What tools are best for pruning hydrangeas?
Written by
Paul Reynolds
Reviewed by
Prof. Charles Hartman, Ph.D.When you prune hydrangeas, it is important to use proper tools to minimize damage to the delicate stems. If you're cutting live stems, you want to use bypass pruners, which work like a pair of scissors or of a slightly sturdier design. Anvil pruners can be used to take cuttings from dead stems, but they crush the tissue. I have seen where ragged cuts from cheap or dull tools result in dead or diseased surface tissue, but using clean, sharp blades will keep the plant healthy and promote new growth.
Cutting Tools
- Bypass pruners for live stems ≤¾" thick
- Loppers with 24" handles for high branches
- Folding pruning saw for limbs over 2"
Maintenance Gear
- 70% alcohol for disinfecting blades
- Sharpening stone for edge retention
- Protective oil to prevent rust
A customer employed hedge trimmers once to prune her oakleaf hydrangeas. The shredding of those stems invited borers! Using bypass pruners and then sterilizing them with alcohol did the trick and saved all the plants. It is important to make sure to store tools dry to avoid rust; the shears I am currently using, which I have owned for more than five years, may be fine and do just well with little care. GOOD quality tools certainly pay off in the end!
Read the full article: When to Prune Hydrangeas: A Step-by-Step Guide
