How to use a pole pruner in your garden

Oct 30, 2023

If you often need to prune large shrubs or small trees, a pole pruner can be a useful tool.

"It can extend your reach to trim small twigs and branches, so you may not have to climb a ladder," said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist at the Plant Clinic of The Morton Arboretum.

A pole pruner mounts a large pruner head — like the blades of your bypass hand pruners — at the end of a long pole. The blades are attached to a gear mechanism so you can make them cut by pulling a rope.

Some pole pruners have wood poles, but fiberglass poles — which often can be extendable up to 12 or 14 feet — are much lighter. On many pole pruners, you can remove the pruner head and use the pole for a saw attachment, making it a long-handled pruning saw.

"A pole pruner seems nifty, but it's actually tricky to use and it has limitations," Yiesla said. "It takes some practice to use it well."

"It's a tool you will only need if you have to regularly prune just over your head," she said. For example, you might find a pole pruner handy if you have several dwarf fruit trees in the 10- to 15-foot range that need to be pruned every year. For pruning on taller trees, it's best to call in a professional arborist.

A pole pruner can be handy if you have woody vines, such as clematis or wisteria growing on a large trellis, or if you have large evergreen shrubs that need to be tidied up often. It can be used to snip epicormic shoots, also called water sprouts, from the trunk of a large tree.

A pole pruner can extend your reach to snip small branches, but it can be awkward and tricky to use. (Jeffrey Ross/The Morton Arboretum)

Use a pole pruner only to snip small branches, no larger than one-half inch. "It's tempting to try to cut larger branches, especially with the saw attachment, but don't," she said. "The tool is too awkward to do a good job of making a large cut."

You risk making a big, ragged wound that can admit disease or decay. If the blades get stuck, you will have to damage the wood working them loose. A large branch is also heavy and can be dangerous when it falls from overhead.

Wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from falling twigs and sawdust when you use a pole pruner, and wear gloves to protect your hands from the friction of the rope.

To use the pruner, extend the pole only as far as you need to. The longer it is, the harder it will be to control.

Stand to one side, not directly beneath where you want to cut, so you can see what you’re doing and you are likely to be out of the path of the falling branch. Bear in mind that branches can bounce and fall unpredictably, so stay alert.

"You won't be able to place the pole pruner as precisely as you can hand pruners or loppers," Yiesla said, "but try to make the cut as close to the base of the branch as you can."

Place the branch into the gap between the two blades. When you’re ready to make the cut, support the pole with one hand; it can be helpful to brace it against your body. Loop the rope around the palm of the other hand so you get a good grip on it. Then pull.

"As with any pruners, it's important to keep the blades of a pole pruner sharp," she said. Since you probably won't use the tool often, it's a good idea to sharpen the blades before you put them away and wipe them with oil to prevent rust.

For tree and plant advice, contact the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum (630-719-2424, mortonarb.org/plant-clinic, or [email protected]). Beth Botts is a staff writer at the Arboretum.