I often see improper staking of trees, more a strangling than a method of stabilizing the root ball. That’s actually what staking is for, to stabilize the root ball the first year after planting so the tree can establish anchoring roots. However, take a look around and you, too, will see trees struggling to survive stakes squeezing the life out of them. When staking is done improperly or for too long, it can do far more harm than good. Staked trees are often taller, but skinnier and weaker in the wind after the stakes are removed. They break more easily than an unstaked tree. Too often skinny dowels are strapped tightly to a trunk with tape. The stake and the tape rub against the trunk damaging the bark, weakening the tree. The dowels certainly don’t support the tree. I see ropes wrapped around a tree and tied off to a short stake, a fence post, or even another tree. The rope rubs the bark off and may even snap off the top of the tree depending on where it is placed. Or, have you ever seen where the rubber-wrapped wire was left on so long that the trunk grew right over it girdling the trunk? That’s a tree waiting to break off at that wound or die. The photosynthates produced in the leaves and necessary for growth can no longer be transported down to the roots and lower trunk leading to decreased trunk diameter and a smaller root system. Staking and guying are often unnecessary. Wind sway allows young trees to develop strong trunks promoting additional wood fiber growth in the lower trunk. Newly planted trees might need staking if their root ball is too small to support the above-ground growth or if their stems bend too much if not supported (which indicates a tree that wasn’t properly grown in the first place). Although it is often said that in windy areas, trees should be staked, I have never staked my trees in Washoe Valley, one of Northern Nevada’s windiest areas. When should trees be staked? This can depend on the environment and the type of tree. Stake a tree if it has a bare-root ball or if the root ball in the container is too small to hold up its height. Large evergreen trees with high wind resistance, especially in windy areas, may need help. Trees grown on open sites such as new developments, or those with sandy soils or on hillsides will probably require staking. Stakes and guy wires can protect against lawn mowers and other lawn equipment as long as they don’t present a tripping hazard. For information on proper staking see: https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/fnr/fnr-547-w.pdf. JoAnne Skelly is Associate Professor & Extension Educator Emerita at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. Reach her at skellyj@unr.edu
