TIL the hard way that cheap pruning shears cost me $200 in ruined shrubs

Last spring I bought a pair of pruning shears for $8 at a discount store because I figured they all do the same job. After trimming my row of boxwoods, they all turned brown and died within a month. Turns out those cheap blades crush the stems instead of making clean cuts, which lets disease get in. I had to dig out 12 mature boxwoods and replace them with new plants from the local nursery. That $8 mistake ended up costing me around $200 for new shrubs and a whole Saturday of yard work. My neighbor who gardens said she learned the same lesson 10 years ago and now only uses Felco shears. Has anyone else lost plants from using bad tools or am I the only one who fell for the cheap stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

paul25111d ago

My cousin once tried trimming his hedges with a butter knife.

fisher.adam11d ago

@paul251 I just grabbed a decent pair of hedge shears from the hardware store and they worked fine for years. A butter knife sounds like a painful way to learn a lesson. Sometimes you just need the right tool for the job.