The scarcity of manpower makes, that the cutting technique is becoming less and less important. Cutting with a knife, which does not crush the shoots and gives smooth wounds, it is done only occasionally when forming young trees. If we shorten the annual shoots above a specific bud with a knife or pruner (eyelet), which we especially care about, then don't cut too close (because the eye will dry up), nor too far (because the shoot from the eyelet will grow crookedly). The drawing shows the correct shortening of the shoot above the eyelet.
Method of cutting the annual shoot a – too far from the donut; b - incorrect inclination of the cutting plane; c - too close to a donut; d - correct cut.
When cutting with a knife, always keep the shoot below the place of cutting, at such a distance as not to injure yourself. We hold the knife in our right hand, which we put with the base of the blade to the shoot and move parallel to each other from left to right. Holding the shoot above the place of the cut or leading the knife perpendicularly to you may injure yourself.
When cutting with a hand pruner, thicker twigs must be bent towards the shearbar with your free hand, to reduce the force needed to cut off.
When using a ball, do not cut branches too close to the trunk, because then a large wound is created, which heals hard. But when we cut too far, there remains a knot, which dries up and rots. It is best to cut slightly diagonally at this point, where the metaphysical thickening of the branch called the ring ends. When removing a thick limb, support it with your hand while cutting, or to slightly undercut at first, so that it does not detach from the trunk along with a strip of bark.