Ever wonder how to properly stake a tree in Phoenix? You will first need to make sure you have at least (2) 8′ ft or 12′ ft wooden tree stakes, guy tree wire, a 5/8″ poly tube, a post pounder, and pruners or something to cut the wire. These items can be purchased at your local hardware and gardening store or a nearby Home Depot.
In this video we are staking up a tree that a client has had planted for at least a year. The stakes that usually come with a 15 gallon tree run along the side of the trunk and is not the best option for tree staking. As you can see in the video the stake had been on the tree for a year but once taken off the tree had no strength of its own since the way it was planted did not give the tree the ability to grow on its own accord. Also, when stakes are along the trunk the lack of sun exposure prevents the strengthening of the tree trunk.
We start by pounding the stakes about 1-2 feet away from the tree on each side. Then we put the wire through about 6-8″ of poly tube so that the wire is not rubbing directly against the tree trunk and to make a large circle for the trunk to grow without outgrowing the size of the circle (you want the tree to be able to move around in the circle of the poly tubed wires). Make sure the wire is attached to the stake and then run another wire from the other side of the poly covered wire to the other tree stake. As you can see in the video there is no tight attachments to the tree so that it has flexibility for the the tree yet protection from the wind.
Trees can sometimes start to outgrow the wiring and can start girdling. Girdling is when the tree grows around the wires which is very bad for the tree. Usually a tree should be able to grow on its own after just a few years so stakes can be removed before any gurdling occurs.
If you have any other questions about our commercial or residential lawn care and landscape services, please give us a call at (602) 944-0421 or check out our website, www.azlawns.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel and you can also follow us on Facebook.com/AMSLandscaping or on twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat at @azlawns.
