It’s all about timing If possible, try to prune stems and branches during winter. This is one of very few gardening tasks which can be undertaken over the winter, and timing your pruning correctly can encourage an abundance of new growth in the warmer seasons.

		Cut away from the trunk When pruning branches, cut with the bevel of the sharpened blade facing away from the trunk of the tree. Due to the growth structure of wood, resistance from wood being cut will push the blade away from the trunk.

		When cutting away from the trunk, the blade will be pushed away from its housing and therefore downward, in the desired direction, making the cut easier.

		If you were to cut toward the trunk, the blade would be pushed back on itself, causing it to jam and potentially to bend.

		Don’t cut branches flush to the trunk Each branch on a tree is connected to the trunk, or secondary branch, by an enlarged, knotted section of flesh called the ‘collar’. This strengthens and protects the branch, and acts as the first line of defence against infection.

		Cuts should never be made through the collar, but at the point where the branch connects to the collar, or within an inch of this point. Cutting through the collar is physically much harder due to its knotty structure, and may expose the trunk to potentially lethal infections at the stump.

		Keep your cuts as clean as possible It is extremely important that any cut made to a tree branch or woody stem is made as cleanly as possible.

		An untidy or ragged wound in the flesh of a plant takes far longer to heal, exposing it to infection from diseases, insects, and fungi, and slowing the overall growth rate of the plant as energy is diverted into the wound.

		Note
		Although bypass loppers, anvil loppers, and the lesser used pole loppers are different in their design and features, the methods for using them are the same. This guide can be applied to any lopper.

		How to use loppers
		Step 1 – Position lopper First, place your lopper’s blades, or blade and anvil, around the branch or stem you will be cutting.

		Step 2 – Position branch or stem Manoeuvre your lopper’s blades, or blade and anvil, until the branch or stem sits as deep, or as close to the fulcrum, as possible. Cutting close to the tips of the blades will bend them.

		Step 3 – Close lopper handles Now, close your lopper’s handles – or pull the cord, if using a pole lopper – as tightly as possible, or until the branch or stem is severed. Unless using a lopper with a ratchet mechanism, try to complete cuts in one motion; don’t be tempted to use the ‘snipping’ action you might use to cut with scissors.

		Step 4 – Open lopper handles Once the cut is complete, simply open your lopper’s handles – or release the cord, if using a pole lopper – and continue to the next branch or stem you wish to cut.