Using pruning shears correctly comes down to three things: choosing the right type, positioning the blade properly against the branch, and cutting in the right spot. A sharp bypass pruner can cleanly cut live stems up to half an inch in diameter, and where you place that cut on the plant matters just as much as how you make it.
Bypass vs. Anvil: Pick the Right Type
Bypass pruners work like scissors, with two blades sliding past each other. Anvil pruners work like a knife pressing down onto a cutting board. For nearly every job in the garden, bypass pruners are the better choice. They make clean cuts with almost no damage to the surrounding plant tissue, while anvil pruners tend to crush soft, living stems. That crushing creates ragged wounds that heal slowly and invite disease.
Anvil pruners have one narrow use: cutting dead, dry wood that’s already brittle. If you’re removing a dead branch that snaps easily, an anvil pruner handles it fine. But since most pruning involves live growth or recently dead wood, a quality pair of bypass shears is the tool to own.
How to Hold and Position the Blades
Every bypass pruner has a thick blade (the cutting blade) and a thinner counter blade that acts as a hook to hold the branch in place. The cutting blade should face the part of the plant you’re keeping. The counter blade, which applies slight pressure and can leave a small crush mark, should face the piece you’re removing. This ensures the clean side of the cut stays on the living branch.
Open the handles wide enough to fit the branch deep into the jaw, close to the pivot bolt. Cutting with the tips of the blades forces you to squeeze harder and often results in a partial, tearing cut. With the branch seated near the base of the jaw, one smooth squeeze is all you need. If you can’t close the handles in a single motion, the branch is too thick for hand pruners. Move up to loppers for anything over half an inch.
Where to Make the Cut
Placement matters more than most people realize. A cut in the wrong spot can trigger unwanted bushy growth, leave a stub that rots, or remove the plant’s natural healing zone.
Cutting Back to a Bud
When shortening a stem (called a heading cut), cut about a quarter inch above an outward-facing bud. Cutting too close damages the bud. Cutting too far away leaves a stub that dies back and becomes an entry point for disease. Angle the cut so water runs away from the bud rather than pooling on top of it.
Removing a Branch Entirely
When removing a whole branch from a larger stem or trunk (called a thinning cut), look for two landmarks at the base of the branch. The first is the branch collar: a slightly swollen ring where the branch meets the parent stem, usually most visible on the underside. The second is the branch bark ridge: a line of raised, rough, often darker bark running from the top of the branch union down both sides.
Cut just outside these two features. The branch collar and bark ridge together form a protection zone packed with chemical defenses that block decay organisms from moving into the parent stem. If you cut flush against the trunk, you destroy this zone and leave a wound the tree struggles to seal. If you leave a long stub, the dead wood rots back toward the trunk anyway. The sweet spot is right at the outer edge of that collar.
Clean Your Blades Between Plants
Pruning shears can carry fungal spores, bacteria, and viruses from one plant to the next. This is especially important when pruning roses, fruit trees, or any plant showing signs of disease. Wipe the blades with 70% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) between plants. Use it straight from the bottle, no dilution needed. At that concentration, it kills bacteria, fungi, and viruses on contact.
A 10% bleach solution (one part household bleach to nine parts water) also works, but bleach corrodes metal over time and needs to be rinsed off. Alcohol evaporates quickly and is gentler on your tools, making it the more practical choice for routine use.
Recognizing a Dull Blade
The clearest sign your shears need sharpening is when stems look crushed or torn instead of cleanly sliced. You might also notice you’re squeezing harder than usual, or that cuts leave shredded fibers hanging from the wound. Dull blades are not just frustrating. Crushed stems heal slowly and are far more vulnerable to infection than clean cuts.
Check your cuts after each pruning session. If the exposed surface looks ragged rather than smooth, it’s time to sharpen.
Sharpening and Maintenance
Sharpen only the beveled side of the cutting blade, the angled edge that does the slicing. The flat side stays flat. Hold a fine mill file or diamond sharpener at a 20 to 25 degree angle against the bevel. A quick way to find this angle: hold the file perpendicular to the blade (90 degrees), tilt it halfway toward the blade (45 degrees), then tilt it halfway again. That puts you at roughly 22.5 degrees, right in the target range. Draw the file along the blade in smooth strokes from the base to the tip, following the curve.
After sharpening, apply a drop of mineral oil to the pivot bolt and the blade surfaces. Mineral oil lubricates without damaging the tool and is safe around plants. Vegetable oil works in a pinch but can go rancid. Avoid using oils on pruners with rubber grips or bumpers, as plant-based and mineral oils can break down rubber over time. Wipe the blades clean after each use, and store the shears closed with the safety latch engaged to protect the edge.
Reducing Hand and Wrist Strain
Pruning is repetitive work, and the wrong shears will remind you of that quickly. If you prune regularly, look for models with a rotating lower handle, which turns slightly with each squeeze so your fingers move more naturally. An angled cutting head also helps by letting you cut without bending your wrist into awkward positions.
Size matters too. If you have to stretch your hand wide to open the handles, the pruners are too big and you’ll fatigue faster. Most manufacturers offer small, medium, and large sizes. Try them before buying if possible. Spring tension should be firm enough to reopen the blades but not so stiff that your hand fights it on every cut. Taking short breaks during long pruning sessions prevents the cumulative strain that leads to soreness the next day.