Why Sharp Secateurs Make Light Work of the Garden

A good pair of secateurs is the tool you reach for more than any other. Whether you are deadheading roses, taking cuttings, pruning a sprawling buddleia or cutting back the autumn raspberries, the quality of the cut matters. A sharp blade slices cleanly through a stem, leaving a wound that the plant can seal over quickly. A blunt one crushes and tears, leaving ragged tissue that dries out, invites infection and often dies back down the stem.

Sharpening is only half the story. Dirt, sap and rust all take their toll, and a pair of secateurs left grubby in a shed drawer will stiffen, jam and eventually seize. The good news is that looking after them takes only a few minutes at a time, and a well-cared-for pair will last for decades. Here is how to keep yours in proper working order.

Start With a Good Clean After Every Use

Get into the habit of wiping your secateurs down before they go back in the holster or the shed. A rag kept in your tool bag is all you need for a quick pass along both blades.

Every few sessions, or whenever the blades feel sticky, give them a proper clean:

• Open the secateurs fully and brush out the gap between the blades with an old toothbrush or a small wire brush.
• Wipe off dried sap with a cloth dipped in warm soapy water, or use a little methylated spirit on a rag for stubborn resinous sap from conifers and prunus.
• Remove any rust spots with fine wire wool and a drop of light oil. Work along the blade rather than across it.
• Dry everything thoroughly. Water left around the pivot is the fastest route to a stiff, pitted tool.

If you have been cutting anything diseased, such as roses with blackspot or branches with canker, wipe the blades with methylated spirit before moving on to the next plant. It takes seconds and helps stop problems spreading around the garden.

Sharpening the Cutting Blade

On a bypass pair — the type with a curved blade that slices past a hooked counter-blade — you sharpen only the bevelled cutting edge. The flat underside of the blade stays flat, and the counter-blade is never sharpened at all. It is there to hold the stem steady, not to cut.

You will need a fine diamond file, a small flat whetstone or an oilstone. A few strokes are usually enough. Hold the secateurs firmly, or clamp the handle gently in a vice with soft jaws, and follow the existing angle of the bevel. That is typically somewhere around 20 to 25 degrees — match what is already there rather than trying to change it.

Push the file or stone along the blade from the base towards the tip, in one direction only, keeping the angle steady. Three to five strokes on each side of the bevel is generally plenty. Then turn the blade over, lay it flat on the stone and give it a single light pass to remove the burr that forms on the reverse edge. You will feel it catch on your thumb when it is done; if it slides off smoothly, keep going.

Anvil secateurs are different. They have a straight blade that closes onto a flat bed, and they are meant to crush tougher, dead wood. Sharpen the bevelled side of the blade only, and never file the anvil bed itself.

Oiling the Pivot, Spring and Handles

The pivot is the heart of the tool and the part most often neglected. Put a single drop of light machine oil — sewing machine oil is ideal — on the pivot bolt, then open and close the blades a good twenty times so the oil works its way in. Wipe away any excess so it does not attract grit.

While you are there, check the spring. If it has lost its snap or has snapped altogether, replacements are inexpensive and usually simple to fit. A slack spring means you grip harder than you should, which tires your hand and shortens your pruning sessions. Handles benefit from a wipe with an oiled cloth too, particularly wooden ones, which dry out and crack if left untreated.

Avoid heavy grease, which clogs with grit, and be wary of thin penetrating sprays as a long-term lubricant — they are useful for freeing a seized pivot, but they evaporate and leave little protection behind.

Sharpening Little and Often

You do not need to wait for a full session at the workbench. A few strokes with a pocket diamond file every ten or so hours of cutting keeps the edge keen and means you rarely have to do a major sharpening job. If you notice yourself squeezing harder, or leaving bruised, white-ended stems behind, that is your signal.

Never be tempted to take a power grinder or a bench sander to a good blade. The heat generated will draw the temper out of the steel, and the edge will fold over within minutes.

Storing Them Well Through the Year

Hang your secateurs up rather than leaving them on damp paving or in a bucket of soil. A shed wall hook, a holster on your belt or a dry toolbox all work well. Before putting them away for winter, clean, sharpen and oil them, and leave the blades very slightly open so moisture cannot sit between them.

Treat a quality pair of secateurs as an investment rather than a disposable. Five minutes of cleaning, a handful of file strokes and a drop of oil will keep them cutting cleanly through stems and branches for years — and make your time in the garden a good deal more enjoyable.