Overheard a landscaper in Boise say he never stakes young trees

Honestly, it was at a coffee shop last Tuesday and he was telling his crew that staking hurts more than it helps. He said it stops the trunk from getting strong on its own. I looked it up when I got home and a lot of the new guides say the same thing, only stake if it's really windy or the root ball is loose. I've been doing it wrong for years. Has anyone else stopped staking their new plantings?

3 comments

3 Comments

nora_walker5719d ago

That landscaper is mostly right, but it's not a total never-do-it rule. The key is to stake only when you have to, like on a really exposed slope. Even then, you should use loose ties and take the stakes out after one growing season. Leaving them on too long is what causes the weak trunk problem he was talking about.

elliot_barnes18d ago

Okay but what counts as a "really exposed slope"? That's the part that gets fuzzy. Is it just a steep hill, or does it need constant wind too? Because I've seen people stake everything on a mild incline and call it good, which totally misses the point.

daniel_wood18d ago

But @nora_walker57, that one season is still too much time.