Incredible Tree Tube Video: THIS is what is possible with tree tubes

Want to see the kind of growth rate on oaks that is possible with Tree Tubes? 

Click here to find out.

If you didn't know that the tree you see is just 3 growing seasons old (since being planted as an 18 inch tall seedling) you'd probably guess it's what... 8 years old?  10? 12?

Tree tubes have the power to make people completely rethink what's possible in terms of tree performance and growth.  Incredible.

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.

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!