Allegheny Chinkapin - ok to tube?

[Persimman]

I am planting AC for the first time. Reasons for use are quick to bear for an old man, lower quality soil, and browse/cover in addition to nuts. Planting location is 30 minute drive + 10 minute hike from my house, so I usually use tubes to conserve moisture (and protect from deer browse and rubs). But AC are supposed to get shrubby. What if I use 4' tubes for the first few years till the tops are out of reach. Wouldn't they still send up sprouts from the roots? Or should I use short tubes, for less protection but more side branches? Or is fencing the only option, and plan on watering more often?

 

[yoderjac]

I've started ACs from nuts in rootmakers. They root prune well. Planting from RM 3 gals I don't have water issues and I don't provide supplemental water at all. They are an understory tree. They are susceptible to bight but unlike american chestnuts that die back, resprout and never produce nuts again, ACs die back and resprout and quickly produce nuts. They react similarly to fire. They grow native on my place and I collect nuts from my trees for propagation. I don't tube or cage mine. Deer don't seem to bother them much. At least on my place, ACs really want to form more of a bush than a tree. I have a couple that are more tree form but most form bushes with multiple sprouts. This does not lend itself to tubes. I've tried to prune some to more tree like form with marginal success.

Because I have already amortized my indoor rootmaker growing setup of the years with other trees, since the nuts are free, if I don't protect mine, they cost pennies per tree for me. So, I have not protected mine and I've only lost a few.

If yours are bare root, I'm not sure what to advise you. I've used tubes on chestnut trees with mixed results. Cages are too expensive for the number of chestnuts I planted and with no tubes deer nip off the central leader. Not sure why they don't do that on ACs, or perhaps they do and that is why they form bushes on my place. Chestnuts don't seem to produce nuts in bush form but ACs do. I'm not sure if tubes really help from a moisture perspective. They more affect the above ground environment.

Hope this gives you a few data points in your decision making.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Persimman]

Thanks for the ideas. It's always helpful to hear from others.

 

[Troubles Trees]

I planted 100 AC last year and used tubes but really only for 1st year protection, and so I could find them. The Goldenrod grows damn near over my head so flags wouldn't do. If I had a tow behind brush hog I would have just used flags. Most of the 100 are only 3-4 feet tall now, so I will probably pull the tubes this year and reuse on new stuff I have coming. I wouldn't advise using them for more than a year though, they are supposed to grow like a bushy tree and the tubes promoted tall lanky first year growth without alot of branches. That could be in part because the goldenrod blocks out the sun so they reach for it. It would be alot of work to weedeat around them but might be what I do after I pull the tubes this year.

 

[TreeDaddy]

I planted 100 AC last year and used tubes but really only for 1st year protection, and so I could find them. The Goldenrod grows damn near over my head so flags wouldn't do. If I had a tow behind brush hog I would have just used flags. Most of the 100 are only 3-4 feet tall now, so I will probably pull the tubes this year and reuse on new stuff I have coming. I wouldn't advise using them for more than a year though, they are supposed to grow like a bushy tree and the tubes promoted tall lanky first year growth without alot of branches. That could be in part because the goldenrod blocks out the sun so they reach for it. It would be alot of work to weedeat around them but might be what I do after I pull the tubes this year.

This was my experience as well

Ive used both on AC and much prefer the appearance/growth characteristics of cages

Further, tubes seem to promote bark rot,fire ant infestations,wasp nests followed by coons destroying tubes in search of wasps,field mouse habitation,sauna level temps in summer,and weak/spindly growth requiring stakes if tube removed too soon

Maybe for oak trees but not for fruit trees or anything Castanea

Just my experience

bill