Staking trees is occasionally needed, but newly planted trees will develop stronger trunks if staking is avoided. Think of staking a tree as similar to placing your leg in a cast. A cast is important when your leg needs to be immobilized during healing, but you wouldn’t want to wear a cast for no reason! You would lose mobility and your leg muscles would atrophy. Of course human physiology and tree physiology are different and our analogy isn’t perfect, but the lesson remains. If you stake a tree unnecessarily, you will adversely affect its growth. The tree will sway abnormally in the wind and normal trunk taper will not develop.
Trees Are Intelligent
It may sound counterintuitive, but trees are intelligent. Of course they don’t possess a central nervous system or a brain to process information, but they have all the knowledge they need for success locked away in the nucleus of each cell, in their DNA. Think of it this way, you don’t need to know the molecular details of how to digest your dinner, but your stomach solves your digestive needs without any active thought on your part. Similarly, trees know where to preferentially grow extra wood to provide optimum mechanical support. But if you deprive your tree of the necessary stimuli, the swaying to and fro in a brisk wind, your tree will be tricked. It will not grow the necessary wood on the lower trunk, and it will allocate those resources elsewhere. Artificial support will cause your tree to grow with less trunk taper. When you remove the stakes, the tree is at greater risk of structural failure in high winds. The additional load of a heavy snow or ice storm will destroy a small tree with insufficient trunk taper.
Often when trees are staked, their trunks are secured tightly by wire or small diameter synthetic rope. When the wires or ropes are left on too long, they can easily girdle the stem and severely damage the tree’s ability to transport water, nutrients, and sugars. Sadly, this seems to be the rule and not the exception for trees planted in Hampton Roads. I’ve seen many structural tree failures caused by trunk girdling.
Staking Trees is Occasionally Needed
Staking trees may be necessary when they cannot stand on their own immediately after planting. This happens occasionally when planting in extremely windy landscapes, or if you’re planting trees with large heavy crowns and comparatively small rootballs.
When they’re needed, drive two stakes deeply into the ground outside of your tree’s root ball. Use broad, soft, webbing material and securely but loosely tie the trunk to the stakes. The tree should still be able to sway slightly, an inch or two, where tied. Remove the ties and stakes as soon as possible. You can determine this by grabbing the tree at chest height and gently push the stem back and forth. The stem should bend in a gradual arc and the root ball or root plate should remain motionless. Newly planted trees don’t need artificial support beyond one growing season. Stake only when necessary and your trees will be stronger and healthier.
