When to Stake Trees

A good friend of mine is planting some trees this fall, a great idea! In a previous post, I mentioned Autumn can be a great time for bargains on trees and how to plant those trees in the Autumn. But I didn’t address a common question people have about planting trees: should I stake my trees or let them stand on their own?

In most circumstances you should not stake your trees. Unstaked trees grow stronger because the bending back and forth in the wind gently breaks teeny tiny wood tissues in the trunk. Those breaks heal making the tree stronger, very much like how humans build muscle from micro tears in muscle that occur during exercise.

So that means there are times you should stake trees, right?

Yup.

1. If your tree is planted in a newly formed berm, the tree may need to be staked. A new berm will shift and settle when it’s first in place until plant roots in the berm stabilize it. If your tree is more than about three feet tall, particularly if your tree is a conifer or evergreen, you’ll want to stake that tree into the stable ground surrounding or beneath the berm. Storm winds can catch that tree and tip it right out of a newly made berm.


2. If your tree is planted in the Autumn it might need staking. Again, height is key here. A tree taller than three feet, especially a conifer or evergreen, can be shifted or tipped around in its planting hole until that tree establishes roots. Next spring, you can probably take the stakes out and let your tree grow free!

3. If you bought a lolly pop tree. Nope, it’s not one of the trees from candyland, it’s a bad tree type that some nurseries sell that has been pruned severely and regularly from the bottom up to make that tree artificially add height very quickly. The lolly pop tree is a shade tree that often will be tall, more than 2/3s of skinny trunk in height, and less than 1/3 foliage in height, looking a lot like a lolly pop on a long stick. They’re exactly what this guy is using to make an arbor. (Ideally, this ratio is reversed; 1/3 trunk height, 2/3 foliage height. This ratio should ideally be maintained throughout the life of the tree for optimum tree health.)

This tree is almost grown to fail. If you have any chance of high wind, the tree must be staked and even then, there’s a pretty good chance the trunk will simply snap at the point where you tied the stake to it. If possible, avoid lolly pop trees; they’re not a bargain at any price.


Ok, so if I have to stake, how should I do it?

Long metal stakes or fence posts driven well into the ground work best from a strength and ease of installation standpoint. Your cable material can be anything strong enough to last for a year – metal, nylon, rope, whatever you have. The key is to protect the trunk from the cable material. Putting a thick rubber material like a garden hose between the cable and the trunk is ideal.

In terms of tension on that cable, think of it more like anchoring a boat to a doc. You don’t want it so tight the tree can’t possibly move, but not so loose that the staking isn’t useful. I like just enough tightness so there’s no slack in the cable, but not enough that it actually pulls the tree in some direction. This way, the cable engages to protect in high winds, but lets the tree have some freedom to sway in light winds. (Thanks for this pic, U of Missouri Extension Office!)

For most applications, one stake and one cable is enough. If you’ve got a berm or one of those horrible lolly pop trees, you might want to have three or more stakes.

Your tree should be staked for no more than one year. More than this, and you’ll start to impact the tree’s natural ability to strengthen itself.

Strong trees and smart staking are another way to make your yard, your way.