Secateur care and maintenance

Secateurs are one of the most widely used garden tools and will last for years if well maintained. Steve and Val Bradley explain how to keep yours in tip-top condition

- Steve and Val Bradley

SECATEURS are basic gardening tools and are usually one of the first things to be taken along to whatever the intended job may be. They serve every purpose from deadheading to pruning, and a good pair will last for years if well maintained.

With regular use secateurs can become gummed up with sticky plant sap and debris, which needs to be removed for the blades to cut cleanly so that the plants being pruned are not left with ragged cuts that can lead to infection. If soil and grime get into the moving parts, they will cause excessive wear and allow rust to develop.

Precision-ground surfaces

Bypass cutting-action blades should be wiped after each use with an oiled cloth but, over time, the secateurs will tend to lose their edge and need sharpening. These are good-quality blades, precision ground by machine to form two edges that pass one another closely to cut using a scissor action.

For this reason, these two surfaces should be cleaned using an abrasive that does not damage the metal, and never cleaned with a file. If the precision-ground surfaces are damaged, this will impair the cutting action.