What can you tell me about caging trees?

[Chipdasqrrl]

So I’m trying to decide how I’m gonna protect about 30 trees this year and I have a few questions
1) What advantages do tubes give over a cage
2) What height do you need to protect the tree
3) Are tubes much more expensive?

 

[Stevieray]

I will be planting 24 fruit trees in a few weeks once they arrive from Turkey Creek Trees. I am building 4 foot diameter by 4 foot tall cages from goat fence and will secure with t-post. Each tree will be wrapped with Stark tree guards to protect from rodents. I have 2 foot square weed mats that will be landscape stapled into the ground aroun each tree.

Each cage cost approximately $19 with 3 t-post per cage and tree guards are $2 each.

 

[swat1018]

Fruit trees? I don't tube fruit trees, everything else, a 5' tube. 4' isn't enough. For fruit trees I cut 15' lengths of 5' concrete reinforcing wire and zip tie to a single T post. If you have to use 4' tall material, I would raise it a foot and secure to posts. I train all of my fruit trees and the cage is great to wire limbs down to. Deer still stick their heads through the mesh some, so a larger diameter cage is good.

 

[Chestnut Valley Farms]

I will be planting 24 fruit trees in a few weeks once they arrive from Turkey Creek Trees. I am building 4 foot diameter by 4 foot tall cages from goat fence and will secure with t-post. Each tree will be wrapped with Stark tree guards to protect from rodents. I have 2 foot square weed mats that will be landscape stapled into the ground aroun each tree.

Each cage cost approximately $19 with 3 t-post per cage and tree guards are $2 each.

So what’s mentioned above is basically what i used to do but have since went to a different method.
You can get 18ft cattle panels for $18 a piece around here if you wait till they run a sale. I make one big loop out of them and wire to secure. Makes a nice large diameter cage that is stout enough that i don’t ever secure with a post. They are thick gauge and last forever. A guy can flip the cage right up off the tree the first few yrs to do maintenance. After tree matures you can unwire them and use on more trees. Or just leave them be. As far trunk protection i use aluminum screen that i staple around the trunk.

I use tubes for pear trees but not apples

 

[MarkDarvin]

So I’m trying to decide how I’m gonna protect about 30 trees this year and I have a few questions
1) What advantages do tubes give over a cage
2) What height do you need to protect the tree
3) Are tubes much more expensive?

For me, tubes are better, faster, and cheaper. I have caged trees, but it's because the trees were too big for tubes when I planted them. I did some tubes last year, and it ran about $10-12/tree if I remember right (tube and fiberglass stake). In my area, if you don't have a 6' tube, you won't have trees. Many of my trees in 5' tubes were nipped off.

IMO, go with tubes if your trees are that small. Go with cages if you can't do tubes. But get the right tubes and stakes, or it will all be for nothing. That means a flared top, and a non-wood stake positioned on the inside of the tube. Don't skimp on the weeds mats or pea rock either. When done right, great things happen.

 

[Nebraskaz71]

I went with 5 ft tubes on everything, still wish they were taller, my fruit trees all get 4ft across and 5ft tall cages

 

[cutman]

I will never tube fruit trees again. They grow too tall too quickly and get too heavy, then they are more prone to wind damage. I would cage fruit trees and tube hardwoods.

Caged trees start off slower but catch up.

 

[willy]

The 5' remesh wire from Menards works great for a cage. IMO the cage should be at least two feet(4' diameter) outside of the tree. As you prune your tree up in the years to come you will be able to reduce the cage as the limbs will be above the cage height. Something else I do with my cages as the trees grow is cut wire vertically approx. a foot at the top of the cage to make tabs that I bend out to further keep the deer back from the tree's base and limbs. The tabs are usually around 3 wire squares wide and at least two deep. This has worked great.

When you connect the two ends don't use each tag end to wrap around the other end. You'll wonder why you did that when you go to prune or need to get inside the cage. The tag ends you bent around will rust and break eventually and then you just use the other tag ends that you haven't bent yet to connect the ends.

I have used the tubes but only put them 2' high inside the cage. I don't plan to use tubes anymore for rabbit protection. Instead I am going to buy the 7' plastic green deer fence Menards has and then cut it down and use that at the bottom of the cage. Mice like to nest in the tubes and this invites girdling. I have used chicken wire in the same manner the past couple years and there have been no mice issues nor rabbit issues.

I used drywall for weed protection around my trees last spring. I worked well and perhaps helped somewhat with ph in the surrounding soil. It has since, for the most part, broke down and is in crumbles around the trees.

I have another 13 trees coming from Turkey Creek this weekend and will use the above methods for this years plantings.

 

[Nebraskaz71]

I use the menards wire as well, works good u get 4-5 cages outta a 35 dollar roll. Ill be using it around my turkey creek trees when I get them.

 

[Gator]

So I’m trying to decide how I’m gonna protect about 30 trees this year and I have a few questions
1) What advantages do tubes give over a cage
2) What height do you need to protect the tree
3) Are tubes much more expensive?

What type of trees?

1) Tubes will make your trees grow taller quicker (not good for fruit trees as already mentioned)
2) 5ft IMO minimum
3) Tubes are cheaper than a substantial cage as some above have shown the breakdown in price.

With all of that said, I've never used tubes. I just move cages around as trees no longer need the cage. So my cages have been a one time cost versus tubes that degrade over time.

 

[Chipdasqrrl]

What type of trees?

1) Tubes will make your trees grow taller quicker (not good for fruit trees as already mentioned)
2) 5ft IMO minimum
3) Tubes are cheaper than a substantial cage as some above have shown the breakdown in price.

With all of that said, I've never used tubes. I just move cages around as trees no longer need the cage. So my cages have been a one time cost versus tubes that degrade over time.

They’re white oak trees

Thanks everyone, lots of good info on here


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[TreeDaddy]

timeless debates

fast forward a few and we will still debate tubes v cages,wheat v rye, till v no till, beatles v stones......

bill

 

[willy]

I use the menards wire as well, works good u get 4-5 cages outta a 35 dollar roll. Ill be using it around my turkey creek trees when I get them.

The rolls I buy are 150' and 5' tall. Cost is usually around 80 to 90 depending if one sale. If your getting those same rolls for 35 let me know when the sale is.

 

[Nebraskaz71]

50ft sections at 5ft for 35

 

[cutman]

I caged 14 pear trees today. I tubed them 2 years ago but wasn’t happy with them being in tubes long term. This is what most of them looked like.



Pro of tubes:

1) promote good growth
2) protect from deer
3) cheap/easy to install
4) offer protection when spraying herbicide

Cons:

1) trees grew too tall too fast. Wind made them all lean.
2) impossible to prune without removing tubes
3) fire-ants/pests build nests in tubes

I bought 100 feet of 60” welded wire from Tractor Supply and cut it into 7 foot sections. I bought 15 t-posts - 1 for each cage. I also bought a tree support material called ArborTie by a company called deep root:

http://www.deeproot.com

The plan was to remove the tubes and replace them with small diameter cages. I also planned on using the t-posts as support for the cages AND as anchors to straighten the trees using the Arbor Tie.

I’m happy to report that it was a success. I’m very pleased with the final product.






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[Nebraskaz71]

looks good, i'm worried about all my oaks leaning like that in the tubes as well

 

[TreeDaddy]

Cutman,

My experience was identical to yours

I transitioned to cages because of all the "cons" you describe

I also had to provide support to prevent leaning after tubes removed

I was concerned my tubes were ovens in my sweltering summers and resulted in the demise of many trees

Very happy with cages

bill

 

[H20fwler]

You will like the cages. You should still screen the bottom first couple feet of those trees to keep mice/voles and bunnies from eating bark and girdling them, especially during winter. I've had rabbits in my back yard barely slow down going through that 2"X4" welded wire.

 

[THE LLC]

Fruit trees? I don't tube fruit trees, everything else, a 5' tube. 4' isn't enough. For fruit trees I cut 15' lengths of 5' concrete reinforcing wire and zip tie to a single T post. If you have to use 4' tall material, I would raise it a foot and secure to posts. I train all of my fruit trees and the cage is great to wire limbs down to. Deer still stick their heads through the mesh some, so a larger diameter cage is good.

I tried this and my deer just stuck their heads through the 6" squares. Ended up wrapping each cage with 4 feet of chicken wire and that stopped it.

 

[THE LLC]

Use substantial stakes for your tubes such as rebar or tposts and the "leaning oak" issue won't be a problem. Trust me. I did the whole experience thing--first the treated wood stakes which rotted anyway; second the pvc idea which leaned too much after a couple years; third bamboo stakes which rotted fast, and finally rebar and tposts. I tube everything---even apple trees. Usually after two years I'll replace the apple tree tubes with concrete wire wrapped with chicken wire as described above. With sawtooths I leave the tubes until they rot away. The trees will eventually get big enough to split the tubes.