Tree Tubes and Burr Oaks

[Mike Castillo]

Hey all,

I have on the way to me 100 burr oak seedlings, size 10 from Itasca Nursery. I am planning on planting these in an open area, as I am looking to reforest a section over time...My question has to do with tree tubes. What kind, what size, are they worth it? If you think it is worth it to plan them with tubes, can you give me a good source for some good tubes without breaking the bank too much!

Thanks a ton. Mike

 

[The Fishman]

The question you have to answer is how high is your browse pressure, not only from deer, but other critters also. If you have high browse pressure then you need to protect the trees somehow or be prepared to lose trees to them being eaten. I bought 100 of the 60 inch Miracle Tree tubes from Tree Pro earlier this year. While not cheap, I have spent a lot of time and effort growing and planting the trees on my parents' property. I have seen what the deer there do to trees that are in the open and not protected. My dad planted about 60 cypress trees in January 2017 on his property. He let the grass grow up all summer. The deer did not mess with the trees until he cut the grass around them in October. After he cut the grass, the deer "discovered" the cypress trees and nipped the ends off them. Over Christmas I moved about 20 water oaks from the woods (mainly loblolly pines) into open areas so they could grow and would not be impacted when the loblolly are harvested in another 5 years. I went back in mid February and every single one of the transplants had been nipped in some way. These trees were only moved 15-20 yards out of the woods into the open. The deer did not mess with them in the woods, but started eating them once they were in the open. It seems like if the trees don't stand out, the deer don't mess with them, but once the trees stand out they treat them as a walking buffet. That is when I knew that I had to get tree tubes to protect my time investment. This may not be the case on your property. The Miracle Tree tubes come with pre-installed zip ties. All you have to do is plant the tree, install a stake, and then slide the Miracle Tube over the stake and tighten.

 

[ksgobbler]

I didn’t tube my first 25 burrs. I have 5 remaining and tubed them. They are all still alive.

 

[bwoods11]

5 footers if possible, I also like Tree Pro

 

[NE PA QDM]

I have about 25 Burr oaks planted in an area with high browse pressure. They would not survive a month without protection on our property. Tube or cage is a whole different discussion but I agree that they will likely require (and almost certainly benefit from) protection from browse.

((On a bit of a side note (sorry for the hijack), there's a huge and beautiful burr oak in the Boston common park. I'd love to grow some acorns from that tree some day.))

 

[Northbound]

Check your local conservation county tree sale if they have one. Mine sells the 5' tree pro for 3 bucks each. Best rate I've found on new ones