Should I stake trees

[ToddG]

I have 7 Dolgo crabs on M7, and 3 golden hornet crabs on g222. I have clay soil and was wondering if I eed to stake these tress. Also, would you stake enterprise apple on b118 or p18. I have a variety of trees coming this spring and am just trying to plan ahead.
Thanks

 

[yoderjac]

Trees need to flex in the wind to develop strong trunks. If they are staked firmly, they can become brittle and break in wind if stakes are removed. So, if you do stake trees, make sure they can flex to some degree. I tube my chestnuts and stake the tubes with PVC because it has some flex. For apples, I need more protection than a tube. I use remesh (cement wire) to make 5' cages. I stake the cage with a single T-post. Remesh is stiff enough to retain shape without multiple posts.

I use the camouflage rope they sell at Harbor Freight because it is large diameter and inexpensive. I thread it through the cement wire from the front of the cage, past the central leader and out the back of the cage. I then run the rope laterally outside the cage for 1 or two squares and thread it back through, past the other side of the central leader and back out the front side of the cage. I then tie the ends together so the rope is stiff. I then go 90 degrees to the side of the cage and repeat the process. The rope forms a square about 6"-8" around the central leader. The tree can blow freely in the wind, but is limited when it hits the rope. This allows enough flex for a strong trunk but keep the tree growing upright.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Tree Spud]

I agree with Jack that a young tree needs to flex in the wind to develop it's fiber structural integrity.

I stake with a 10' metal conduit (0.75") with cord attached to the conduit to tie the tree off. You can still tree and guide the main leader but allow for flexing.

 

[ToddG]

Thanks for the info. I'll give it a try.

 

[willy]

I have heavy clay soil and have planted around 90 fruit trees(throughout the past 6 years) and have not staked any of them. There has been no negative effects of not staking. I think the heavy clay holds them in place.

 

[buckdeer1]

I think it depends alot on how much wind they can receive.I have some that I stake with T posts and others I don't stake at all.I use either arbor tape which is a flat nylon mix and kind of a strap but it doesn't damage bark and the other thing I use is called arbor lock i believe and it is rubber so it flexes

 

[chickenlittle]

I have staked both M7 and G.222 but not all the ones I have. I did two a couple weeks ago as they looked to be developing a lean. You could do it now or wait and see. I would not expect to stake B118 or P18 but I did do one this year. It was a 2nd leaf tree that had the top start to flop over. I had a 12 or 14ft piece of steel pipe I was able to get in and tie the leader to.

 

[ToddG]

I think I might take a wait and see approach. I check on them every couple of days. My wife claims I'm obsessed with it all. I have a roll of arbor lock that I use on the blackberries. Thanks for all the help.

 

[yoderjac]

I think I might take a wait and see approach. I check on them every couple of days. My wife claims I'm obsessed with it all. I have a roll of arbor lock that I use on the blackberries. Thanks for all the help.

Todd,

You are probably close enough to me that the apples will need caged. Once you cage the apples, weaving a couple strands of rope through the cage to limit movement is low cost and low effort. The rope never contacts the tree unless it is need. I have some trees that have never touched the rope.

Another thing to consider is planting method. Some of the first trees I planted on the farm were bare root Jujube. At the time I was following general planting advice and I dug a big hole and backfilled. The trees grew great, but I had one blow over after it was about 5 years old. When I investigated I found two things. First, I was using organic mulch and some rodent had dug holes and eaten through some roots. Second, a lot of the roots were still in the amended hole. I stood the tree back up and used my loader to cover the hole area with clay. I then laid down air and water porous weed barrier and covered it with stone for mulch. I did the same with the other Jujubes to avoid the same issue. I then staked the one that blew over.

I've since significantly changed how I plant trees in heavy clay. Don't amend the soil at planting time. Use the same clay that came from the hole you dig for bare root trees in heavy clay. If you ever plant rootmaker trees, let me know, I have developed a planting technique for clay that seems to work pretty well.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[ToddG]

Thanks for the tips Jack. I was going to amend the soil but now I won't. I do cage all my trees including the elderberries and plums. I'll give your method a shot. Sounds easy and inexpensive since I'm already caging.