You can accomplish your staking with a very low diagonal stake that crosses the tree at 6-8" above the ground. Do a figure eight around the tree and the stake with a length of garden hose with a piece of nylon rope running through it for cinching. Make sure that the stake is on the side from which the dominant wind comes (so the tree isn't constantly trying to rub against the stake). This will secure your root system while allowing the top to sway in the wind and strengthen itself.
hortster

do not confuse.. blowing in the wind.. which trees are supposed to do ...

with a rocking of the root mass ...

ITS A SOIL ISSUE ....

in my sand... bare root ... with gobs of water.. i can make a draining near-cement like soil structure .... and have never had to stake anything under 6 feet ...

in clay ... i can imagine that opposite horror story .. and the need to stake ..

make any sense???

you dont really tell us how big your plants are.. nor your soil type.. nor if they are bare root ... potted ... or BBurlap ...

so if you want to move forward .. we would need more info

ken

bare root.

SIze is around 4ft tall, maybe an inch or so in diameter trunk.

not sure how to describe my soil structure other than average southern wisconsin top soil. Not sandy at all, maybe slightly clayish. I planted the trees in hole and filled with a mixture on existing soil, manure, and peat moss.

This post was edited by ranger481vs on Wed, May 8, 13 at 18:08

had you not amended.. and used native soil .. odds are.. they would not have needed to be staked ...

maybe junkie can speak to your soil type ...

ken