Peg ‘em down, Paul

The landscape maintenance company took this lacebark elm out rather than digging and replanting it. Lacebarks have a bad reputation for tipping soon after they’re planted if they’re not staked. All images are clickable for a larger view.

Tree trunks are supposed to be vertical. It’s the way they grow naturally. If a tree’s out of plumb, it will drive some of us nuts just to drive by your house.

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And the sad thing is, you only get one chance to do the job right. Once a tree is established and growing at a tilt, all the pulling and propping won’t get it back into vertical. You’ll have to dig and reset it, so your work will start all over again.

Admirable job of planting a new Shumard red oak with the exception that they didn’t wrap the trunk to protect against sun scald.

Steps to keeping it upright…
It’s not all that difficult. Follow these simple guidelines.

• Dig the hole only as deep and wide as necessary to accommodate the root ball that will come with the tree. If you choose your tree properly, it will be happy with the native soil you have in your landscape. There will be no need to prepare a big planting bed. It’s OK to have it 1-2 in. wider than necessary – but no more. Use a tape measure to check things carefully so you won’t have to pull the tree back out.

Soak the soil slowly and deeply, then pack and repeat to firm the root ball into its new home.

• As you fill the hole with topsoil you removed as you dug, run water slowly and tamp the soil down to compact it. Let it settle, then repeat. Keep the trunk vertical all the while.

• If your new tree is relatively short it may not need to be staked, but if it’s more than 6-7 ft. tall, and especially if it has a very dense canopy, you’ll likely want to stake it, especially if it’s in a windy setting.

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• There are many ways to stake and guy a new tree, but the most secure is probably to run three guy wires from a position 60 percent of the way up the trunk down to a ground stake.

You have to use enough cables that winds can’t snap your tree’s trunk. It needs to be braced from all directions.

• Prevailing winds in Texas in summer (when trees are fully leafed out) are from the south, so one of your guy wires should be due south from the trunk. One should be positioned northwest, and the third northeast of the trunk.

In all respects, this is a very poor way to stake a young tree. In the first place, it doesn’t need to be staked at all. And we could go on from there.

• Some people make the mistake of putting their stakes too close to the trees’ trunks so the supports aren’t strong enough. Aim for a 45-degree angle.

• Others use rope or other binding that doesn’t stay taut. It’s critical that the guy wires or cables always be tight so that wind can’t whip and break the trunks in strong winds. Don’t let them sag.

Tree’s trunk is protected from abrasion from cables. Next step will be to remove everything within a year or two so the cables don’t girdle the trunk. (Notice the faint woodpecker riddling along the bark – no cause for concern.)

• The guy wires or cables will need to wrap around the trunk, but they’ll need to be padded to prevent their doing damage to the bark. Leave open room to allow for growth of the trunk, and either loosen or remove them after a year or two so they don’t girdle and embed themselves in the wood of the tree.

This oak is so large and its soil ball so comparatively small and shallow, that it would rock and tip in even small winds. Staking would be essential in its new home.

Very Important Note:
If you do any Web-browsing on the topic of staking new trees, you will see many comments about staking not being a good idea. For many trees, that’s absolutely true. However, if you have a large tree with a shallow soil ball, or if you’re planting into sandy soil or in a windy location, staking may be necessary to avoid having your new tree lean from Day One. The compromise: go ahead and stake, but don’t leave the stakes in place any longer than you have to. Hopefully they can be taken away after just a year or two.

And, Another Very Important Note:
While we’re busy with post-planting care of new trees, this is probably the time to remind you to wrap the trunks of new shade trees to prevent sun scald and subsequent invasion by decay and borers. Special trunk wraps made of plastic or reinforced paper are available. They can be left in place for a couple of years without fear of damage to the bark of the tree.

Posted by Neil Sperry
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