When to remove tree tube?

[DrewMc]

For apple and pear trees specifically, when is it time to remove the tree tube? All of the trees I planted 3 years ago are now out of the tubes and some have decently long horizontal branches. When is it time to actually remove the tube?

 

[blueKYstream]

I'm an expert by no means, but I would imagine when the threat of a buck rubbing the tree (or perhaps a rodent girdling the tree) is removed. Unless you need the tubes elsewhere, keep them on as long as the girth of the tree allows.

 

[Northbound]

I leave them until tree would split them. I don't plan to re use tubes. Some are designed to split, if not a hook blade in utility knife works good to cut the tube off without damaging bark.

 

[sagittarius]

You can remove the tube, but you still need to protect the tree from antler rubbing? Or, excess browsing? You might also need to protect the base from mice girdling? Consider 5'-6' diameter cage that is 4' to 5' tall. It kinda stings when you protect and baby a tree for 8 years then a buck comes by in October and trashes it in 30 seconds.

 

[g squared 23]

Much like the nWo, tree tubes are 4 life!!











(of the tube)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[yoderjac]

For apple and pear trees specifically, when is it time to remove the tree tube? All of the trees I planted 3 years ago are now out of the tubes and some have decently long horizontal branches. When is it time to actually remove the tube?

In my experience, for apples anyway, it is before you plant the tree! I tried it and it was a complete failure. The tubed part of the tree warmed up more quickly in the spring and I got a lot of sprouts near the base. Then, it held in too much moisture in the spring and I had powdery mildew issues. I've done much better caging.

 

[TreeDaddy]

There ya go again,Jack

.......just had to start the old tube v cage thing again

bill

 

[yoderjac]

There ya go again,Jack

.......just had to start the old tube v cage thing again

bill

I don't mean to disparage tubes. I use them for most of my trees like chestnut and persimmon! I've just had very bad outcomes with apples compared to caging. Caging is more work and more expensive so I only use it when I have to.

By the way, one thing I've learned is to remove stakes but keep the tubes on my trees once the tube is no longer a significant part of the wind profile. This lets the tree flex in the wind more. I keep the tube in place as long as I can to minimize rubbing. I've even been known to hook two tubes together.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[TreeDaddy]

mr paul knox was not a fan of tubes on fruit trees ( see his apple/pear thread)

he wrote that tubes predisposed baby fruit trees to borers and mildew

However, He did write that they were useful on oaks

bill

 

[blueKYstream]

remove stakes but keep the tubes on my trees once the tube is no longer a significant part of the wind profile. This lets the tree flex in the wind more.

Great tip!

 

[DrewMc]

The tubes have worked well for us far as growing the seedlings and putting on height quickly. The biggest drawback I've seen is wasp nests in the summer months. I personally would never deal with seedlings again because they are just too much work at our camp that is 30 miles from my house. For 3 years it has been constant maintenance from the wind or wildlife bending the tube over or wasps or keeping weeds at bay. I'd much rather spend the money on 3 year old trees that require less maintenance early on. We use 5' tubes. I cage all of my older trees and would do the same with these. I'm just wondering about preventing side branches from growing for being in the tubes too long. I do cut anything below 4' because these were planted strictly for deer and they would destroy the limbs otherwise, so we're only talking about a 1 foot area.

 

[Headdigger]

I use tubes on everything. I take them off of young apple grafts after they have had a chance to grow one year. I remove the tube with one hand and replace it with a wire cage with the other. If I don't, the deer will mow them down as soon as they find them. Pears, chestnuts, persimmons and oaks stay in the tube until they grow out of the top ( 4 foot tube). At that point the top is pruned to promote branching and a wire cage is used to replace the tubes. The first wire cage is about 12" across. It is replaced by a hog wire cage 4' across when the limbs start bending against the first cage. This is later replaced by a 3'-4' piece of wire 8" across to protect from rubbing.

 

[weekender21]

The tubes have worked well for us far as growing the seedlings and putting on height quickly. The biggest drawback I've seen is wasp nests in the summer months. I personally would never deal with seedlings again because they are just too much work at our camp that is 30 miles from my house. For 3 years it has been constant maintenance from the wind or wildlife bending the tube over or wasps or keeping weeds at bay. I'd much rather spend the money on 3 year old trees that require less maintenance early on. We use 5' tubes. I cage all of my older trees and would do the same with these. I'm just wondering about preventing side branches from growing for being in the tubes too long. I do cut anything below 4' because these were planted strictly for deer and they would destroy the limbs otherwise, so we're only talking about a 1 foot area.

And that reminds me why I have a few hundred unused tubes. My 2018/19 plantings have been all larger bare root trees. It takes much longer to plant them initially but they require less babysitting than the tubed trees. I have a tubed pear from 2017 that's laying horizontal every time I'm on the property (deer/bear/?), probably time to cage that one.

 

[roymunson]

I don't mean to disparage tubes.

Which is exactly what you did. lol

I'm not offended, but this was the equivilent of opening a sentence by saying "no disrespect"... we all know disrespect is coming.

 

[cavey]

Maybe its not so much if you should use them: but what kind, how tall, what else needs to be done when using them, and..... then, when should you take them off? or if?


But to answer the specific question... I have a question, or 2 or 3 or 10 - most importantly "how tall are your tubes" and do you have them caged or intend too? Is the tree staked or will it be. Do you have aluminum window screen wrapping the lower section of the trunk or not... are you going to paint the trunk white ... are you in an area where your going to have an adverse greenhouse effect with the tubes (prolonged freeze thaw cycles) and or moisture issues.
I would be looking at pulling the tube for reuse if its a tall tube and the tree has developed a decent sized diameter trunk and is not flimsy but then you have the issues of it just tipping over if its not strong or wind hardened and you pull the tube and leave the tree unstaked .. you can go the route of leaving it in the tube but that has some possible draw backs - Butttttt........ if the tree has survived this long and not had a mice nest and you have not been stung peeking down into them you wont likely have issues just leaving them on till they pop apart (hopefully they break down and pop apart). Tree tubes do not provide long term protection from browsing unless they are super tall which would not be great for fruit trees.

Fruit trees need scaffold branches, they need to be allowed to develop good crotch angles on those branches. What height do you want the lowest ones to be at ... are they dwarfed trees or standards? There are a ton of questions that should be answered... I pretty much can go on and on.

I think it is the complexity of the many possible factors at play that make tube use controversial they are a Awesome/Evil/+/- thing.

I think they are a great tool for quick growth and coupled with window screen are decent for a few years but beyond that without caging they just make for a nice focal point to draw deer into for a tasty snack. So I would pull them and cage the fruit tree if you can afford to, if not, keep them on a bit longer especially if they are shorter tubes.

Right now everything wants to kill your trees - tube or no tube... voles, mice, bugs, deer, deer with antlers and mother nature even some dude on a snowmobile or driving a tractor so you have to protect them. How you apply that protection evolves with time and there are many different opinions out there. If you are, in your gut, questioning it now then Im guessing your tree is ready to move onto the next stage in its life with a differing level/means of protection.

Pull the tube - the tree is out of the tube apart from antler rubs the benefit is over... my 2 cents; and in doing so it eliminates other issues - but protect the trunk and cage it if you can.

 

[Apple Junkie]

Like most guys here, I've used tubes too... not fan. I know that does not answer your question, but it might eliminate the need to ask it. Either way, just get 'em to grow, one way or another. Good luck.

 

[yoderjac]

Which is exactly what you did. lol

I'm not offended, but this was the equivilent of opening a sentence by saying "no disrespect"... we all know disrespect is coming.

No, I followed that with a description of my use of tubes. I did mean to disparage the use of tubes on apples based on my experience, but I did not mean to disparage tubes vs cages in general.

 

[DrewMc]

Maybe its not so much if you should use them: but what kind, how tall, what else needs to be done when using them, and..... then, when should you take them off? or if?


But to answer the specific question... I have a question, or 2 or 3 or 10 - most importantly "how tall are your tubes" and do you have them caged or intend too? Is the tree staked or will it be. Do you have aluminum window screen wrapping the lower section of the trunk or not... are you going to paint the trunk white ... are you in an area where your going to have an adverse greenhouse effect with the tubes (prolonged freeze thaw cycles) and or moisture issues.
I would be looking at pulling the tube for reuse if its a tall tube and the tree has developed a decent sized diameter trunk and is not flimsy but then you have the issues of it just tipping over if its not strong or wind hardened and you pull the tube and leave the tree unstaked .. you can go the route of leaving it in the tube but that has some possible draw backs - Butttttt........ if the tree has survived this long and not had a mice nest and you have not been stung peeking down into them you wont likely have issues just leaving them on till they pop apart (hopefully they break down and pop apart). Tree tubes do not provide long term protection from browsing unless they are super tall which would not be great for fruit trees.

Fruit trees need scaffold branches, they need to be allowed to develop good crotch angles on those branches. What height do you want the lowest ones to be at ... are they dwarfed trees or standards? There are a ton of questions that should be answered... I pretty much can go on and on.

I think it is the complexity of the many possible factors at play that make tube use controversial they are a Awesome/Evil/+/- thing.

I think they are a great tool for quick growth and coupled with window screen are decent for a few years but beyond that without caging they just make for a nice focal point to draw deer into for a tasty snack. So I would pull them and cage the fruit tree if you can afford to, if not, keep them on a bit longer especially if they are shorter tubes.

Right now everything wants to kill your trees - tube or no tube... voles, mice, bugs, deer, deer with antlers and mother nature even some dude on a snowmobile or driving a tractor so you have to protect them. How you apply that protection evolves with time and there are many different opinions out there. If you are, in your gut, questioning it now then Im guessing your tree is ready to move onto the next stage in its life with a differing level/means of protection.

Pull the tube - the tree is out of the tube apart from antler rubs the benefit is over... my 2 cents; and in doing so it eliminates other issues - but protect the trunk and cage it if you can.

Semi-dwarf trees and some apple tree seedlings that will be the height of a wild apple tree. 5' tubes. I'm located in SW, PA with many freeze - thaw cycles. I put wire mesh around the base to prevent girdling and 5' cages around this to prevent deer browsing. I've only tied them off in the past if they were leaning. I decided my lowest branches will be at 4'.

 

[meyerske]

I lost a 5 year old chestnut tree because of a tube. And I lost a 3 year old pear to a trunk "wrap". The tube was a Miracle tube and was perforated to supposedly split when the tree out grew it. The splitting didn't happen and the tube effectively girdled the tree. As for the pear, I assumed that the spiral wrap would simply unwrap as the tree grew. That also did not happen and the tree grew into the gaps of the wrap, again girdling the tree. Learn from my mistakes. I'm lucky that I didn't lose more.

 

[cavey]

Yep... the spiral wrap got me too... tree grew & spread apart the wrap a bit with time, that winter the mice ended up making the tree look like a candy cane.