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The Professional Gardener

staking trees

17 years ago

Bought some trees last fall from Oregon; Albizzia julibrissen and Cercis c. Forest Pansy that have 4 ft stakes. Now they are 6 feet tall and are flopping over the stakes. To increase their cambium layer and make them stand on their own should they be wacked back? This wasn't a good deal if they gotta grow them another season to be sellable. Do you prune hard?

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Comments (2)

Embothrium
17 years ago
Do not top. Stake instead.
habitat_gardener
17 years ago
Improper staking is one of the biggest problems I see -- even among landscape contractors who charge top dollar in the SF Bay Area.

The purpose of the stake (for a plant in the ground) is to support it. The stake ties must be attached in a figure-eight configuration so that the tree can move in the wind (which it needs to do to develop any taper). The stake must be removed as soon as the tree's roots have anchored it in the ground.
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