Lopper pruning techniques

Safe Pruning Guidelines:- How to use you loppers to avoid damaging the lopper blades

At the bottom of the page are some short videos demonstrating these techniques and a pdf download of these notes.

Two Basic rules for simple pruning:

• Keep the cutting blade closest to the tree (on the side that will be retained) and on top of the branch.
• When cutting with the loppers in a horizontal position (e.g. cutting out regenerating growth) the cutting blade must be on the ground side of the cut. This is, in principle, a specific case of the first rule. The growth retained is that closest to the cutting blade.

Over the years Pro-Pruner users have developed techniques for using the loppers. While it is possible to prune both sides of the tree from a standing position, it is better to first learn the standard technique of walking around the tree while pruning. Below is the basic technique that should be followed.

Basic (standard) Lopper Pruning Technique, moving around the tree in a clockwise direction while pruning:

1. Important: the straight blade should always be on top of the branch and against the tree. To do this you must, for first lift, approach the tree and have in your mind that you will be pruning around the tree in a clockwise movement.
   You may have to cut one or two branches to let yourself in closer to the tree before you start to prune.
2. With the straight blade on the top of the branch start pruning from the ground up to the required height.
   Now take a small step in the clockwise direction around the tree and prune back down again. Keep doing this until the tree is completed.
3. As the curved blade is an anvil blade it does not cut. It is flat so that it only bites into the cambium layer of the branch.
   The flat anvil allows you to make a slicing action as you cut. When cutting branches 50mm or bigger, move the Pro-Pruner back and forth, this slicing action helps make the cutting easier.
4. As the curved blade does not cut, do not apply too much pressure to the handle in your right hand, just enough to make the curved blade hold the branch.
   Pull with your left hand and the cutting blade will slice through the branch.
   When cutting bigger branches, if possible, hold the curved blade handle with your right hand under the handle, this will make it easier to allow the slicing up and down movement.
5. For large 65mm branches. Fit the Pro-Pruner to the branch, then cross your arms so that the back of your right hand is facing the tree, take hold of the handle that operates the straight blade.
   Now with the back of your left hand facing you, hold the handle that operates the curved blade. With this position you can apply much more power to the cutting blade, it is very easy to allow the Pro-Pruner to move back and forth to help slice through the branch.
6. Very Important when pruning or cutting, (for example cutting out regenerating growth), with the lopper in a horizontal position the straight blade must be on the ground side of the cut. If the straight blade is on top, the weight of the tree could force the straight blade to go onto the wrong side of the tip of the curved blade and damage it, if this occurs it is not covered by warranty.

Advanced Loppers Pruning Technique, standing in a single position while pruning: 

These guidelines and examples are for pruning side branches off a vertical trunk however, the general principles can be adapted to other forms of pruning.

Over the 30 years that I have worked with pruning contractors I have seen this damage from time to time, and have worked out with the help of contractors why this problem still happens to day and sometimes with experienced workers.

There are three ways that this can happen in a normal day’s work.

The common theme in the 3 situations described below is “the cutting blade is always placed next to the tree with the hooked blade to the outside”.

1. Pruning on the left hand side of the tree, the cutting blade should always be on the top of the branch. (against the tree with the hooked blade on the outside)

Comment: Pruning on the left side of the tree with the cutting blade on the bottom? No, definitely not. The weight of the branch falling as the cut is taking place, will pressure the cutting blade against the curved blade, normally the result will be tip chipping or total cross over.

NEVER under any situation prune on the left side of the tree with the cutting blade on the bottom.

2. Pruning the back of the tree with your arms around the tree, the cutting blade must be against the tree with the hooked blade to the outside.

Comment: ALWAYS ensure the cutting blade is against the tree. If necessary, turn the lopper in your hands before passing the lopper around the back of the tree so that the cutting blade is against the tree.

If the curved blade is against the tree: As the pressure of the cut takes place the curved blade, if  close to the collar or on the collar of the branch, can get forced out of alignment and push hard against the cutting blade with again the possibility of the blades crossing and damaging to cutting blade.

3. Pruning on the right-hand side of the tree, we teach and recommend that you have the cutting blade under the branch against the tree, with the hooked blade on the outside.

 Comment: While it is possible to prune with the hooked blade against the tree, this method is not recommended, you need to be careful as damage can result. With the curved blade against the tree the cutting blade is on the top of the branch, the cutting blade will be placed right next to the collar of the branch, this is a logical approach, but it does have the risk of causing damage.

FurtherComment: Visually the hooked blade is under and at the back of the branch and cannot be seen as to where on the branch it is placed, as the worker places the cutting blade onto the branch, they will virtually always place the cutting blade on the branch right next to the collar.

As the cutting blade is 6.5mm thick where can the curved blade fit between the cutting blade and the collar?

Unless the worker places the lopper on an angle to allow room for the curved blade to fit on the branch the curved blade will be sitting on the collar. As the pressure of the cut takes place the curved blade will slide off the collar and cross over the cutting blade, this will result in:

• Tip damage to the cutting blade or more seriously,
• Total cross over which will result in two chips in the cutting blade as it cuts into the curved blade.

To sum up:

In situations where the cutting blade is in the cut and cannot move, and the curved blade is sitting on the collar next to the trunk. As the curved blade shifts (slides) on the collar it puts an enormous side pressure onto the cutting blade which is fixed in the cut. This puts all this pressure on to the edge of the cutting blade resulting in blade cross over chipping the cutting blade.

It is quite often the case that it is a small branch that is being cut and therefore the chip is not overly wide. if it was a big branch then more of the cutting edge would be in the cut and the cutting edge would be more supported, providing greater resistance to the sideways pressure.

Remember the cutting blade is a wedge shape and sideways movement will take place during the cut. The curved blade has a small flat on its anvil edge to allow for it to move sideways if required. If it is not free to move i.e. if it is against the collar it will twist slightly over the cutting blade and that is when tip damage and possibly worse damage will occur.

The cutting blade is always placed next to the tree with the hooked blade to the outside.

Download PDF of Pro-Pruner Technical Notes