It's best not to re-use tree tubes... but if you're determined to re-use them here are two ways to do it

This post is long overdue.  The single biggest mistake tree planters make when using tree tubes is that they remove them too soon.  As we have discussed, tree tubes are meant to fill three roles throughout the course of their life:  Establishment, support and bark protection.

In the establishment phase (1 to 3 years) the tree tubes protect seedlings from animals, reduce moisture stress (to enhance survival and growth) and shield seedlings from herbicide & mowers, to get seedlings off to a successful start.

At the point in time that the trees emerge from the tree tubes they will have a thinner stem relative to their height than trees planted without tree tubes (the difference being, of course, that trees planted without tree tubes often NEVER reach that height).  Tree tubes are DESIGNED to stay in place to support the trunk of the tree after it emerges from the tube, until the trunk thickens up.

Even when the trees are self-supporting they are still at risk for bark damage from deer (buck rub) and rodents.  Tree tubes are meant to be left in place for continued bark protection until the trees reach 3 inches in diameter at the base, at which time the tubes should be removed and disposed of.

HOWEVER.  Tree tubes are a significant investment for the hobbyist tree planter, and the idea of re-using tree tubes is very tempting... or even in some cases necessary.  Keep in mind that every time you remove a tree tube before it has completed its full job of getting the tree to 3 inch basal diameter you are taking the risk that something will happen - wind storm that breaks the stem, buck rub, gnawing rodents, mower damage - that will either set the tree back or even kill it.

The sooner after emergence you remove the tree tube the greatest the risk to the tree.  Tree planters have been successful using two different methods of re-using tree tubes. 

Good (highest risk but also highest number of uses for each tree tube):  Remove the tree tube shortly after the tree emerges, but tie the tree to the stake you were using to support the tree tube.  Preferably this would be a flexible stake like pvc.  I´m not a huge fan of this practice – I don´t like staking trees and of course it exposes the tree to rodent and deer damage.  But I have many customers doing this successfully and it does mean you can use the tubes two or three times.

 Better (less risk and affords opportunity to re-use the tree tube once):  After the tree emerges wait at least one full growing season and then remove the tube.  Especially when using pvc stakes the tree will gain a lot of caliper in that first growing season after emerging from the tube, and should be self supporting at that point.  The advantage is the ability to reuse the tube (and probably the stake if the tree can stand alone); the disadvantage again is exposing the bark to rodents and deer damage.

Best of all, of course is to keep the tree tubes on until the trees reach 3 inches in basal diameter.  At that stage you can remove the tree tube knowing it has completed the three functions for which it was designed, and safe in the knowledge that the tree is successfully established.

But if budgetary restrictions mean you have to re-use tree tubes in order to meet your planting goals, these guidelines will help you weight the risks of the various methods and will give you the best chance for success.

4ft Tree Tubes - Still the "workhorse" tree tube height

Recent years has seen a skewing of tree tube sales from 3ft and 4ft heights to 5ft and even 6ft heights.  This is indicative of two factors:

1) The deer population continues to grow virtually unchecked, putting more and higher browse pressure on tree seedlings.

2) Tree tubes are increasingly being used by sportsmen to improve wildlife habitat which means

• They really care about the success of each individual tree, and the speed with which it will begin producing mast
• They are planting tree species that are especially attractive to deer like fruit and nut trees
• They are planting in places with high concentrations of (hopefully!) very large deer

In light of these trends it's not surprising to see an up-tick in the market share of 5ft tree tubes.  However, it's important to note that 4ft tree tubes still represent by far the lion's share of the tree tube market.  The 4ft tree tube is still the workhorse product that's getting it done, especially on large scale projects.

The reason is simple:  In the majority of cases 4ft tubes provide all of the deer browse protection needed for success.  Wilson Forestry Supply's web site puts it in perspective well:

• 4ft Tubex Combitube Plus Tree Tubes provide enough protection to grow trees past the deer browse line about 75% of the time.  Deer can browse trees emerging from 4ft tree tubes.  In most cases the tree will have enough stored energy to send a rapid growth shoot past the deer browse line.  However, in some areas deer will repeatedly browse trees as they emerge from 4ft tree tubes, not allowing them to grow taller.  In these cases the protection of the 4ft tube can be supplemented either with deer repellent or a 2ft Tubextender kit (sold separately).
• 5ft Tubex Combitube Plus Tree Tubes provide enough protection from deer approximately 90% of the time.  In areas with extremely high deer densities, the deer can browse trees as they emerge from 5ft tree tubes.  Cases of deer browsing trees emerging from 5ft tree tubes are most common with fruit trees such as apples, crabapples, pear, etc.
• 6ft Tubex Combitube Plus Tree Tubes provide enough protection from deer 99.87% of the time (OK, we made that up, but 6ft tubes are as close to complete deer protection as you can get).

 All tree planters have a limited, finite budget.  All tree planters want to accomplish as much as possible within that budget.  Given that, and in the face of deer browse pressure, there are two entirely reasonable approaches, both of which end with success:

1) Use 4ft Tree Tubes to optimize the number of seedlings you can plant and protect within your budget.  Then, if the trees get browsed heavily upon emergence from the tubes, supplement the browse protection with either a deer repellent or a 2ft Tree Tube Extender.  This is a way to spread out the cost over a span of a few years.

2) Use 5ft Tree Tubes and protect a smaller number of seedlings within your budget, but know with (almost) certainty that you will not have to supplement that level of deer browse protection.

Actually, there's a third way - one which probably makes the most sense of all:  Strategic deployment of 5ft or 6ft tubes.  If you are planting a field of trees, the deer do not browse them equally.  They hit certain species (fruit trees in particular, such as crab apples) harder than others.  They browse more heavily along creeks and alongside woods and cover.  A very effective strategy is to use 5ft or 6ft tree tubes on trees that are the most "at risk" based on species or location, and 4ft tubes on the rest.

This argues heavily in favor of choosing a tree tube supplier that offers a range of sizes and lets you order any quantity of mixed sizes, so that you can customize your planting to your exact needs, budget and goals.

When to remove tree tubes

Probably the biggest area of confusion about using tree tubes is when to remove them.  The most frequent mistake tree planters make when using tree tubes is removing them too soon, before they have completed their task of successfully establishing a tree.

There has been a lot of discussion about this issue recently on sportsman's online forums.  A common complaint seems to be that the tree planter, eager to remove (and perhaps reuse) the tree tubes, removes them as soon as the trees emerge from the tubes - only to find that the trees are not fully self-supporting.  They "flop over."

Tree tubes designed to fulfill three functions at different stages of a seedling's development.

1) Establishment - tree tubes protect newly planted seedlings from deer, rabbit and rodent damage, reduce moisture stress to dramatically increase survival rates and accelerate growth, and shield them from herbicide spray and/or mowers to make weed control fast and easy (or even, in many cases, possible).

2) Support - the introduction of vented tree tubes and the adoption of flexible tree tube stakes such as pvc conduit has resulted in a dramatic increase in the stem diameter of trees when the emerge from tree tubes.  However, since we're still talking about growing a tree up through an enclosed space to rapidly pierce the browse line, trees that have recently emerged from tree tubes are quite thin-stemmed relative to their height.

That's why tree tubes - at least good tree tubes - are designed to last several years.  When the tree emerges the tree tubes assumes a new role, that of trunk support.  Tree tubes are meant to be left in place to support the tree while the newly emerged canopy sways in the wind and the trunk rapidly gains caliper.

3) Trunk/Bark Protection - A year or two after emerging from the tree tube the tree will be completely self supporting.  Even then the tree tube still has a role to play in the successful long term establishment of the tree.  Bucks love to scrape and rub their antlers against springy saplings.  Rodent still gnaw on the tender bark of young trees.  Treeshelters protect the trunk of the newly established tree from these dangers.

To gain the full spectrum of benefits tree tubes can provide, they should be left on young trees until they reach about 3 inches in diameter at the base, at which point the tree tubes should be removed and properly disposed of or recycled.

Does that mean you can't reuse tree tubes?  Not at all.  Given the cost of tree tubes - and tree planting in general - and the fact that most folks are trying to achieve as much as they can within very limited planting budgets, it is natural to want to establish more than one tree with each tree tube.

In the next post we will cover three methods for reusing tree tubes, and weigh the risk and benefits of each.

More Tree Tube How-to Videos

For the very best "how to" videos about tree tubes on the web, visit Mossy Oak Nativ Nurseries' web site.  They very typically get 5, 6 or even 7 feet of growth in the first growing season after planting their hybrid oak seedlings.  There's no magic to it.  That's the kind of growth most trees are capable of if we as tree planters eliminate all of things - the stresses - the prevent them from growing to their full potential.

Tree Tubes: Which end is up?

Some tree tubes don't have a "top" or a "bottom," which is good in that they can't be installed incorrectly.  It's probably also bad in that it means they lacked a specially flared rim designed to prevent abrasion of the tender bark of emerging trees.

Higher quality tree tubes do have an "up" and a "down."  They have a specially made rim designed to protect the bark of emerging trees from abrasion.  However it also means they can be installed wrong side up.  In fact, I have seen tree tube brochures and web sites sporting photographs of tree tubes installed upside down!

Thankfully one of the top tree tube sellers in the US has posted a helpful blog post and video to clear up the up/down confusion!

Never a bad time to apply Tree Tubes

One common misconception about Tree Tubes is that they can only be applied to newly planted seedlings, right at the time of planting.

Fact is, there's never a bad time to apply tree tubes, as this excellent You Tube video from Tree Protection Supply demonstrates.

There are so many small trees out there - both planted in previous seasons and naturally regenerated "volunteers" - that could benefit greatly from tree tubes.

Rule of thumb:  As long as you have a living root system and a tree tube you can grow a great tree.

Those oak or black walnut or crab apple seedlings you planted three years ago that the deer have kept browsed to ankle height?  Prune them to a single stem and put a tree tube on them.

Those "volunteer" oaks you find when hunting, after bush hogging or just when out for a walk?  Carry some flagging tape with you to mark them, and then go back out with pruning shears and tree tubes in hand.

In both cases you have a big, strong root system that just needs the protection of a tree tube in order to express itself.  Landowners often can't believe how fast these trees grow in the year after tubing them.

Rejuvenating struggling seedlings is one of the most rewarding uses of tree tubes.

Tree Tubes Pro's and Con's: A Grower's Perspective

Here's a really interesting blog post on tree tubes from a grower with hand-on experience.

Click here.

Two great video channels to learn about tree tubes

Tree tubes are a "seeing is believing" kind of product... which made it a little difficult back in the olden days to fully explain them to prospective customers via a printed catalog or over the phone.  I always used to catch myself gesturing to someone I was talking to on the phone in a pathetic attempt to explain how fast their trees would grow in tree tubes, only to realize that of course gestures are about as helpful in a phone conversation a they are over the radio... or when using smoke signals.

I used to love landowner field days, because they gave me an opportunity to demonstrate how tree tubes work in person to a small group of interested tree growers.  It was a whole lot better than talking on the phone, and the potluck lunches were always a highlight, but it still wasn't the most efficient way to get the tree tube message out there - driving hundreds of miles to talk to a group of 12 to 24 folks.

These days it's so easy to get that same message out to thousands of people, just for the cost of a few pixels, thanks to You Tube.

Here are two great You Tube Channels that focus on tree planting and the use of tree tubes:

Mossy Oak Nativ Nurseries Seedling and Tree Tubes Channel

Tree Protection Supply Tree Tubes Channel

At both places you'll find a wealth of information from the most knowledgeable guys in the business!

Extending 4ft Tree Tubes

Expanding on our recent theme of choosing the best tree tube height, here's a great post from Tree Protection Supply on their new Tree Tube Extender product.

4ft tubes provide enough deer browse protection 75% of the time.
5ft tubes provide enough deer browse protection 90% of the time.

A perfectly legitimate strategy is to start with 4ft tree tubes and then, if deer start browsing trees as they emerge from the tubes, use a 2ft tree tube extender to get another 2ft of protection - not to mention another year of very accelerated growth.

Chances are the deer will only browse certain species as they emerge from the tubes, or will only browse in certain places (such as next to the field where they bed down, along a creek, etc.) so you might only need tube extenders for a small percentage of your 4ft tree tubes.

PVC tree tube stakes make this easy, because you can just snap a 2ft extension to the the top of the 4ft stake, and you're good to go.

It's so cool to see so many tree tube companies getting on board with the vented tree tube plus PVC stake combination - and more importantly to see so many landowners reaping the benefits!

Tree Tubes for Deer Protection: Choosing the right height

One of the most frequently asked question by new users of tree tubes is:  Should I use 4ft or 5ft tall tree tubes for deer browse protection?
 
Tree tube suppliers have traditionally explained how to choose the correct tree tube height is by suggesting that tree planters use 4ft tree tubes to protect from "moderate" deer browse, and 5ft tree tubes to protect from "heavy" or "severe" deer browse.  (Presumably that means that newly-introduced 6ft tree tubes should be used for "super mega wicked bad" deer browse!)

This "moderate, heavy, extra heavy" deer browse approach to choosing the right tree tube height is based on the ridiculous assumption that the landowner can actually know - in advance - how bad the deer browse level is going to be a year or two down the road when the trees emerge from their tree tubes.  That is asking the impossible.  

So I gave myself the task of coming up with a more rational way to explain to new - and old - tree tube users how to decide which height of tree tube will work best for them.  Here is what I came up with:

​Basis:  All tree tubes provide some level of deer browse protection.

4ft tree tubes provide enough deer protection for successful establishment 75% of the time.

5ft tree tubes provide enough deer protection for successful establishment 90% of the time.

6ft tree tubes provide enough deer protection for successful establishment 100% of the time.


​Decision Tree:  ​There are three equally legitimate strategies for using tree tubes to grow trees past the deer browse line:

1) You can save money (or protect more trees within you budget) by using 4ft tubes.  There is a 25% chance that the deer will browse emerging trees heavily enough that you will have to either treat them with a deer repellent or add a 2ft "tube extender" to get your trees past the browse line.

Note:  Some tree tube suppliers state that 4ft tree tubes do not protect against deer.  That is patently absurd, since 75% of the time 4ft tubes provide enough deer protection, and the rest of the time a treatment of deer repellent or the use of  a tree tube extender get the tree past the browse line.  To say that 4ft tree tubes do not protect from deer is like saying LeBron James never makes a free throw since he misses once in a while.

2) Spend a little more up front on 5ft tubes.  That added 1ft of browse protection is an insurance policy,  leaving only a 10% chance that you will need to provide additional protection for your trees after they emerge from the tubes.

3) Go with 6ft tubes and remove all doubt.  


I believe that this decision tree provides a more logical framework for decision making.  As a tree planter you can protect more trees with 4ft tree tubes within your current budget, but you might need to go back and provide more protection in the future, or you can protect fewer trees with 5ft or even 6ft tree tubes and reduce the possibility that the trees will need supplemental protection down the road.

 Both are perfectly legitimate strategies for successful tree establishment in the face of increasing deer pressure - and both make a lot more sense than expecting land owners to predict if their trees will face "moderate" or "heavy" deer browse in the future.  All deer browse seems "heavy" to the tree that gets munched!

Tree Tubes - Dozens of Uses

In 23 years of working with tree tubes I have never really sat down and listed all of the ways in which they are used.  I'm going to try to remedy that here in this post.

1) Hardwood reforestation

2) Windbreak & shelterbelt plantings

3) Riparian zone restoration plantings

4) Wildlife habitat (food plot) plantings

5) Mitigation banking

6) Orchard establishment

7) Mine reclamation

8) Ecological restoration

9) Urban & landscape plantings

10) Timber stand improvement

12) Nursery production


 I know, I said "dozens" of applications for tree tubes, but only listed an even dozen.  Here's the thing:  within each of these dozen applications are dozens more specific uses.  For example, orchard establishment encompasses everything from planting pistachios in the sun-baked San Joaquin Valley of California, to planting a field of anti-oxidant rich Aronia berry in Missouri (speaking of which, switching the common name away from "chokeberry" was probably a good marketing move on someone's part!), to a back yard orchard of heirloom apples in New York... and everything in between.

So in upcoming posts I'll take one of these categories and look at the history of tree tube use for that application, cover some case studies, and offer some tips for success.

Come back soon!

Your New Clearing House For All Things Tree Tube Related!

Welcome to Tree Tubes Forum!

This site is intended to be a clearing house of information on Tree Tubes - in our humble opinion the most revolutionary development in tree planting since... well, since the acorn/nut/seed.

In this blog we'll be looking at:

The history of tree tubes (a.k.a. treeshelters or tree protectors, depending on who you talk to!) - How a "hare brained" idea by a British forester took the tree planting world by storm, and how key innovations and design changes adapted tree tubes for use in the extreme climates of North America.

Tree tube design - We'll go in depth into what makes a superior tree tube.  Does color matter?  The importance of proper ventilation.  Durability.  UV resistance.  Degradability. 

Tree tube tips - How to get the best performance from your newly planted trees and tree tubes.

Grower stories - Make this your place to brag up your tree planting project!  Got an oak that grew 6 feet in one summer in a tree tube?  Tell us about it!  We'll cover grower stories, from commercial forestry operations using tree tubes to successfully establish high quality hardwood trees in the face of unprecedented levels of deer browse, to private landowners planting trees to turn their land into a wildlife paradise, to homeowners who have figured out that's it's a whole lot smarter to plant a small seedling with a tree tube as compared to a big tree grown in a nursery.

In short this blog will be your info source for how to get from seedling to tree faster than you ever dreamed possible... Consider this blog the "Hot Rod Magazine" of tree planting.

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