Removing stake and Cages what size / age.

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On the plus side, if you cut it, maples are great browse!

USed to be my muzzleloading cheat. Last friday of rifle season cut a maple tree or two down in the backyard. Then muzzleloading week, they'd be in the buds nibbling. Do what you gotta do on 3 acres back then.

Cutting a few down and putting up some dogwoods, witchhazel, wintergreen, or other shrubs can help too.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

It was a 4 foot tall cage, I’m not sure on the diameter but it wasn’t big enough. For these smaller cages, I’ve since doubled a few up which should be a better deterrent. Or just leave on the original 5’ tall cage for the life of the tree.


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Leaving our 5' tall cages for good is what we've done. Not Fort Knox protection, but they're a deterrent. Every bit helps.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I remove the large tree cage once the tree is tall enough to get above deer browsing on the terminal leader. I leave the aluminum screen on the trunk to protect against vole/mouse damage and put a 4' tall welded wire section on the trunk to protect against buck rub damage. I have probably 50 apple trees protected like this, and I've only had one buck rub the trunk through the welded wire trunk guard. My goal is to have the trees out of the large cages as quickly as possible, so I can then use those cages on a new tree.

 

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So what about supporting stakes? How big before you let them sway in the breeze on their own?

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

So what about supporting stakes? How big before you let them sway in the breeze on their own?

I never use supporting stakes.

 

[TWalter91]

I never use supporting stakes.

Same here. I have never staked a newly planted tree.

 

[MW22392]

I don’t either, just step them down well, but the biggest bare root I’ve planted is only 3-4’. If you do something with a lot of weight on the top 1 year is plenty for it to get rooted in.

 

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I don’t either, just step them down well, but the biggest bare root I’ve planted is only 3-4’. If you do something with a lot of weight on the top 1 year is plenty for it to get rooted in.

I thought staking them help them grow faster. Prevents the roots from getting beat up in the wind. I staked some in 2023 and didn't stake some too. Looked like the staked ones did a bit better. 2024 trees I pretty much staked all of them, or used the cage stakes and some some.

My home site is very open and close to a large river valley area.