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Tree Tube Recommendations

N

Newbie

5 year old buck +
Hey all,

Looking for recommendations for tree tubes. I'm planting about 175 bare root seedlings, mixture of ROD, willows, crab apples and pear trees in the upcoming weeks. Many will be planted in bulk sections with a fence, but I'd like to tube and plant 50-75 of them strategically in areas where tubes will be necessary. Any particular brand that stands out or supplier with reasonable pricing would be excellent. Recommendations on stakes would be appreciated too.

Thank you!
 
Buy 5' or 6' tubes. Everything that came out of the 4' tubes we used got browsed off. TreePro and TubeX are both good. I think BlueX "tubes" should be avoided. Sometimes you can find gently used tubes cheap. Check FB marketplace. If it's hot where you are, the vented tubes are a better choice.

Most of what I have now is the TubeX Combitube.
https://tubex.com/products/tubex-combitube-recyclable-tree-shelters/

For shrubs, something like this could be a better choice, as they want to grow wider than some tree tubes allow for.
tubex.com

Treeguard Mesh for Shrubs Protector - Tubex

TREEGUARD mesh acts as a shrubs protector and is suitable for species that require protection from browsing animals.
tubex.com tubex.com
 
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I’ve used 5 foot ventilated miracle tubes for seven years now. A few have deteriorated but most are still working great. For stakes I cut pressure treated 2 by 6s
-10 foot long in half (5’) and rip them on a table saw about 1and 1/4 wide to get eight 5 foot stakes.
 
5 foot tubes really help. If I do use 3-4 footers I cage them after the tree hits the top of the tube … . That’s a nice combo, but expensive!
 
5 ft miracle tubes all of the way. Some like the tree pro tubes that need to be assembled. I think I have 20 or so that are still rolled up because I despise them so much.

I use orange reflective driveway fiberglass stakes. You can get them for about $1 each if you buy them on sale. One of the downsides with this setup is that deer will sometimes pull the tubes up and off the stakes. I haven't quite figured out a good solution to prevent this other than gorilla or duct tape.

With all of that said, I still think cages are eventually needed for most plant types so I only run tubes for a couple of years before switching most things over to cages. Oaks, chestnuts, and persimmons are those that can just stay in tubes until they are the same diameter as the tube.
 
I actually prefer the Tree Pro tubes that need assembly. 😆
Easy to clean once there are branches out of the top, plus for fruit trees and chestnuts, I like to use two sheets to increase the tube diameter.

I do like the looks of the treeguard mesh RGrizzzz posted above.
 
I been using shorter tubes, when and if the trees get to growing past the tube, I put a cage around the shorter tubes.
 
Five feet Tree Tubes that need assembly is my go to tube. I try to catch 1/2 to 3/4 pvc pipe on sale at Menards and cut a 10 footer in two pieces
( bulk discount, cheaper if you buy more). I like because last forever and allows the trees to sway in the wind, building strngth
 
Has anyone used the Plantra Sun Flex Tubes? TreePro is backed up 4-5 weeks and I'm trying to get something quicker because I'm going to need to get some trees in the ground in the next couple weeks. Plantra has a 6ft tube available that I'm considering
 
KY wild said:
Five feet Tree Tubes that need assembly is my go to tube. I try to catch 1/2 to 3/4 pvc pipe on sale at Menards and cut a 10 footer in two pieces
( bulk discount, cheaper if you buy more). I like because last forever and allows the trees to sway in the wind, building strngth
Click to expand...
I like the PVC pipe idea, I think I'll swing by the hardware store and grab a bunch of 10' sections and just cut them on a 45 degree angle. is the 1/2" sufficient or did you find the 3/4" is better?
 
I’ve used 1/2 plastic electrical conduit. The grey stuff. Cut into 5 foot pieces. They work well but sometimes are hard to drive straight depending on the soil. Do NOT cut them on an angle. They won’t go in perpendicular.
 
Teeder said:
I actually prefer the Tree Pro tubes that need assembly. 😆
Easy to clean once there are branches out of the top, plus for fruit trees and chestnuts, I like to use two sheets to increase the tube diameter.

I do like the looks of the treeguard mesh RGrizzzz posted above.
Click to expand...
I really like the your idea of using two tubes (2 sheets) to increase the diameter and provide more space for trees. I appreciate you mentioning this in a different thread. I am stealing this good idea! Thanks!!
 
Newbie said:
Has anyone used the Plantra Sun Flex Tubes? TreePro is backed up 4-5 weeks and I'm trying to get something quicker because I'm going to need to get some trees in the ground in the next couple weeks. Plantra has a 6ft tube available that I'm considering
Click to expand...
I have used them and they work well. No complaints and good design!
 
I’ve used the 1/2” thick wall pvc and it works well. I have found 4.5ft drives into the ground much easier than 5ft. That extra 6” makes a big difference in flexibility. A 4ft piece is even easier but can cause issues depending on how high your zip ties are on the tubes.

I have around 250 four foot tubes and wish I would have gone 5 foot.
 
I have a stack of 16’ fiberglass rebar from a project and I cut some of it up this year to use as stakes on cages. So far so good. Just wear gloves when handling them or prepare for nasty slivers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
60” Tree pro tubs and 1/2” rebar stakes 3/8” rebar is a bit to flexible for my taste but will work if budget is an issue.
 
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