When to remove tree tube?
- Thread starter DrewMc
- Start date
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
So, this thread got me thinking. It had been quite a while since I checked my chestnuts that were tubed. I checked them in the last couple days and got an eye opener. In many cases the tubes were doing more harm than good. I've used a few different kinds of tubes. The ones that were the most problematic were the 5' Plantra tubes. They were also the most expensive. Not only were they beginning to constrict growth on some of the larger Dunstans, they also were full of dead leaves and small branches growing straight up in the tube as well as wasp nests.
The problem with removing the tubes is that deer seem to almost immediately begin rubbing the trees. I think the moisture held in by the tube kept the bark softer making them even more attractive to deer. So here is my solution:
I sliced the Plantra tubes top to bottom in the middle of the venting. I removed them from the tree and did a lot of pruning and cleanup of what was inside the tube. I then wrapped the tubes back around the tree and slide a cable tie through the venting holes. I took a second tie and connected it to the first. I removed the stakes in many cases. In the cases where I kept the stakes in place, I very loosely connected the stake to the tube so only if the tree is blown to an extreme is the stake actually engaged. This should keep the tube in place to discourage rubbing until it is much larger but the tube should expand quite a bit before it becomes a problem. Without connection to stakes, the tubes now "spin" around the tree freely. So, if a deer attempts to rub them (which they don't seem to do with a tube on them) the tube should simply spin making it ineffective for the deer.
Who knows if it will work but it is the best compromise I can think of. For some of the larger trees with the blue Protek tubes, I again removed the tube from the stake. These are wrap around style. I used cable ties to connect two tubes together and, after cleanup, wrapped the double sized tube back around the tree.
Tubes are less expensive than caging, but other than cost, and time to apply, they can cause as many issues as they solve sometimes. I still have a long way to go. I'm addressing tube issues first since deer don't have antlers now. Before September, I need to apply tubes to the trees where they were removed and they got rubbed. Once rubbed, the deer will be encouraged to do it again if I don't take some action.
Thanks,
Jack
The problem with removing the tubes is that deer seem to almost immediately begin rubbing the trees. I think the moisture held in by the tube kept the bark softer making them even more attractive to deer. So here is my solution:
I sliced the Plantra tubes top to bottom in the middle of the venting. I removed them from the tree and did a lot of pruning and cleanup of what was inside the tube. I then wrapped the tubes back around the tree and slide a cable tie through the venting holes. I took a second tie and connected it to the first. I removed the stakes in many cases. In the cases where I kept the stakes in place, I very loosely connected the stake to the tube so only if the tree is blown to an extreme is the stake actually engaged. This should keep the tube in place to discourage rubbing until it is much larger but the tube should expand quite a bit before it becomes a problem. Without connection to stakes, the tubes now "spin" around the tree freely. So, if a deer attempts to rub them (which they don't seem to do with a tube on them) the tube should simply spin making it ineffective for the deer.
Who knows if it will work but it is the best compromise I can think of. For some of the larger trees with the blue Protek tubes, I again removed the tube from the stake. These are wrap around style. I used cable ties to connect two tubes together and, after cleanup, wrapped the double sized tube back around the tree.
Tubes are less expensive than caging, but other than cost, and time to apply, they can cause as many issues as they solve sometimes. I still have a long way to go. I'm addressing tube issues first since deer don't have antlers now. Before September, I need to apply tubes to the trees where they were removed and they got rubbed. Once rubbed, the deer will be encouraged to do it again if I don't take some action.
Thanks,
Jack
blueKYstream
5 year old buck +
Do I recall correctly that you never had much of an issue with deer and your chestnuts? How many (or maybe a better question would be what percentage) of your chestnuts got rubbed? I tubed about 125 last year. I just couldn't grow them on a wide scale without tubes. Your solution is probably what I would do as well. It's discouraging to hear of the problems you're having so many years into growing them though!So, this thread got me thinking. It had been quite a while since I checked my chestnuts that were tubed. I checked them in the last couple days and got an eye opener. In many cases the tubes were doing more harm than good. I've used a few different kinds of tubes. The ones that were the most problematic were the 5' Plantra tubes. They were also the most expensive. Not only were they beginning to constrict growth on some of the larger Dunstans, they also were full of dead leaves and small branches growing straight up in the tube as well as wasp nests.
The problem with removing the tubes is that deer seem to almost immediately begin rubbing the trees. I think the moisture held in by the tube kept the bark softer making them even more attractive to deer. So here is my solution:
I sliced the Plantra tubes top to bottom in the middle of the venting. I removed them from the tree and did a lot of pruning and cleanup of what was inside the tube. I then wrapped the tubes back around the tree and slide a cable tie through the venting holes. I took a second tie and connected it to the first. I removed the stakes in many cases. In the cases where I kept the stakes in place, I very loosely connected the stake to the tube so only if the tree is blown to an extreme is the stake actually engaged. This should keep the tube in place to discourage rubbing until it is much larger but the tube should expand quite a bit before it becomes a problem. Without connection to stakes, the tubes now "spin" around the tree freely. So, if a deer attempts to rub them (which they don't seem to do with a tube on them) the tube should simply spin making it ineffective for the deer.
Who knows if it will work but it is the best compromise I can think of. For some of the larger trees with the blue Protek tubes, I again removed the tube from the stake. These are wrap around style. I used cable ties to connect two tubes together and, after cleanup, wrapped the double sized tube back around the tree.
Tubes are less expensive than caging, but other than cost, and time to apply, they can cause as many issues as they solve sometimes. I still have a long way to go. I'm addressing tube issues first since deer don't have antlers now. Before September, I need to apply tubes to the trees where they were removed and they got rubbed. Once rubbed, the deer will be encouraged to do it again if I don't take some action.
Thanks,
Jack
weekender21
5 year old buck +
All of the tube manufacturers recommend removing them and cleaning them out every year. That should solve some of the problems.
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meyerske
5 year old buck +
That's not practical. Aside from splitting the tube (which caused mine to curl up and no longer function as designed), there is no way to remove a tube from a tree.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
100% of those where the tube was removed. I've never been able to grow chestnuts without protection. I tried to overwhelm the deer with numbers. They did not kill them, they just clipped the central leader of all of them and made bushes. I needed some way to protect the central leader.
I have not had much trouble with deer and persimmon trees, but I did get one young persimmon rubbed last year. So far, trees in tubes have been safe from deer.
Thanks,
Jack
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I agree. It is not practical to do every year. It depends on the type of tube. My Plantra tubes are the slide over time and I had to split them. They maintained their shape well after splitting. The Protex are the wrap around style One could remove and clean those without splitting them since they are already split by design. But the reason I used tubes with the cost in money and time compared to cages because of the volume. It is that volume that doesn't make annual cleaning practical.
Thanks,
Jack
weekender21
5 year old buck +
Really? I just prune lower branches, enough to raise the tube 12-18 inches, sometimes I'll pull them all the way off. I can clean out dead leaves and trim suckers easily.
I open all my tubes twice annually to clean out debris or re-staple window screens or prune. It is a huge time sink but has to be done. I chose a long time ago to tube instead of cage and I’m still happy I did but it IS a LOT of work. I have a few hundred. Not impossible but definitely a project.
And I won’t tell you how many times the wasps have stung me........
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
How many hundred do you have to deal with?
blueKYstream
5 year old buck +
I've never put window screen on with tubes. I haven't had an issue yet knock on wood. I have lost a few newly planted trees by summer with only 1 weeding session in Spring. We got a LOT of rain last year. Chestnuts don't appear to drop their leaves, so I could see that being an issue. As far as deer rubbing them once they are big enough to be out of the tubes, I am at a loss other than expanding the tubes.
I wonder if there's not another way?
I wonder if there's not another way?
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
The alternative is caging. I do that with my fruit trees, but I grew my dunstans from nuts and planted hundreds. One thing I plan to experiment with is the mesh tubes. I think they call them Rigid on the Forestry Suppliers site. I don't know if that would be enough plastic to make them unattractive to deer or not. I've got lots of them sitting around. I'm thinking about trying to split them and put two together with cable ties. They are less expensive than tubes.
blueKYstream
5 year old buck +
I wouldn't consider caging an option for you (or me) at that volume. Yeah, I suppose you're right that mesh would work.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I don't know if it will work or not to prevent rubbing, but I think it is worth experimenting with. I won't use it on the trees that I removed the tubes from and were rubbed last year. I'll use full tubes on those since deer will be even more attracted to them. I'll experiment with them on a tree that has not yet been rubbed.
Thanks,
Jack
Someday isle
5 year old buck +
Mine have been in for exactly one year. I only had ten trees to start with so not a huge amount to work with. It’s certainly a small sample size. I caged and tubed them. I also put a five gallon bucket with a couple holes drilled in them for water. I cleared them out and pruned today. Two of the ten died last summer in our high heat and drought - and those two were pretty sickly to start with. I haven’t had any tube related issues yet, but it’s only been a year. One thing I did notice was that the trunks are still pretty weak after a full years growth. I had heard that sometimes the tube doesn’t allow the trees to build strength in the early years of growth. That’s certainly something I’ll monitor over the next couple of years. I’ll keep following this thread and learning as I go.
About 3-400.
~100 apple, a few dozen pear, 50+persimmon, a few dozen mulberry, ~150 pin oak, a few dozen bur oak.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Wow! That is a lot. You must have a lot more time available than I do. I think I've caught most of the stuff before it became a major problem. I can't imagine doing this every year.
weekender21
5 year old buck +
I tubed and caged a few crabs last year. Partly because I was too lazy to build all the required window screens to protect 24 trees and partially because I wanted to experiment with the growth of a tubed vs. non tubed tree.
I plan to remove those tubes this year and will take more precise notes but during my early March trip I didn't notice dramatic difference with growth between my tubed and non tubed trees.
weekender21
5 year old buck +
A tubed and caged tree from NWC, I think it’s a 10 point crab from what I can read on the metal tag. Planted bare root May 2018, picture taken mid September 2018.
Like I said earlier, planning to remove tube and add window screen to the handful of these that received tubes last year.
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