clingfilm on apple tree - remove?

[janeyo]

This may sound daft but I've just got 3 dwarf apples trees for pots on the patio. They all have a bit of clingfilm like stuff wraped round one part of the stem.
Do I leave this on?
Also do they need staking if they are in pots?

Thanks

[starloc]

Is it the grafting tape?, the rootstock graft is normaly wrapped with tape to hold the bits together, if so just leave it on it will fall off eventualy

[rustylady]

Whereabouts on the stem is it?

[janeyo]

It's quite low down, and looks like it may be holding 2 bits together

[FB.]

It's the bio-degradeable tape that will have been used to hold the graft together.
It usually peels/crumbles off within a year.
But the graft is probably healed by now, so if it bothers you, you should be able to carefully pick off the remainder. Only pick carefully with your fingernails because tools could damage the bark and stop the sap flow, which would kill such a young tree.

In a pot, it probably doesn't need staking unless it's in a windy position or heavily loaded with fruit.
A heavy fruit load can cause the trunk to permanently bend to one side, if the fruit load is uneven.