Caging Trees...

[roymunson]

I have some 5-6' dunstan chestnuts to put in. I could cage them, but have seen people putting 2 t posts in diagonal and on opposite sides of the tree. My main concern is deer rubbing the trees. I think my branches are high enough and the tree is big enough that browse shouldn't be much of an issue. Anyone tried this approach? And if so, care to fill me on on why its a bad plan?

It'd be much easier to weedeat around and much easier to install/maintain than woven fence

 

[j-bird]

After I had the cage pulled off by the deer and they then went to town on my 6 foot dunstan and reduced it to a tattered 12" stick...not taking any more chances than needed. I have since went to heavier wire cages AND heavier wire to tie everything together! I went with MORE...not less.

 

[scott44]

I bought some Dunstans this year, weed barrier, caged and window screen around the trunk a lot like I do with my fruit trees. I've never tried the 2 "T" post method.

 

[yoderjac]

I use tubes with Dunstans. They are less expensive and work for me. I use 5' tubes. If I was only planting a few trees I would cage them but the tubes seem to be enough protection and I'm planting a lot of them. For apples and other trees that are more attractive to deer, I do use cages. I prefer remesh over woven wire. They don't require t-posts to stand and a short piece of rebar is enough to hold them in place if your deer want to push them. The price has gone up quite a bit with the new steel pricing.

 

[roymunson]

i'm planting 4. and they're potted and branched pretty significantly.

 

[weekender21]

I'd recommend caging them. Lower branches sticking out of my cages get browsed.

 

[roymunson]

After I had the cage pulled off by the deer and they then went to town on my 6 foot dunstan and reduced it to a tattered 12" stick...not taking any more chances than needed. I have since went to heavier wire cages AND heavier wire to tie everything together! I went with MORE...not less.

Deer can be real a holes sometimes. almost makes me wanna go shoot em for that kinda crap

 

[j-bird]

Deer can be real a holes sometimes. almost makes me wanna go shoot em for that kinda crap

I swore I would kill the SOB that did that to my tree... Word must have gotten out because I didn't see any deer that looked guilty of the crime last year! The tree lived and is bouncing back, but I lost a few years worth of growth because of it.

I understand how the concept you mention would work and I can see that on more mature trees, but on young trees it's so easy to girdle a tree, I'm just not sure its worth the risk. I can also see how a deer could still rub the outside of an antler on a tree under those conditions as well. Sounds a bit like tempting fate to me...

 

[roymunson]

I understand how the concept you mention would work and I can see that on more mature trees, but on young trees it's so easy to girdle a tree, I'm just not sure its worth the risk. I can also see how a deer could still rub the outside of an antler on a tree under those conditions as well. Sounds a bit like tempting fate to me...

And if there's 1 thing I'm good at, its taking unnessesary risks where the rewards in no way outweigh the risk.

I hear ya. I'll probably cage em.

 

[yoderjac]

I'm also in a bit of a different situation than many. In addition to the volume, I'm growing my own from nuts in a root pruning container system starting them early indoors under lights. So, I have good control over them. I typically prune them to a whip as soon as they form lateral branches when they are still tiny. Some trees are just prolific early branchers and I can't keep up with them, but many take more of the American form. This makes tubing much easier and most of my branching begins about the 5' tube. I've also learned to keep trees in the root pruning containers longer. Deer pruning lateral branches is not a big issue. The real issue is if they can prune the central leader. Then I end up with a bush rather than a tree and I doubt those will ever produce.

I believe the lower leaves contribute more energy to the root system. Since I root pruning and have great root systems, this is not a concern for me. However, it is something to consider for those not using a root pruning system.

I think in general, I'd always prefer a cage over tubes if cost was not an issue. There may be some slight growth benefit to a tube in some cases, but tubes cause issues in other cases. The only thing that drives me to tubes is cost.

Be sure to use a weed barrier. Removing competition from the first 5' around a tree can make a big difference in growth rates.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[TreeDaddy]

I think in general, I'd always prefer a cage over tubes if cost was not an issue. There may be some
slight growth benefit to a tube in some cases, but tubes cause issues in other cases. The only thing that drives me to tubes is cost.

an unassailable verity.......

.........All threads eventually lead to tubes v cages.....

bill

 

[H20fwler]

I agree with other posters, on potted trees you have good money in it’s not worth it to leave them unprotected.
Treat them like good fruit trees, cage them and screen the trunks to keep bunnies and mice from girdling them. Seems like everything will eat on chestnut trees leaves/bark/nuts and deer will rub them down to a pencil.

 

[Cap'n]

I have cattle on my land and have come up with a way to keep the deer and cattle off my new trees. I find a group of 1-3” sapling of either buckthorn or soapberry or elm and I hinge cut them around my tubed tree. If i have to I’ll cut one down and add to the pile. Then I put gly concentrate on the cuts so the don’t leaf out next spring. Even if they do I’ll hack and squirt them. Buckthorn is God’s barbed wire. I’ve planted 12 trees so far this fall and they haven’t bothered any yet. I do have 2 Dunstan 5-6 footer to plant too but I’m just going to build a brush pile around them and gly or Tordon the stumps. Accomplished 2 things at once.