There’s nothing worse than seeing badly staked trees. Has anyone seen trees that are tied so tightly to a stake, whether it be made of wood or metal, that the tie and even part of the post have grown into the bark? Or a tree lying on its side with the roots out of the ground and a stake still attached to the trunk? Or perhaps a tree that snapped in half after a stake was removed?
And all because someone didn’t know how to properly stake a tree and/or know when to remove it.
First of all, throw away the stake that came with the new tree in the pot. Leave it on until you get a better one, but don’t even consider keeping it because that stake was intended for nursery use only.
Instead, you want two stronger stakes that are long enough to reach the lowest part of the tree’s crown, with an additional 18-24 inches, which will be pounded into the ground.
Place the stakes about 6-8 inches on either side of a small-diameter tree trunk and further away, about 12 inches, for a larger-diameter trunk. For young trees that will be planted in an area that’s protected from strong winds, a 1-inch by 1-inch wood stake will work.
But if the young tree is going to be planted in an area that gets stronger winds, it should have 2-inch by 2-inch stake.
The tree then needs to be tied between these stakes in such a way that it can still sway back and forth with some movement in the breeze, but not tied too loosely so it can be blown over or snapped in half. Remove the nursery stake and slide your hand up the trunk until the top of the tree stands straight up. That’s the spot where the tree needs to be supported.
On young trees in protected areas that won’t get strong winds, 1-inch green plastic garden tape and the 1-inch by 1-inch wood stakes will work fine. This tape is used more often than twine and twist ties because it’s easier on the tree. It won’t rub the bark off, and if you forget to take the tape off, it won’t strangle the growth, but will stretch along with it for a short period of time. (It can still work its way into the bark and girdle the trunk.)
Where the winds are stronger and/or the trees are bigger, you’ll need the bigger stakes and some sturdier ties, like cut-up sections of a bicycle inner tube.
The idea of staking a tree is to use the minimum sized stake that will support it, so the tree trunk can move in the slightest breeze and flex its “muscles.” Compare it to your arm or leg in a cast. If you keep the tree immobilized, it won’t develop any strength and it will lose what strength it had.
So if you let it bend and flex, it will eventually become strong, and you’ll be able to remove the stakes within 18 to 24 months.
When using the plastic tape to tie the tree to the stakes, don’t make simple loops between the stake and tree. Make a figure-eight loop, so the tape will be less likely to slide down the trunk. Where possible, put the tape above a branch that will hold it in place so there’s no way it could slide down the trunk.
(Send your gardening questions to The Garden Doctors at pdgardendoctor@gmail.com. The Garden Doctors can answer questions only through their column, which appears twice a month in the newspaper and online at pressdemocrat.com.)
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