Episode: #14 23/12/2006
Presenter: Trevor Cochrane

This is one of the best times of the year to get out into the garden for a workout and get your plants into shape. Gentle pruning of most shrubs and particularly trees now will keep them trim and shapely all through the growing season

One of the more critical aspects of pruning is to make sure you use sharp secateurs. Don?t hesitate to buy quality as whilst the quality difference may not seem a lot in the nursery or hardware store the results from using them and the lifespan of the tools can vary dramatically. If you have an old pair that are a little blunt make sure you sharpen them before use. If they are cheapy?s you won?t be able to sharpen them, as the blade is a soft metal that will burr every time used. They are good for disposable use only most of the time

You should try the new Garden Guru?s secateurs. They were introduced because the Garden Guru?s are sick of seeing cheapy?s rusting away in backyards. The blades of these tools are special hardened steel from Japan that allows for a high quality clean cut. The handles have been ergonomically designed to be comfortable and there is even a style ideal for smaller hands, after requests from our lady gurus, and another for larger hands.

Secateurs that become blunt quickly damage the plants tissues when cutting through the stems and this encourages infestation of the tissue by diseases, often leaving die back and sometimes a very sick looking plant. Once you have cut through a sick plant and then cut another plant the blade transfers the disease. In the case of roses, canker can take over a whole bed in one season. Make sure your secateurs are clean and the blades sharp.

Some people hate pruning roses because of the thorns, but the clever people at Fiskars recognized this and developed an extendable pruner that reaches into the plant for you.

Then there is those difficult to get into places and that is where the Easy Reach Pruner comes into its own. It is fantastic for getting to places you would normally use a step ladder for. It is particularly good for climbers which must be pruned now if they flowered in winter or spring.

Then, for the trees there is the Easy Reach Telescopic Pruner which extends up to 5 metres making it ideal for pruning small trees and cleaning up fronds off palms whilst keeping your feet on the ground. That is wise because a huge number of gardening accidents occur due to people climbing ladders.

One of the great things about the Fiskars tools is the mechanisms they use. The sliding grip allows for an easy cutting action and the Teflon coated blades slide through the wood easily taking the hard work out of pruning.

Fiskars Australia Office

FISKARS BRANDS, INC
16 Rocklea Drive
Port Melbourne Victoria 3207

Email: Australia@fiskars.com

Main Phone: +61 3 8645 2400

www.fiskars.com

Featured Products

Garden Guru Professional Bypass Pruner

• Highly polished Japanese quality SK5 steel blade.
• Ambidextrous thumb lock.
• Non-slip inserts and extra large bolster for additional support and safety.
• Cutting Capacity: up to 25mm.
• Warranty: 5 Years.

Garden Guru Ladies Bypass Pruners

• Ideal for ladies and/or gardeners with smaller hands.
• Highly polished Japanese SK5 steel blade.
• Ambidextrous Tail-Loc.
• Non-slip inserts for comfort and safety.
• Cutting Capacity: up to 20mm.
• Warranty: 5 Years

Fiskars Easy Reach Pruner

• Rotating cutting head
• Dual activated cutting
• Lightweight aluminium
• Allows 3.6 metre reach
• 32mm cutting capacity

Fiskars Easy Reach Telescopic Pruner

• Lightweight aluminium
• 32mm cutting capacity
• Rotating cutting head
• "No rope" Power Stroke cutting action