Questions on tree guards for fruit trees

16 years ago

as always thx. in advance taking your time to help. I have very young apple, cherry, and plum trees in Central MN.

this is what I think I know from reading:

guards are used because:

1. they protect the young trees from damage by field mice and deer.

2. they protect trees from thaw/freeze damage on the south side

3. protection from mowers

Questions:

1. are 1,2,&3 above correct? other reasons?

2. do the paper trunk wraps provide adequate protection? (doesn't seem like they'd stop a mouse)

3. are the "corrugated" white plastic ones preferred?

4. how far up the trunk should the trunk protector reach?

5. how big does the trunk need to be before protection is no longer necessary?

6. I usually start the trunk protector just below the level of the mulch. should it be deeper? (mulch is pulled away from around the trunk so trunk protector goes down to the dirt)

Again thx for help.

Mark in MN

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Comments (4)

glenn_russell
16 years ago
Hi oldryder-
I use my hardware cloth tree guards to protect against rodent and mower damage.
#3 The white plastic guards were discussed in the link below. That might answer some of your questions about them.
#4 For me, the guards should be tall enough that the animals can't get to the tree, even when it snows.
#5 I think I may always keep the guards on, just to prevent mower damage.
#6, Yeah, that's about all I ever do... just press the hardware cloth down in to the dirt a bit, and then backfill with mulch... Mostly so they don't move around in the weather, and so animals would have to dig a bit to get under them.
I'm sure others will be able to give you better answers than I have!
-Glenn

Here is a link that might be useful: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fruit/msg0109531620564.html
elleau
11 years ago
What will you use it for? What problems concern you about your young trees? The type of tree guards you will choose depend on your purpose. You can check out a variety of tree guards and read where they can be used.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tree Guards
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northwoodswis4
11 years ago
I started out using the spiral plastic guards with the little holes in them. Then, when spring came and I wanted to apply dormant oil spray, I had to pull them all off to spray the trunk. That didn't seem very efficient, so I switched to using hardware cloth. I could just spray right through that. Can also spray white paint right through the hardware cloth. Also I leave it on all year. Apparently borers can hide under the other. And if you forget to remove the spirals, as I did with one tree, they can get too tight and harm the tree.
I notice that many large professional orchards use the white or black plastic tubing, so it can't be all bad, however.
Northwoodswis
alan haigh
11 years ago
The spirals are just cheap and quick, that is their virtue, pure and simple. The plastic only lasts two seasons and they create a mess and aren't particularly earth friendly, but sometimes cheap and quick is seductive enough.

If a tree gets partially strangled, I blame myself for not paying attention. After it happened once, I've paid attention and I'm managing 100's of trees wrapped with the things. Hasn't happened again but my eye for detail is totally invested in the trees.