Tree tubes

There sure are a lot of variety on the market. Choosing the right one isn't easy. Not only the type matters but also the height. I'm weighing various options. I suppose it depends partly on the type of tree. Most people seem to use them to protect trees but some say they will help improve growth if used properly

make sure you get one with holes in the side!

I get mine from Mossy Oak Nativ Nursuries. They work well.

I stopped using them. They made MY trees grow tall to quickly. Were skinny and frail. Wind wold blow them, run on top rim of tree tube and girdle tree. Fireants make a home in the tube and chew the bark off the tree. I just cage my trees now

We stopped using the full length tree tubes for the same reasons as WhiteCliffs, except for the fire ants. We used to put mesh sleeves over the tops of the tubes to keep the birds of of them.

the holes in side in my experience are a entry way for mice. Mice will gnaw them larger to gain access inside the tube.

No fire ants in WI, not a concern.

I could drill or burn tiny air holes

I use the spiral kind. Put them on when bucks start shedding velvet and take them off in the spring. Deer rubs and hard frosts are what im protecting against

I did buy some of those a couple weeks ago and will plan on trying them

In my experience tree tubes they work decently well on hardwoods, but we do not recommend them for fruit trees. Spindly growth if they arent exposed to wind early on and also a place for rodents to live in the Winter. I have seen numerous fruit trees completely girdled inside the tubes if allowed to remain on the trees over Winter especially in deep snow country.

Rodents seem to girdle untubed fruit trees, unless it is rabbits I don't know

Twice this past week I've seen where a bee's nest was in my tree tubes.

When I was on the board with our Glacierland RC and D for 10-15 years we bought and or planted thousands of trees. We used a lot of the tubes (this was late 80s to earlly 2000s) and yes they saved a lot of trees from deer. One of the negative some of the forest owners and foresters saw with the type we bought was the trees seemed to be much more suseptible to really cold weather or hard winters. We orderd several thousand at a time so we used them up. I guess making a tree more susceptable to winter injury is a cost that many were willing to pay so they could make their first summer. 'We don't have a lot of oaks in our area and many land owners wanted some oak and they were really hard to establish here with our deer populations.

Bryce

Interesting Bryce. I hadn't heard that before.

For the oaks I planted this year I might just use a bud cap instead of tubes

I think one of the keys is just getting enough trees growing so that if critters take some it doesn't matter

I do the best I can to meet my MFL requirements.

The folks that rely on tree tubes maybe shouldn't put them out until fall

For people that have problems with deer munching on the foliage that grows above the tubes, it might work to cut some of that bird netting that forestry minded stores sell in big tarp size pieces, and put that over the tree top if people are concerned about deer or elk. I bet it wouldn't hinder the growth.