Let me preface this by saying that I
have rarely, if ever, staked a tree that I have planted in a
home landscape. If you dig a proper
hole and plant the tree
during a dormant season, you generally will not need to
stake it. However, If you are planting a tree with a large
canopy filled with foliage and it is located in a site that
receives direct, heavy winds or is in an area where a lot of
kids are liable to play on it, you may need to stake a tree.
Remember to use some type of soft material such as a piece
of garden hose, soft rubber belts or fabric strapping
instead of metal wires to wrap around the trunk. Wire and
even plastic rope will scrape the bark and may cause severe
damage over time.
Staking on trees should be a TEMPORARY arrangement. It
should only be left on the tree for one growing season. If
the tree will not stand upright on its own after that amount
of time, there are more serious problems going on. Usually,
this means that the roots on the transplanted tree are not
re-establishing themselves properly. This will often portend
more long term problems for the tree.
