Staking A Tree

[GF3]

Hello.
In prepairing to plant out my fruit trees from containers into the ground I have been looking at getting some "Tree Stakes". I have been reading up and viewing videos on "best ways" to go about it. But not sure on the what diameter and height of steak to get. The 2 apple trees are on MM106 and M26 and the Plum on Pixy any recomendations. I was thinking of a 50mm diameter round steak about 1.5 metres high for all three trees - would that be about right?
Many Thanks

[ameno]

It would do the job, but it sounds excessive.

Unless you live somewhere very exposed and windy, a diagonal stake is a better option than a vertical one. You hammer it into the ground at a 45 degree angle, with the point where the stake is fixed to the trunk being about 18 inches to 2 feet off the ground.
The triangle you form between stake, trunk and ground is very sturdy, and this will be more than sufficient to secure the tree against root rock (assuming you strap it tightly to the stake), although it obviously won't protect against very strong winds snapping the top of the tree off, so if you are planting them somewhere particularly exposed you may want to still use vertical stakes.
Diagonal stakes don't need to be as long, so you save money on stakes, they actually secure better against root rock than vertical ones do, and you don't disturb the roots when you hammer them is, as you would with a vertical one.

I use these for my tree stakes:
https://www.wickes.co.uk/Treated-Saw...-3-0m/p/133680
You can cut a 3m length in half to give you two stakes (use a diagonal cut, so that you have a point to drive into the ground) and they do the job well. That thickness is plenty for a diagonal stake (although you'd need more for vertical).
Drive each piece around 2 feet into the ground, leaving 3 feet still above it.
I've also used metal poles in the past. I have three trees secured with 2cm diameter tubular metal steel, and another two with those steel bars they use to reinforce concrete.

[nickdub]

In terms of general advice Ameno has already covered everything very thoroughly and well. Just to add though that if your trees are relatively small say under 6' and assuming they already have good roots, you may not need to stake at all or at least just for a short time say something like a bamboo cane put in at angle and tied high up on a branch just to stop rocking and left in place until next year.

If you'd like more accurately targeted advice just post a photo of your trees - I'm not a big fan of staking, but of course it is sometimes necessary.

[ameno]

Also, if you don't have any proper tree straps, you can make a very good makeshift one out of that rubber-coated plant tie wire. It's pretty cheap to buy - they sell it in Poundland and Wilko, among other places. If anything, I'd say it's better than the proper tree straps, as it holds just as secure and you can adapt it better to different shapes than you can the straps.

[GF3]

Thanks for the replies.
I have uploaded some photos:
I live on the North Wales Coast, it can get blustery.
Many thanks.

[ameno]

I'd still go with diagonal stakes, but maybe leave those vertical bamboo canes in, too, to give the top a bit more strength.

I'd also see about training them into a proper tree shape a bit better. The middle one is pretty much fine, but the first and last one want all of those stems growing from the bottom half of the trunk removing completely, back to the trunk.

Also, the first apple definitely has a couple of suckers coming from the rootstock, and the plum might, too, but it's harder to tell.
Find the graft union on the trees. It's were the fruiting variety was grafted onto the root stock, and will be an obvious bulge a couple inches above the ground (often the bark is a different colour or texture, too). Any growth coming from below that point is the root stock trying to grow, and needs removing as soon as possible. These suckers want tearing off, rather than cutting, as this should also remove any dormant buds to prevent further regrowth.

[nickdub]

Good advice from Ameno again.

On training trees into shape by pruning, bending branches, nicking and notching or whatever other methods the first thing to decide is "what shape of tree am I aiming to achieve in 10 years time ?". A standard apple should have a straight trunk several feet in length with no side branches until you get to the crook of the tree where there should be 4 or 5 main branches all roughly equidistant coming out at a widely splayed angle and no central trunk above them - sometimes called a goblet shape or an inverted open umbrella - by contrast a fan-trained plum tree ought to look more like a peacock's tail fanning out from only a foot or so above ground level.

Obviously once a tree is older it is very hard or even impossible to change its basic shape or structure - so the time to get trees started into the shape you want them is in the first few years of their life - often a dormant bud can be encouraged to grow out to form a new branch to balance a tree for example. This is a complex topic and many books have been written about it. Last time I looked there was some good information in terms of shapes, pruning guidelines etc on the RHS site.

[GF3]

Thanks again for the replies and advice.
I was wondering about removing the lower half growth on the Plum tree, there is some leaf growth at the top but not much branch growth there. The lower half growth is all in the last 6 weeks - and there is the mid section of the tree with no branches.. I will upload photos of the trees taken on 19 April and again on 14 June which shows this growth. I got the trees bare-root in late November 2019. I put them in containers, wintered them in the garage and brought them out in mid march.

[ameno]

Removing the lower branches (and continuing to removed any more which sprout) should encourage the top ones to grow more, as the tree's energy will be funnelled into only those top branches.
Also, I can see the graft union on the plum tree more clearly in the picture from April, and comparing it to the one now, I strongly suspect that lower-most branch is actually growing from beneath the graft union, from the root stock, so at the very least that one definitely needs removing.

[greenishfing]

I have always found an old pair of ladies tights/stocking a great tie for staking a tree.

[nickdub]

Just remember to take the tights off the old lady first - easy mistake to make for a beginner :-)