Stake needed for tree in container?

[Gman]

Hey folks.

Simple question. I have read that fruit trees on dwarfing rootstocks (eg. Plums on pict, cherries on gisela 5, pears on quince C etc) need to be staked for the life of the trees.

If I plant one of these in a large pot, do I still need to stake them, or will wind just blow the whole pot over, rather than uproot the tree?

Cheers

[veggiechicken]

If I plant one of these in a large pot, do I still need to stake them, or will wind just blow the whole pot over, rather than uproot the tree?

Cheers

............or snap the tree!
Doesn't it depend on the weight of the pot relative to the height of the tree - and how well-leafed/heavily fruited it is?

in other words, I haven't a clue but if you're worried, stake it before you plant it.

[burnie]

I think the problem is that any tree rocked by the wind will wobble and air can get around the roots and can kill the plant, I don't think a stake will stop the top snapping off.

[ameno]

Wind rock is the main issue, and that's really just as much as problem with potted as ground trees. If anything, it's worse, as the roots cannot spread as far to anchor the plant.

[Gman]

In other words, whatever the reason for staking, consensus is that stake is also needed in pot. Cheers guys

[nickdub]

I'm going to go against the majority view for once and say that I think staking a tree in a container is a bad idea - my main reason being that unless the container is huge and made of stone or something the whole set up won't be steady enough in a strong wind.

I'm not a massive fan of stakes anyway, as they can do more harm than good, though with a newly planted large tree they are often a very good idea.

However back to your problem, if you are worried about wind damage my preference would be to tie the top of the new tree off to a surrounding building or other tree, fence etc - remember that to provide support from all sides you will need ties pointing in three different directions at least. The other way round it would be to move the tree inside somewhere like a garage during the time when the leaves are off.

[SarrissUK]

You can stake a large plant in a pot through the bottom of the pot into the ground to give it stability. THe stake doesn't have to potrude much above the soil level in the pot that way.