Overheard a guy at the hardware store say he never stakes a tree over 2 inches thick

Honestly, it was in the garden section last week, and he was telling his buddy that staking bigger saplings just makes them weaker. It got me thinking about a red maple I planted for a client about 3 years ago. We staked it because the site was super windy, but the trunk never seemed to thicken up right near the base. Took the stakes off after a year like you're supposed to, but I wonder if we left them too long. Has anyone else had a tree get kinda floppy from being staked when it didn't really need it?

3 comments

3 Comments

anna4911mo ago

That red maple story sounds exactly like my neighbor's pin oak.

irisowens1mo ago

Sounds like we've got a whole support group for over-staked trees here (looking at you, @jamie_adams). It's a real shame how common that kind of thing is. Somebody should really tell those trees to stand up for themselves.

jamie_adams1mo ago

Yeah, that's a good point. I'm probably the guy that hardware store guy was talking about (sorry, buddy). I once staked a little dogwood so tight it looked like it was on a leash. When I finally took the ties off, it just wobbled there for a whole season like it forgot how to be a tree. Felt pretty bad about that one.