Schlatter Family Site

Final Steps
in
Planting a Tree:
Mulch and Stakes

After planting a tree, I always stake the tree to support it and mulch around the base to keep out weeds and keep in moisture.  This article shows photos of how I do things.

Staking a newly-planted tree

Newly-planted trees need 2-4 years to establish a solid, stable root system that is capable of supporting the tree.  In these early years, the tree needs some assistance with holding itself up and that's why newly-planted trees are staked and tied.

This is how I do it, using my zelkova tree as a sample.  This tree is about 12 feet tall with a trunk about 3 inches in diameter.  This article described how I planted the tree.  The following photos show how I stake a tree.

This photo shows the zelkova tree and its support stakes.  Note there are three stakes set into a triangle around the tree so it is supported in all directions.  The green material running from the stakes to the tree is described later but note that it's tight enough to hold the tree upright but not so tight that it binds the tree or prevents all movement -- you want the tree to move a little in the wind because that movement helps strengthen the tree trunk.

This is the type of stake I use -- it's a steel stake used to erect temporary fences.  These stakes come in various lengths from 4 feet up to 8 feet -- I use either 4- or 5-foot stakes and drive them into the ground about one foot.

This picture shows how I tie the tree to the stakes.  The material that I use instead of rope or twine is a woven nylon tape that I purchase from a local garden supply center -- it costs 10 cents a foot, is about 3/4 inch wide.  Instead of tying knots in the nylon tape, I use nylon cable ties (sometimes called "zip ties") that are used by electricians to hold bundles of wires and cables together.  These nylon ties have locking teeth in them that, once tightened, do not let go.  I find it easier to loop the tape around the tree and secure the tape with a nylon tie rather than trying to tie a knot in the tape.

Note that the tape/rope/twine used to secure the tree to the stakes is formed into a loop around the tree trunk but it's loose enough for the trunk to grow.  I don't put any slack in the tape between the stake and the tree but I don't pull the tape tight -- these are not guy wires like those that hold up power poles -- these are simply a way to keep the tree from swaying wildly in the wind.  You want the tree to move a little bit because that movement strengthens the wood in the trunk.

Finally, I put mulch around the tree

Why mulch?  Three reasons.

1. Mulch helps the soil retain moisture.  With mulch, the soil around the tree will not dry out and your new tree needs moisture.

2. Mulch keeps out weeds.  Nothing will grow through the mulch, so, you don't have a problem with grass and weeds competing with the tree for food and water.

3. Mulch protects the tree from your lawn mower.  The greatest danger to a newly-planted tree is lawn mower damage -- mowers bang into the tree trunk, damaging the bark.  This damaged bark causes two problems.  (1)  Insects and disease enter through cuts in the bark.  (2) The cambium layer just beneath the bark is the trees lifeline -- food and water from the soil move up the tree through this layer and if the bark is split, the cambium layer is exposed and the tree is not able to transport food and water to its branches, thus killing the tree.  Mulch keeps lawn mowers away from tree trunks.

How much mulch?  3-4 inches deep.  Cover the dirt that you used to fill the hole into which the tree was planted -- if you run the mulch out into the lawn, that's okay, but you want the soil covered.

Notice that there's a ring around the tree inside the mulch where there is no mulch.  DO NOT PUT MULCH UP AGAINST THE TREE TRUNK.  Why not? Because -- little creature such as field mice, moles, voles, and termites live in the mulch.  If the tree trunk is buried in mulch, these critters will eat their way to the trunk then they will eat the bark off the tree trunk.  You won't see the damage because their activity is hidden by the mulch.  So, keep the mulch 3-4 inches away from the tree trunk.

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