Protecting seedlings

[bishs]

I have used many different ideas for protecting seedlings from browsing deer. Most of them worked to some degree; but there was always a draw back. I have used tree tubes with success, but there are a lot of issues with tubes that a I don't like. I have problems with deer mice nesting in the bottom of these tubes and using the seedlings trunk as a mid-winter snack. With tubes the trees grow tall fast, and you end up with a tall weak tree, that need to be supported for a few more years.

I buy a 2 foot wide roll of chicken wire, and cut it into lengths 3 feet long. Then I roll each piece into a tube, 2 foot tall. I use the cut ends of the wire to bend and connect them to the other side. I pound a 4 foot re-bar 1 foot into the ground next to the seedling. I slide the tube over the rebar by weaving it through the rebar several times. The rebar never rots and snaps off like wood, and it can be re-used again and again.

Once or twice Through the summer I will slide the cage a few inches up the rebar. The resisitance from being weaved through the wire will hold it there. This upward sliding, will pull any new branches back into the tube. I continue sliding the tube up as needed to protect the tree. The wind has no effect on these cages, and allows you to slide the cage up high with little support. Some of my crabapples are 4 feet tall, and the cages are slid up and the rebar is removed. These trees can support the cage themselves. The cage will be coming off these trees this summer.

Quite often we are fooled by how much browsing is going on. We will see nipped ends, but don't realize how much of the tree is getting effected.

I have been using the cages on Zumi and Siberian crabapples and they are working better than expected. The trees are growing 2-3 times faster, since they have been protected. I have not had any cages come off, or tip the trees over. In heavy rabbit areas, you may want taller cages, or protect the bottoms with tree wrap, to protect from girdling.

I posted a similar post last year, just wanted to bring it up again, the results are so positive.

[Luv2hunteup]

Thanks for the reminder.

If you can find it free, concrete reinforcement mesh works great as a deer enclosure.

Here's a little tip for mice and rabbits. Paint the bottom couple of feet of trunk with a mixture of white latex paint and Tabasco sauce.

[chasmo54]

I have used many different ideas for protecting seedlings from browsing deer. Most of them worked to some degree; but there was always a draw back. I have used tree tubes with success, but there are a lot of issues with tubes that a I don't like. I have problems with deer mice nesting in the bottom of these tubes and using the seedlings trunk as a mid-winter snack. With tubes the trees grow tall fast, and you end up with a tall weak tree, that need to be supported for a few more years.

Thanks for the information Bishs and if I can chime in with a little "Add to info" that I have learned working with tubes, trees and fence that you may find useful. I discovered that if I add chips around the tubes thicker than most recommend, about 6-8" and no less than 3 feet around the tube it does a couple of things. First, it holds the tube down tight to the ground sealing the bottom. This helps prevents what I refer to as the chimney effect of an updraft when the tube loses contact with the ground. A windy day can cause the tubes to walk up your stake. This updraft prevents the condensation collecting process that waters your tree during dry spells and the beneficial build up of carbon dioxide that accelerates the growth of your tree including caliper. The slight space also creates the access point for most deer mice to set up shop for the winter. I have occasionally see where the mice chewed their way in but not very often maybe 1 in 500.
Secondly, mulch keeps the roots of your tree cool, provides moisture, helps fertilizers leach to the ground slower, and helps slow fertilizers from volatizing into the atmosphere.
The weak or leggy tree is beneficial believe it or not. The veneer growers learned years ago to use tubes to get a straight tree critical in investment grade veneer quality trees. This will make your non-investment type trees more valuable as well. The weak or leggy phase doesn’t last long. When the tree exits the tube and starts to develop it’s canopy the leafs will start to catch the wind much like sail. This will cause the tree to start wiggling in the wind and this movement directly effects caliper growth exponentially. Leaving the tube on until it breaks apart discouraging buck rubs and continues to provide protection from mice and rabbits. The tubes can accelerate the growth of a seedling dramatically. I have seen routinely seedlings have three growth flushes in a single season compared to only one without the tubes, seedling coming out of the top of a 5’ tube in one year is my primary reason “not only” for the use of grow tubes and my motivation to help you and others try this practice of a deep mulch. Your use of the fence is excellent advice that I will be using on some of my non-dominant central leader type plants (bushes, apples). Lastly tubes must be solid without seems, ventilated, and 60” tall minimum.

[Lew]

For apple trees I use fence 2' in dia. or about 6' of fence per tree, 5-6' high with 2 to 3 steel stakes to keep the deer away. For mice vols, I add a 4" dia. hardware cloth shield up abour a foot. This has worked very successfully for me. However, I now have a new problem. The trees are now big enough that they are producing apples and a new pest has entered the picture, BEARS. They just take the tree and cage and bend it over and snap off the trunk to get at the apples. For the trees I have left still in shape to produce apples this year, I need to come up with a plan. Any suggestion ????? Lew

[chasmo54]

I know of a strategy used on whitetails that might just work for Bear.
Try puting on the ground some reinforce welded wire used in the cement trade to help control cracking. It's cheap, comes in sheets and will fit in a pickup bed. Install the wire in such a way that it lays unevenly. Whitetails get the feeling of being intrapped and avoid this unfamilar footing. This might work with bears???

[Lew]

C54, Sounds like it might work. I will have to see if I can find some and work out a system to stake it around a tree

[chasmo54]

C54, Sounds like it might work. I will have to see if I can find some and work out a system to stake it around a tree
Lew, I would just bend it in a random crumpled clumping fashion to start with!

[fairfax1]

The wonderful grounds donated and funded by the Morton family (salt) in one of the western suburbs of Chicago uses this concrete wire to protect their large collection of young crabapples. There are a lot of deer in this area near the Fox River and evidently it is working. When I was last there ..in May.. I saw no evidence of browsing other than the twigs or limbs that had extended beyond the wire enclosure.

By the way, Morton creates a circular fence by standing this wire on edge and supporting it with 4' treated stakes ..grapestakes we used to call 'em.

I intend to plant several hybrid oaks and a few crabapples on my place in Michigan this spring and plan on using this wire....along with the sawdust mulching suggestion that Chasmo recently posted.


PS.........speaking of crabapples: Anybody want to share their experiences? ....wait a minute.....not here, I'll post it in a separate thread.

[bishs]

Tree planting time, thought I would bring this back up.

[M1Garand]

We've used this stuff on 1-2' white cedar trees:

http://www.plantskydd.com/

We had problems trying to plant in the past due to the number of deer and the fact that they love white cedar in the winter. Worked like a charm.

[James P. Bipps]

I have used many different ideas for protecting seedlings from browsing deer. Most of them worked to some degree; but there was always a draw back. I have used tree tubes with success, but there are a lot of issues with tubes that a I don't like. I have problems with deer mice nesting in the bottom of these tubes and using the seedlings trunk as a mid-winter snack. With tubes the trees grow tall fast, and you end up with a tall weak tree, that need to be supported for a few more years.

I buy a 2 foot wide roll of chicken wire, and cut it into lengths 3 feet long. Then I roll each piece into a tube, 2 foot tall. I use the cut ends of the wire to bend and connect them to the other side. I pound a 4 foot re-bar 1 foot into the ground next to the seedling. I slide the tube over the rebar by weaving it through the rebar several times. The rebar never rots and snaps off like wood, and it can be re-used again and again.

Once or twice Through the summer I will slide the cage a few inches up the rebar. The resisitance from being weaved through the wire will hold it there. This upward sliding, will pull any new branches back into the tube. I continue sliding the tube up as needed to protect the tree. The wind has no effect on these cages, and allows you to slide the cage up high with little support. Some of my crabapples are 4 feet tall, and the cages are slid up and the rebar is removed. These trees can support the cage themselves. The cage will be coming off these trees this summer.

Quite often we are fooled by how much browsing is going on. We will see nipped ends, but don't realize how much of the tree is getting effected.

I have been using the cages on Zumi and Siberian crabapples and they are working better than expected. The trees are growing 2-3 times faster, since they have been protected. I have not had any cages come off, or tip the trees over. In heavy rabbit areas, you may want taller cages, or protect the bottoms with tree wrap, to protect from girdling.

I posted a similar post last year, just wanted to bring it up again, the results are so positive.

Bishs,

I see this post is several years old and I am wondering if this is still your "preferred" method of protecting crabapple trees? I have seen your similar posts on the QDMA forum.
What works best for lower truck protection from mice/rabbits? (tree wrap/field tile?)
How long is the "cage" left on? Won't the deer eat the crabapple tree itself if it's "unprotected?
What size rebar (1/2") works best?

I guess I am just asking for an update as this seems to be the easiest and certainly most cost-effective way I've read about to protect crabapple trees.

JPB

[bishs]

It works well, when the tree gets 2 feet tall, I put a section of field drain tile slit up the side to protect the trunk. Then keep sliding the cages up as needed. Yesterday I went out and pulled the cages off some that are now over 4 feet tall.

This also works real well:
Plant crab apples in a garden 6 inches apart, dump a few inches of mulch around them. You can water them to spped growth, but isn't needed with the mulch, unless you get a drought. The trees will grow tall fast, planted this close. They will b 4 feet tall in a few years. Then you can dig them up with ball attached and plant them. Then place plastic tile around trunk. I have crab apples with 6" diameter trunks with the tile still aorund them. They just expand as tree grows. Place a short fence around the garden to keep rabbits back.

Deer will browse the previous summer's growth. The rest of the tree will not be bothered under normal conditiond.

[James P. Bipps]

Thank you bishs,

I just wanted a little reassurance, since this seems so different from what people typically post on how they protect their regular apple trees, crabapple leaves and trunks must not be as "tasty" as regular apple trees. People tend to post about using 5-6 foot high structures for years on end.

JPB

[bishs]

The crab apples I have planted are sought after as much as my apple trees. I keep the trunks protected on both for long term. When I pull the cages off its usually the end of winter and the trees are 4 feet tall. These trees will be 6 feet tall by summer's end and above next year's browse heights. I do the same with my apple trees. When deer numbers are too high, it may be nearly impossible to grow browse preffered species.
Good Luck,