tree protectors??

[Keystonepaul]

picked up a white corrugated pool hose during spring clean up.. Planning on cutting it to size and splitting it up the middle for tree protectors- very simmilar to the ones you can buy...Anyone see a flaw in this thinking?? Cause our spring clean up was early and I can dump the hose at an upcoming clean up if it won't work...... thanks folks.

 

[yoderjac]

Yep. If you are talking about the first foot to protect bark from rodents you might be OK, but I would not use them for tree tubes. Tree tubes can have both positive effects on seedlings. They are designed to have proper air flow, light transmission, heat reflection, etc. If not properly designed, you can trap too much heat, create a chimney effect and dry out the tree, retain too much moisture and encourage mold and other disease, and probably even more things. Even with well designed commercial tubes, things can go wrong.

If by tree protectors, you mean for protecting already established trees from rubbing where the tree is growing well above the tube, I would expect you would have less problems. Even for this purpose, I'd check the trees every now and then for the first year or two to make sure you are not having ill effects.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[BobinCt]

I've had plastic tree protectors that I even cut small holes in so air could get through. I found a few mice camping out in a few of them. Those went in the trash . All 65 of my trees have the aluminum window screen. Just take the advice from the experts, Maya, CrazyEd, Appleman, Turkey Creek and you can't go wrong, IMO. Is there other options besides the window screen, of course, but I think it's the best choice.

 

[TreeDaddy]

^^^^^^^

cheap and effective

a roll of screen and an office stapler from home depot and you're set!!

bill

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Screen. ^^^ We used corrugated drain pipe some years ago and they became mouse / vole hotels. Trees were girdled and we lost them. All screen now on our trunks and NO problems. FWIW.

 

[cavey]

Ditto on the screen and stapler instead of tubes...
Instead of just any stapler ... this is one I use works better then your regular stapler...

 

[Keystonepaul]

Thanks for the advice folks, it's all appreciated. will be using some screen and some of these tubes as mouse guards

 

[Knehrke]

If the tubes are big enough, they'll become mouse hotels. You should be fine with just screen, IMO.

 

[rocksnstumps]

If the tubes are big enough, they'll become mouse hotels. You should be fine with just screen, IMO.

I went with just screen for several yrs and did ok. Then one fall somebody got a wild hair up their butt and rubbed the screens off several trees that were 10 ft tall and had to reboot and cut two back to the ground. The third sprouted a new stem just above ground right next the old stripped barkless "tree" stake. Hey at least I had something to ziptie the new tube to. Lesson learned, just screen alone does not cut it. I screen and tube or screen and cage.

 

[yoderjac]

It also depends on the kind of tree and what you are protecting it from. Tubes are less expensive than cages. Years ago, I planted some Dunstan chestnuts with 18" tubes and then a taller mesh tube over top. This didn't work out great. At any rate, I had a bunch of used 18" tubes laying around.

Two years ago, I planted some apple seedlings and then again last year in the spring. I caged them with remesh but I figured I'd use the 18" tubes for rodent protection. What I found was that those low tubes provided a much better environment for vegetative growth sooner at the base of the tree. So, I ended up with all kinds of small branching in the tubes and they filled with leaves. Not only did this consume energy that otherwise would have got into my grafts, they created a very moist environment at the base of the tree.

I happened to be doing some tree maintenance today and regrafting trees that failed. I pulled up the first tube to prune the branching and just didn't like it. I ended up removing all the tubes. Other than the dense vegetation most trees showed no ill-effect, but a couple had some white powdery mildew that was starting. I'm glad I pulled them.

I have not had time to add window screen but I hope to when I get a chance.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Knehrke]

Sorry, I wasn't clear. Screen and cage or screen and tube for sure; I do both on everything. Even with tubes we've had bucks mangle them in the fall. I was thinking that you were considering a piece of corrugated pool hose to protect the base of the tree in addition to the screen, which seems superfluous. Rodents and deer, and rabbits: oh my. It's a wonder that anything grows in the wild without our help .

 

[Appleman]

A proven system started 20 years ago with a reported loss of only 2 trees of over 450 trees planted. Not only does it provide a tight barrier protection from rodents and bores but have had very no sunscald with this application. Tree tubes are not suited for apple trees and should not be used unless you don't mind spending money on replacing damaged or dead trees. (Pic: 26 to 28 inch high aluminum screening)

 

[TreeDaddy]

Appleman,

Please describe how you secure screen to tree,ground,etc

How tall is screen?

bill

 

[Appleman]

If you look carefully at the picture you will see how the staples are applied. The photo also has listed the height of 26 to 28 inches high to protect from voles and rabbits.

 

[H20fwler]

Another vote for screen on fruit&nut trees...and cage young trees.

 

[ghilliehunter]

I'm new to tree planting. I haven't planted any fruit trees. I like the screen idea. I see its stapled and 28" high. Does it just rest on the ground or held in place somehow?

 

[Appleman]

Just tuck it in the soil line a bit and it will work just fine.

 

[ghilliehunter]

Thanks Appleman.

 

[rocksnstumps]

I have had decent results with tubes and full size crab apples. For semi dwarf apple rootstocks would agree that cages much better than tubes. They would try to do too much branching within a tube and stay totally within the tube for too long. The crabs leep above a 5 ft tube usually the first year with 3 ft whips.