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.

Autumn Tree Planting

You’ve read it lately: “Fall is for Planting.” But can you really plant in the Fall, and why would you want to?

Benefits
In September, the heatwave has ended and it will be easier to keep your new tree moist. Another benefit to Fall planting is price. Some nurseries will lower prices to clear this season’s stock. But these are bargains only to the careful gardener.

What to Watch For
Planting in the Fall is not without risks. As Jeff Iles, Iowa State Extension Horticulturalist, notes in his Community Tree Planting and Care Guide, trees planted in the Fall are more prone to failure than those planted in the Spring. Choose wisely:

• Buy from trusted nurseries.
• Avoid amazing bargains; if it dies, it’s not a bargain (or amazing).
• Know the guarantee. If your tree doesn’t green-up by May, will you still be covered?
• Don’t plant bare-root stock in the Fall. It will be experience unneeded stress and be unlikely to succeed.

How To
Balled & burlapped trees and container-grown trees do well with Fall planting. Jeff’s Tree Planting Guide will give you more specifics, but here’s how to make it work.

1. Plan for the mature size of the tree. Most shade trees will spread as much as 30 feet in adulthood. A young sugar maple next to the front door may look charming now, but it will look truly dangerous (and silly) in a matter of years.
2. Keep your tree moist until planting and plant as soon as possible, digging a hole two to three times the diameter of the root-ball.
3. Do not amend the soil when refilling the hole. Adding topsoil or other amendments creates pockets where water will not penetrate, or cannot drain. It’s best your tree adapts to your soil.
4. Keep the root crown of your tree level with the soil as it was in the container or wrap in which it came.
5. Mulch around it four to six inches deep with organic mulch – this is true tree love.
6. Water your tree in well and keep the soil moist, even checking the moisture through the winter.

With care and caution, you’ll have extra autumn color next year! It's another way to make your yard, your way.

Cool, Wet Spring: Can It Hurt Your Trees?

Our lush shade trees are one of the joys of living in eastern Iowa. Sprightly sugar maples, sturdy ash, and deep, dark Norway maples line our streets and form a cooling roof on our backyards. But if a prolonged, cool, wet spring arrives this year, (as we’re likely to have; our winters grow more mild every year) we should be on the lookout for a common enemy of our treasured trees: the fungal disease, anthracnose.

What is Anthracnose?
While anthracnose can affect a wide variety of plants, we’ll focus on its affect on trees in this article. Anthracnose, sometimes called leaf, shoot, or twig blight, is one of many fungal diseases affecting maple and ash trees, and as well as dogwoods and walnuts. North Dakota State University notes that anthracnose often occurs during prolonged cool, wet springs where it seems to be humid or moist all the time, allowing the fungi that cause it to be transmitted throughout the tree easily.

Do My Trees Have It?
Because a variety of fungi can start anthracnose, the earliest symptoms exhibited can vary. The outcome of anthracnose is often curled leaves, a portion of the leaf dying, or in some cases defoliation. Shade trees often recover from this with a second set of leaves that are not infected. In some cases, twigs or entire branches can die.

What Can I Do About It?
Anthracnose can overwinter and return if another cool, wet spring presents itself. Usually, unless affected trees defoliate year after year, anthracnose causes no permanent damage and will require no treatment. Often, a hot, dry summer will cause the anthracnose cycle to stop.

The best management of anthracnose as well as other fungal diseases is to control the culture of your trees.

1. Look for fungal and disease resistant varieties.

2. Plant trees and shrubs with their adult size in mind so they won’t crowd and discourage good airflow.

3. Prune trees in early spring to keep their crowns open to allow in light and air.

The University of California recommends that if you do have anthracnose, remove the leaves and twigs that fall to prevent cross-contamination; do not compost them. Ensure you are not over-watering and that your irrigation system is not keeping leaves constantly moist. Small trees with anthracnose may be treated with a fungicide when leaves are beginning to open in the spring, but large trees cannot be effectively treated this way.

The best way to know for sure if you have anthracnose is to contact your local extension office and bring in a sample of infected leaves. They can help diagnose the specific condition and recommend options for management.