Why I hate tree tubes and bears...

[DrewMc]

Went to camp on Sunday to find a bear destroyed about half of my 3 year old apple tree seedlings that are still in tubes. The bear was after the wasps nests inside of the tubes. In the midst of trying to fix a couple that weren't snapped in half, I got stung twice. My biggest regret when I started this project is using tree tubes and sapling. My camp is 30 a minute drive away and about every time I showed up in the past 3 years, I would have to fix one of the tubes either from the wind or something bumping it. This was the worst of it though. If I had to do it all over again, I'd spend the money for potted trees and cage them. Lesson learned...

Luckily, only one tree in our main orchard was harmed. The plan is to remove most of tubes in the spring. I know some should stay on another year or two, but I've had enough...

 

[homerj]

If you spray the inside of the tubes with insecticide and an added surfactant a couple times, the wasp issue is pretty easily solved. Sorry to hear about your trees. That sucks

 

[H20fwler]

Man that sucks!
I'm glad we dont have bears here. I'm a big fan of screen and cage but I don't think mine would stop a bear.

 

[j-bird]

Cages may prevent your issue with wasps/bees.....but from what I have seen from others (I don't have bears - thankfully) is that most cages don't stop a determined bear...especially once the tree starts to produce fruit. I would think it would take a pretty substantial system to dissuade a determined bear. Good luck.....

 

[SD51555]

If I could go back 12 years, I would have spent that time and money cutting trees down instead of planting them. Lots of money and effort spent fighting the forces of nature.

 

[Apple Junkie]

I am no fan of tubes either. Tried 'em, not impressed.

I protect my trees with wire cages, but cages will not keep a determined bear or coon from getting after an apple tree. I have not come up with a perfect solution, but for now I pick apples from the small tree to eliminate the incentive. When they do break a limb on a bigger tree, I prune to minimize the damage and let the tree heal itself. Sometimes I just accept that there will be damage from critters, bugs, and weather - then just plant another tree or two and keep the nurseries in business.

Your orchard looks great. I'd love to know what ya got in there... varieties? rootstocks?

 

[Diesel5610]

I think bears get a kick out of snapping trees and ripping branches off. No matter what we have done the bears will periodically wreck a bunch, just for the fun of it apparently. Frustrating to say the least.

 

[Tree Spud]

Went to camp on Sunday to find a bear destroyed about half of my 3 year old apple tree seedlings that are still in tubes. The bear was after the wasps nests inside of the tubes. In the midst of trying to fix a couple that weren't snapped in half, I got stung twice. My biggest regret when I started this project is using tree tubes and sapling. My camp is 30 a minute drive away and about every time I showed up in the past 3 years, I would have to fix one of the tubes either from the wind or something bumping it. This was the worst of it though. If I had to do it all over again, I'd spend the money for potted trees and cage them. Lesson learned...

Luckily, only one tree in our main orchard was harmed. The plan is to remove most of tubes in the spring. I know some should stay on another year or two, but I've had enough...

Okay ... bears ... apple trees ... lesson learned ... what do you plan to do different?

 

[Kooch]

If I could go back 12 years, I would have spent that time and money cutting trees down instead of planting them. Lots of money and effort spent fighting the forces of nature.

Like I told you the other day, I think I already regret planting trees this year. If I lived there, I might feel differently. My trees are going to have to do well on their own. I'll leave them caged, and maybe wipe the weeds in the cage with some gly. I shouldn't have planted them. We've got bears deluxe in 108.

 

[DrewMc]

I have apple tree seedlings. Unknown variety from Game Commission, Kieffer pear, wild pear and a few crab apple.

My potted kieffer pears have produced within 3 years. I really like these trees so far.

Plan is to get everything caged by spring and hopefully it will help. Some we already have caged.

 

[Apple Junkie]

Like I told you the other day, I think I already regret planting trees this year. If I lived there, I might feel differently. My trees are going to have to do well on their own. I'll leave them caged, and maybe wipe the weeds in the cage with some gly. I shouldn't have planted them. We've got bears deluxe in 108.

I feel your pain Kooch, we have plenty of bears around too.

I don’t use tubes, so I have never lost a small tree with no fruit to bears. As the trees get older and start to produce fruit, I pick the apples before they are fully ripe to reduce the incentive of anything to bother them (deer included). As fruit gets out of reach, the trees are pretty much on their own. I have lost branches to bears (and coons), but I have never lost an entire tree. They may not be as pretty, but they survive just fine. My approach is to plant more trees, not fewer, to spread out the threat.

 

[Bill]

If I could go back 12 years, I would have spent that time and money cutting trees down instead of planting them. Lots of money and effort spent fighting the forces of nature.

Isn’t that the truth!
I would have planted more Miscanthus grass and cut more trees down.