How to prune with loppers
Updated: 22 October 2026
You already own the loppers, the hedge is thick, and a branch is thicker than the secateurs will take. How to prune with loppers is the cut, the thickness where you stop, and the UK rules that can veto a cut that would otherwise be tidy. The [loppers comparison](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/loppers) is where the printed capacities sit. This page does not rank those tools. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Peter F. checked the listing lines saved on 19 October 2026 and the public UK sources below. There is no lab test here.
You already own the loppers, the hedge is thick, and a branch is thicker than the secateurs will take.
You already own the loppers, the hedge is thick, and a branch is thicker than the secateurs will take. How to prune with loppers is the cut, the thickness where you stop, and the UK rules that can veto a cut that would otherwise be tidy. The loppers comparison is where the printed capacities sit. This page does not rank those tools. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Peter F. checked the listing lines saved on 19 October 2026 and the public UK sources below. There is no lab test here.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Head | Stated cut | Reach | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 8100RS | Anvil | 42 mm (bullet and field) | 800 mm and 72 cm in one bullet | 9.2 | about £22.86 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Kimura Kimura Pro 302 | Anvil | 35 mm (bullet and field) | 650–950 mm | 9.2 | about £44.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  AIRAJ AIRAJ 43 cm bypass | Bypass | 3 cm (bullet and field) | Fixed 43 cm | 8.8 | about £12.99 | View offer |
On this page
How thick a stem loppers should take
Loppers are for a thin stem you can finish in one controlled close, not for a limb that makes the handles twist. The RHS tree guide keeps loppers to branches under 2.5 cm, and wants a saw after that. On climbers, the line is about 3 cm, then a saw. If the handles twist or creak, the Basingstoke green-space manual says the stem is too thick. A Natural Resources Wales note of about 4 cm is not a licence to exceed the figure on your tool. A 2 cm green shoot on a small apple tree, just outside the collar, is the job. A 6 cm upright is saw work from the ground. If you are still choosing the tool, the order is on the loppers buying guide.
Cut outside the collar
The final cut sits just outside the branch collar, the swelling where the branch meets the larger stem. Cut through it and you remove the tissue that closes the wound. Leave a long stub and the wood will not seal. The Arboricultural Association's pruning guide, citing BS 3998:2010, keeps the final cut no wider than one third of the parent stem, outside the collar, and says not to paint the wound. An undercut, then an overcut, is saw work so the bark does not tear. Loppers finish the thin stem that remains. A flush cut takes the collar.
Nests, hedgerows, and protected trees
Nests in use or being built, and the eggs in them, are protected. In England, Scotland, and Wales that sits in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Northern Ireland uses the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. The RSPB advises you to avoid cutting hedges from March to September. If you find an active nest, you wait. In England you must not cut a covered hedgerow on agricultural land from 1 March to 31 August. A garden hedge off that land is not that ban. A tree preservation order, or a tree in a conservation area, can need written consent before you lop.
Carry, clean, and call someone
Carry the loppers closed, and wear gloves. If the cut is overhead, wear a hard hat. If a telescopic pair slips while you are reaching, stop. Clean sap off the blade, oil the pivot, and keep the existing bevel. If disease may pass between trees, disinfect before the next plant. Call the council or an arborist when the branch could hit a building, a road, or a power line, or when the work needs a ladder or a chainsaw.
Common questions
Where does the final cut sit on a branch?
Just outside the branch collar, the swelling where the branch meets the larger stem. The final cut should be no wider than one third of the parent stem. Do not cut flush with the trunk, and do not leave a long stub. A heavy limb that needs an undercut and an overcut is saw work.
When do you put the loppers down and pick up a saw?
When the stem is past the RHS line for that plant, past the number printed on your loppers, or when the handles twist or creak. On trees that RHS line is under 2.5 cm. On climbers it is about 3 cm, then a saw. A title that claims more does not move the stop. If you cannot finish in a controlled close, the loppers are the wrong tool for that stem.
Should you paint the wound?
No. The Arboricultural Association guide, citing BS 3998:2010, does not use wound paint on the final cut. Leave the wood bare, just outside the collar. Paint does not replace a cut in the right place, and it does not make a flush cut acceptable. Clean the blade instead, so the next plant does not inherit sap and dirt from this one.
Can you cut a garden hedge from March to August?
You can cut a garden hedge that is not a covered hedgerow on agricultural land, if you have checked for nests and there is no nest in use or being built. The RSPB still asks you to avoid March to September where you can. An active nest means you wait, in any month.
Does the England hedgerow date ban cover every garden hedge?
No. The GOV.UK rule runs from 1 March to 31 August and applies to covered hedgerows on agricultural land in England. A suburban garden hedge is not that rule. Nests in use or being built are still protected, in England, Scotland, and Wales under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and in Northern Ireland under the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985.
When does a tree preservation order mean you need written consent?
When the tree is covered by an order, or stands in a conservation area, and the work you want is not one of the exceptions GOV.UK lists. Lopping a protected tree without written consent can be an offence even if the branch is thin. If you do not know whether an order applies, ask the council before you cut.
How do you carry and clean the tool?
Carry it closed, and wear gloves. Wear a hard hat if the cut is overhead. Wipe sap off the blade, oil the pivot, and keep the existing bevel rather than inventing a new edge. If disease may pass from one tree to the next, disinfect between plants. A blunt blade that you have to twist is a sign to stop, not a sign to lean harder.
When is the job for an arborist?
When the branch could hit a building, a road, or a power line, when you would need a ladder or a chainsaw, or when a protected tree needs consent you do not have. A stem that twists the loppers and cannot be sawn safely from the ground is the same stop. The collar cut on a thin shoot you can reach is the job to keep.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources for cutting action, tree cuts, nests, hedgerow dates, and the 30-day right to reject. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved on 19 October 2026.
- Burgon & Ball — anvil, bypass or scissor (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- BBC Gardeners' World — best loppers (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- RHS — pruning trees (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- RHS — renovating overgrown climbers (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Arboricultural Association — guide to pruning (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- GOV.UK — hedgerow management rules (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 22.10.2026)