Overheard a guy at the supply yard say he never stakes new trees

Honestly, I was picking up some 10-10-10 fertilizer in Springfield last Tuesday and this landscaper was bragging about how he just drops a tree in the hole and walks away. He said staking is a waste of time and wire. Tbh, that's how you get a weak trunk and a lean in two years. Has anyone else had to fix a mess from someone with that mindset?

3 comments

3 Comments

sagey693mo ago

That guy is setting his clients up for failure. Seen it a dozen times, you get a call to straighten a tree that's about to topple. A little support for the first year makes all the difference.

parker_bell1mo ago

I helped a neighbor two years ago with a young maple they planted without any stakes. Come the first big thunderstorm, that thing was leaning like it was trying to take a nap. We got a couple of straps and a solid stake in there just for one growing season. Now it's standing tall and straight on its own. A little temporary help isn't coddling, it's just being practical. You can't expect a sapling to fight off a strong wind all by itself right out of the gate.

margaret_nelson3mo ago

Ugh, what terrible advice. A tree needs to move a bit in the wind to grow strong, but zero support is just asking for trouble. That landscaper is creating his own future repair jobs.