Any gardener, even a beginner, has his own arsenal of tools, among which a pruner for tree grafting and other tools and devices have recently appeared. With its help, unwanted shoots and branches are removed, ornamental shrubs are shaped, plant growth is stimulated and tissue nutrition is enhanced. In addition to the pruners familiar to all, manufacturers have released a new type - a pruner for grafting trees. Let's see what it is and what it can be useful for.
What are secateurs?
Thanks to technological progress, we have a lot of devices that perform various kinds of functions. The secateurs are no exception. Now these garden shears do not have such a frightening appearance and are quite safe for their owner. They are technological, convenient and safe. Modern instruments can be dividedon: garden pruner for pruning trees, for grafting, etc. They are of the following types:
- Pruner-scissors. It is used in work with young plants. The optimal shoot thickness does not exceed 20 mm.
- Secateurs with anvil. Used for cutting dry branches. Their thickness does not exceed 30 mm.
- Shrub secateurs. For cutting dry bushes.
- Secateurs with step mechanism. With it, both dry branches and young shoots are cut. Its advantage is that it can handle thick branches.
- Bypass pruner. Used to trim thin and tender growing shoots.
- Pruner for grafting trees.
We will dwell on the last one.
What is a grafting pruner and what is it for?
Gardeners manage to achieve 90 to 100% successful grafting using a pruner for grafting trees, the price of which is affordable for many. The action of such a tool is that special cuts are made on the scion and rootstock with the help of a pruner blade. As a result, gardeners get perfect cuts, which contribute to the high compatibility of rootstock and scion. They are connected and securely fixed to each other. It makes tree grafting a breeze. Grafting quality now depends only on the quality of grafted plants.
Manufacturers mainly supply tree grafting pruners with three types of nozzles: U-shaped, omega and V-shaped nozzle. Each of themused to graft a specific type of tree. Such a tool is durable and has good performance. One such pruner is designed for 2-3 thousand cuts.
How to choose a pruner?
If you want to purchase a quality instrument, please pay attention to the following when choosing it:
- The most important indicator of a pruner is the sharpness of the blades. Otherwise, the tool will be inconvenient to work with. He will not cut off the branch, but will chop and tear it.
- The blade should be very tight in the handle.
- Handles should also be comfortable. It is better when the handles are rubberized, then the tool will not slip out of your hands and hurt you during operation.
- Pay attention to the gap between the blade and the handle. The smaller it is and the blade stroke is tighter, the better the cut on the plant will be.
Privacy Pruner Benefits
Grafting pruner with grafting result does not require specialist skills. With its help, even a beginner can plant a tree. With its use, the grafting of a tree is carried out in a few minutes, which is good for the plant itself and for the gardener. This convenience and ease of the process allows you to perform a lot more vaccinations, which means that the assortment of the garden will increase significantly, and experience will increase.
Disadvantages of using a grafting pruner
The grafting pruner is only used for shoots with the same width,only a couple of millimeters of difference is allowed. Otherwise, you still have to use a knife. Even if the shoots are of the same thickness, but they are more than 12 mm or less than 4, the grafting will also fail, since such a pruner has a limit on the width of the shoot. In an omega-shaped nozzle, this run-up is even less than 7-12 mm. If you buy a quality grafting pruner, it may seem overpriced.
Prolong tool life
So, for high-quality and durable work of the garden pruner, do not neglect the recommendations for its operation and storage conditions. Otherwise, it will negatively affect the condition of the instrument.
The grafting pruner needs the same care as any other garden tool. After using it, clean its blades of vegetation residues that have stuck during cutting. Keep your blades free of dirt, dust, and sap from trees and shrubs. Do not wash the pruner in water or leave it in the rain.
The spring mechanism, blades and locking bracket can rust very quickly. This applies to cheap models. More expensive or professional tools can be rinsed under running water without any fear and get rid of all debris adhering to it during operation. After this procedure, carefully wipe the blade with a dry cloth, and it is best to lubricate the spring with a binder or oil. Walk with a cloth soaked in oil over all metal parts. This procedure is recommended after eachsecateurs.
Sharpen the blades yourself
Pruner blades can become dull over time. In order to maintain their condition in the proper form, they need to be sharpened from time to time. This procedure is carried out when, when cutting branches, it becomes noticeable that the knives bite into the branch only halfway and do not cut it.
In order to return the blades to their former sharpness, it is not enough just to work with a bar. It is tedious to choose the right movements and direction. So, for the convenience of sharpening, it is better to remove the blades. If this is not possible, then you need to firmly fix the secateurs in a certain position, for this you can use a vice. After that, a beam is drawn along the blades in one direction as if sharpening knives. This action is repeated until the knives are sharp enough, then they are put back on the tool.
What do we have?
So, the pruner for grafting trees can be attributed to a very useful and necessary tool. In the dacha economy, he will certainly find a place. Especially this tool will be appreciated by avid gardeners. However, if you rarely graft, and in your garden the tool has more minuses than pluses, you should think about learning how to graft trees without special tools.
