I have planted a lot of tree seedlings using “tree tubes” over the past few years. I highly recommend you use a shelter on every seedling especially during winters. I was quite interestedin growing the native species.
Native plants local to your area are ideal for growing in your backyard. There are native plants that can tolerate almost any situations like poor soil, shade and small spaces. They have the ability to reduce insect pests by providing food and shelter for native animals. I have been planting a mixture of trees, shrubs and groundcovers and had used tree tubes for many of them. This was actually recommended by the ecology centre in Ontario, from where I used to by the native plant as a shield from browsing animals.
The main advantage of this tube is that they dim the available sunlight except at the top which will enhance the vertical growth of the tree seedling. This way the seeding will naturally grow towards the light, leaving behind ground-level shrubs and grasses to compete for light. Once the seedling emerges out of the tube into full sun, it then branches out to form a full crown. As I mentioned earlier in this post, they can protect the saplings from bucks and also from harsh weather conditions while conserving moisture. Scientific studies have also proved increased survival and vertical growth with the use of tree tubes. From my experience tree tubes are worth using.
I will list out a few tips for using tree tubes
- To prevent small rodents from entering into the base, countersink the bottom of the tube an inch or two in the ground.
- Fire ants sometimes use the bases of these tubes as their headquarters. This usually will not affect the tree survival, but if it bothers you, use fire-ant bait.
- Buy tree tubes that are at least 4 feet tall. Shorter tubes don’t stop deer browsing.
- Wrap around style tubes can be reused.
