Staking Young Plants and Trees Properly

Like young children, young plants and trees need support. Whether the young plant has been grown on site from seed or has been transplanted it needs to be supported against wind because if it keeps leaning continuously it will grow crooked instead of straight and this is something no gardener wants. The most common method of providing support to young plants whether they are flowering plants, fruit trees or any other plant is staking.

Some plants cannot stand upright on their own and need staking in any case and even though some plants can stand upright on their own when they are young they may still need staking in windy areas. For proper staking of young plants in your garden you will need a hammer, bamboo stakes, wooden tree stakes or grape stakes, a stake pounder, sledge hammer, plant tie or coated wire or any binding material or strong string and cut hose sections depending on the job at hand. For the loop you can even use used nylon stockings.

Staking is usually done by putting long stakes (usually wooden sticks) into the ground on opposite the sides of the young plant and tying some loops around them. The loops are left loose so that it does not constrain the growing plant. Many people use only one stake but it is not usually enough to keep the plant upright. Observe your plant to find out if it needs staking by determining if it is too top heavy or if it leans too much to any side when the wind blows. If you are in doubt then it is better to provide staking than to risk having a crooked tree. As staking restricts plants to some extent avoid staking unnecessarily.

The stakes you select should be sturdy, straight and free of splinters. The stake should fit the plant in the sense that it should not be too thick, too short or too long. Select stakes that are at least a foot taller then a plant. For a tree a little longer is preferred. Place the stake just outside the canopy of the plant and with the hammer drive it into the ground. Do this on opposite sides of the plant. By staking outside the canopy you are making sure that the roots are unharmed. The stake should stand a little lower than the young plant so that it is not prominent.

Use either covered wire or used nylon stocking strips or string inserted in a piece of hose to loop around the stakes and the plant. Also if you are using a bare wire or rope string them through a piece of hose enough to cover the trunk so that abrasion, rashes or rope burns on the tree's trunk can be avoided. Most of these materials can be obtained from your backyard or you can get them from any garden store. When you feel that the plants have become sturdy enough to stand on their own and grow upright you should immediately remove the stakes. For young fruit trees and other large trees staking is generally required for the first year and then it is removed.

If you are not sure whether your young tree needs staking or for how long it is needed, you can always consult experts. But never avoid staking when it is needed because it will be very difficult to repair the harm done afterwards.