Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
sarasmiles34

Remove the stakes from these?

Sarasmiles34
10 years ago

OK another question about trees and stakes. I have had most of these trees in the back yard for a whole season(planted the big ones last summer) They are all sizes and all types. I have weeping willow, sycamore, Leland cypress, Irish eye cypress, giant aborvate, tri colored beech, tulip poplar and 3 apple and a peach.

How long do I leave the stakes in for? the large trees have been staked for a year 2 Sycamores and a willow

all other trees were added or transplanted this spring. Help me please. I don't want to make them weak trees by leaving the stakes to long.

Comments (16)

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    hey

    what is your native soil .... clay or anything else???

    i hope this was a spring pic...

    how did you plant them??? .... amendments ...e tc??? ... break up root balls????

    ken

  • Sarasmiles34
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yes sir that is a spring time photo. I live in clarksville tn and the soil is red clay. When they were planted one bag of garden soil was added to the holeto help break up the clay. We have fed them with compost tea here and there but not much since i was told not to fertalize them so they can focus on growing roots instead of leaves. When the nursery planted the big ones they left the trees in the burlap sack and dropped it in the hole. The hole was twice the size of the sack. I planted the smaller ines myself and i basically did what i saw the nursery do. Most of those smaller trees were bought at lowes and in containers.

  • Sarasmiles34
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yes sir that is a spring time photo. I live in clarksville tn and the soil is red clay. When they were planted one bag of garden soil was added to the holeto help break up the clay. We have fed them with compost tea here and there but not much since i was told not to fertalize them so they can focus on growing roots instead of leaves. When the nursery planted the big ones they left the trees in the burlap sack and dropped it in the hole. The hole was twice the size of the sack. I planted the smaller ines myself and i basically did what i saw the nursery do. Most of those smaller trees were bought at lowes and in containers.

  • Sequoiadendron4
    10 years ago

    You should be fine to remove the stakes after this season's leaves have fallen off. Most of the trees I've planted I haven't staked and if they were it was only for a season.

  • florauk
    10 years ago

    Anyone else think that's an awful lot of potentially large trees for the space?

    Are you intending to take some out in due course?

  • Sarasmiles34
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yes sir that is a spring time photo. I live in clarksville tn and the soil is red clay. When they were planted one bag of garden soil was added to the holeto help break up the clay. We have fed them with compost tea here and there but not much since i was told not to fertalize them so they can focus on growing roots instead of leaves. When the nursery planted the big ones they left the trees in the burlap sack and dropped it in the hole. The hole was twice the size of the sack. I planted the smaller ines myself and i basically did what i saw the nursery do. Most of those smaller trees were bought at lowes and in containers.

  • Sarasmiles34
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I have just under one acre and yes we did plant alot of trees for the small space. We bought them on clearance and some of them looked kinda bad so I got a few of that kind to see if at least one would live. yes we do plan to remove the ones that do poorly. The sycamore farthest away from the camera has very small leaves and very few at that so I think it might be a gonner but I was planning to see what it does next year since I only planted it june of last year.

  • arktrees
    10 years ago

    Circling roots are likely to a be a problem from container trees at Lowes on clearance. The roots grow around in a circle in the pot, then you plant it. Tree grows for a while, trunk get bigger, but those roots circling around do as well. About the time the tree gets some real size to them, those roots circling around begin to strangle the tree. In a year or two, it's gone. At this point, assuming they have been in the ground 6-8 weeks, it might be worthwhile to dig them back up and cut those circling roots and hope for the best. Also be aware of planting too deep just as in your other thread.

    Arktrees

  • Sarasmiles34
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Circling roots? Humm.. I had not thought of that. I am glad you said something about it. Thank you. I would hate to lose them.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    hey

    i like the YES SIR STUFF ... lol ... much better than getting flamed... FOR HELPING in other places.. lol ..

    you confuse me ... in one reply you presume to remove some.. then say you would hate to lose some ...

    my bottom line on such.. is making the decision.. while i can still do it myself.. for free ... you are a few years from that point..

    but as flora notes... you are way overplanted ... that single willow.. could swallow that entire yard ,.... and having lived with one.. on a small suburban lot.. LIKE YOURS.. trust me when i say.. that tree is not really suitable for such.. think long and hard about that ... they are fast growing.. fast to breaking into pieces.. and fast to potential disease... a glorious park or golf course tree... but you can do much better .. IMHO ....

    continue to have fun with your tree farm ...

    ken

    ps: i hope those arent mulch volcanoes burying the trunks??? .. and yes.. i would be done with the stakes.. if one blows over.. well.. the decision was made for you ... probably not a healthy tree in the first place ....

  • mulchmama
    10 years ago

    That single willow will swallow the whole yard within five years. It's an inappropriate place for it anyway. Willows should be planted near water, WELL away from any structures. Our neighbors put a stick of a willow cutting next to their septic laterals (oy!) five years ago. It's a bonafide weeping tree now, at least 20-ft tall.

  • Sarasmiles34
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Mr ken sir,
    Yes sir is not used enough by my generation but I am proud to say that my parents taught me right.

    Ok So I respect all the suggestions that I am over planted and I admit that I am in no way a professional...lol so I am going to remove the willow but I would like y'all s help with "thinning out" the rest of them.

    I took a few pictures this morning and I genuinely want your honest opinion.

    this first picture is of the two sycamores.They were planted this time LAST year and looked beautiful when I first planted them. this season they must be growing roots because there are hardly any leaves. the one closest to the camera is planted 18 feet from the house. The one closest to the fence is 26 ft from the house and they are planted 27 feet apart kinda at an angle.

  • Sarasmiles34
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    this is a pic of the living fence I was hoping to grow to block the neighbors from view. the list of trees are as follows starting from the farthest corner of the fence giant aborvitae, white pine, leland cypress,white pine,giant aborvitae, white pine, Irish eye cypress, white pine, giant aborvitae, white pine, and erish eye cypress. they are planted a little over 8 foot apart and between 6 and 10 ft from the fence. I planted them so they zig zag so some are 6 ft from the fence then the next is 10 then the next 6.. and so on.

    what needs to go?

  • Sarasmiles34
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    here is another view of the evergreens.. I forgot to mention that i have a crape myrtle and a river birch. there are two small black gum trees but they are looking pretty bad and so I am going to remove them.

    Thank you for lending me your expertise. I really appreciate the help.

  • fireweed22
    10 years ago

    I think your perimeter hedge will offer privacy in short order.
    It is very full, but with research I think you will find a way to manage it and keep your privacy. If sheared it will be a big labor of love or something to hire out.

  • jean001a
    10 years ago

    I'd leave the perimeter hedge as is for several years until you clearly determine the "winners"and the "losers." as far as which ones thrive.

    You should be able to visualize that in two or threes\ years from now. At that time you can either entirely remove a non-thriving tree or begin to decrease the number and length of branches on the puny ones to give the thriving trees more space.

    As for removing the stakes --
    I'm concerned that the trees with the burlap still in place will require more than the usual one year to root in.

    An easy test for stability is this:
    -Grab the tree trunk at chest height.
    -Rock the tree back and forth while watching the soil at the base of the tree.
    --- If the soil at the base of the trunk doesn't move, the tree is rooted in; you can remove the stake.
    --- If the soil at the base of the trunk moves even the last little bit, the stakes should remain another year until you repeat the stability test.
    If still unstable after the second year, decide whether you want to give the tree another year of staking or if that tree will be one that's removed to help "thin the forest."