Cut and Hold Pruner: Ideal Tool For Any Gardener

I decided to write about a gardening tool that I don't currently own but plan to buy very soon. In preparing for the purchase I have done considerable research on the Internet which I'm going to share in this blog.

A "cut and hold" pruner is very similar to a regular pruner with one important additional feature - a set of "jaws" that hold on to the portion of the branch that was cut off. The pruner continues to hold on to the cutting until the operator releases his grip on the pruner. 

These range from hand pruners up to long-reach pruners that extend to 10' long. This cut and hold feature provides numerous benefits.

Cut and Hold Pruner Benefits 

When using a cut and hold pruner to cut off fruits or blooms it prevents them from falling to the ground and being damaged. Also when trimming or deadheading plants it prevents the cuttings from dropping down into the body of the plant forcing you to extract them later by hand. Removing these cuttings from a plant with needles or thorns can be a painful task.  With a cut and hold pruner you can deposit the cuttings directly into a trash receptacle after making the cut. This makes cut and hold pruners ideal for trimming roses as shown here:

Another benefit of a cut and hold pruner is that the long-reach pruner makes it much easier to trim close to the ground and high in the air without bending or using a ladder. So it's ideal for harvesting fruit from trees while standing on the ground as shown here:

The final general benefit is that the cut and hold feature facilitates one-hand trimming since you don't need to hold the cutting in your free hand.

Benefits for Gardeners with Special Needs

The benefits listed above make a cut and hold pruner a valuable tool for any gardener. However, the benefits make a cut and hold pruner a must-have for serious gardeners with special needs. 

Gardening for The Disabled

The cut and hold pruner can make numerous gardening tasks possible for gardeners with disabilities. For example, if working from a wheelchair or scooter the long-reach pruner allows the gardener to tend to plants whether near the ground or very tall. 

Moreover the ability to use the pruner with only one hand is a real plus for gardeners with limited mobility or others like myself that need to use one hand to maintain our balance. In reading the reviews for cut and hold pruners a surprising number of them were from gardeners with disabilities singing the praises of their cut and hold pruner!

Gardening for the Elderly

It seems ironic and a bit unfair that as we grow older our appreciation and enjoyment of gardening seems to increase, while at the same time, our ability to perform the physical work involved is diminishing. So any tool that reduces the amount of kneeing, bending, lifting and reaching you need to do while gardening has got to be a good thing. 

One review I read on Amazon said it all. It was written by an 84 year old gardener that called his cut and hold pruner his "busiest hand tool". He even used it for weeding since it saved him from bending over.

Gardening for Folks with Health Issues

There are a countless number of health issues that make the physical aspects of gardening difficult and painful for many individuals. The cut and hold pruner can make it possible for gardeners with health issues to perform some tasks that may be difficult or impossible without it.

What's Coming Up

I've decided to break the the coverage of cut and hold pruners into four separate posts. This one introducing the cut and hold pruner and the benefits it provides for many gardeners. The remaining posts will present the numerous cut and hold pruners I researched along with pertinent information on each. The pruners will be presented in three posts based on their size.

The first post will cover hand pruners; the second post pruners that are 3' or less in length; and the final post pruners that are longer than 3'. My goal is to provide sufficient information so that you can select a cut and hold pruner that will meet your specific needs and make your life a little bit easier.