Sometimes, the recently planted trees and plants in our gardens need a little support by staking them properly. Strong winds, newly cultivated soft garden soil, or too much rain making the ground soft, are all reasons for giving plants a bit of extra support. This is especially so for young, thin stemmed saplings, or larger transplanted trees, tall Aloes or other plants that we need to help to grow straight and strong while they are establishing themselves. Here are a few tips on how to successfully stake young trees and other indigenous garden plants.
Choose the right size and thickness of stake for your plant. A stake that is too small offers insufficient support and may break or come loose in strong wind.
Insert at least one third and up to half of the stake into the ground so that it remains sturdy and in place. The softer the ground, the further the stake will need to be inserted in the soil.
The stake should be at least 8cm away from the plant it is supporting for small plants, and up to 50cm to 1 m away from large, thick stemmed plants. If it is too close to the plant, it will rub on and remove the bark. Particularly with young plants, this could damage and eventually kill the plant.
We stake our bagged plants right up against the stem of the plant due to the nature of them being moved around the nursery in their bags. Once they are in your garden, make sure the stake is moved away from the plant in order for the stem to strengthen.
For smaller plants needing only light support as they establish themselves, a single plant stake is fine.
Heavy, thick stemmed plants that have been newly planted / transplanted, may need two opposing stakes, and sometimes even a third stake to prevent them from toppling over while their roots grow and establish themselves enough to support their own weight.
Most plant stakes are made from either metal or wood. For the most part, wooden plant stakes are sufficient for the size of plants bought from your local nursery, but they need to be checked every few months as older stakes may have rotted off below ground. Treated stakes will not decompose as quickly and therefore last a lot longer.
The ties connecting the plant to the supporting stake are as important as the support itself. Place the tie just above a branchlet on the plant if possible and tie it firmly to the stake so it doesn’t slip down.
Make a tie in a figure of eight. This allows some movement of the tree which is vital to the development of a strong stem, while holding the stake away from the plant stem, thus preventing rubbing and damage to the bark. Threading a section of hosepipe over the thin tie around the plant stem will stop the tie from cutting into the bark.
String, strips of pantihose, rope and even wire are all used as ties to attach plants to the plant stake. There are many commercially available clips, ties and coiled plastic that attach plants to their supports. These are ideal for small potted or bagged plants.
Check that the tie is not too tight or causing damage to the plant where the tree stem is attached to the stake. When plant ties get too tight, they cut into the cambium (area just under the outer bark that carries nutrients up and down the plant), preventing the movement of food and water and therefore killing or severely damaging the plant.
Check the ties at least twice a year to prevent them becoming too tight and damaging the stem. Remove stakes and ties as soon as the plant can support itself.
For any additional advice, or to purchase wooden plant stakes, contact Random Harvest Indigenous Nursery on [email protected] or call us on 082 553 0598
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