Tree Tube Stakes

[onlybrowning]

Just wondering if anyone has found an economical and effective option for tree tube stakes. I’ve tried several options and haven’t found the “perfect” one yet. 

[Stubborn1vt]

Best I have found is 5' fiberglass fence posts.  Picked them up at a feed store.  Home Depot has similar posts, marketed as garden stakes.  Only a couple bucks a piece.

[G-man]

2 hours ago, onlybrowning said:

Just wondering if anyone has found an economical and effective option for tree tube stakes. I’ve tried several options and haven’t found the “perfect” one yet. 

I cut my.own larch  or black locust

[onlybrowning]

12 hours ago, G-man said:

I cut my.own larch  or black locust

That’s very cool. What are typical dimensions you use? 
 

I have been using tubes for several years now and the past two winters have had trees bend in half in high winds in highly exposed areas. It seems one they’re poking out of tube and generating a canopy, they need much more support. So far, adding another stake on the opposite side has worked well. I think I’m just going to double stake them all moving forward. 

[G-man]

1 hour ago, onlybrowning said:

That’s very cool. What are typical dimensions you use? 
 

I have been using tubes for several years now and the past two winters have had trees bend in half in high winds in highly exposed areas. It seems one they’re poking out of tube and generating a canopy, they need much more support. So far, adding another stake on the opposite side has worked well. I think I’m just going to double stake them all moving forward. 

2inx2inx 5 ft  long

[Bucksnbows]

My firm uses the Plantra systems.  We use either 5’ or 6’ tubes depending on deer browse pressure on that property. They use fiberglass stakes.  One is all you should need. They also come with zip ties and a bird net to keep birds from nesting on top and killing the trees or shrubs below. More expensive than cheap alternatives, but you don’t have to upright them or replace things like bamboo stakes.  Because of the volumes we go through, we have a deal with them as you might imagine. 
 

My advice as someone that does this on multiple sites every spring and fall for the last 16 years is not to go cheap. You’re just risking the loss of the more expensive plants you are trying to establish. If you’re on the property regularly and have time for the maintenance, go ahead and go less expensive.