Many of my posts have been about how there has been a sea change in the acceptance of tree tubes over the past few years; how they are standard operating procedure for successful tree planting. One way this has become evident is in the number of high quality tree seedling nurseries that offer - and highly recommend - tree tubes to their customers.
That's a change from the past. When tree tubes were first introduced to the USA in the late 1980's nurseries were generally slow to embrace the technology. There were several reasons for this. One reason was that, for a nursery, offering treeshelters to its customers meant openly discussing the "elephant in the room" that everyone knew was there but no one want to discuss: The high level of deer browse, and the likelihood that the seedlings customers planted would get browsed off. It really wasn't a matter of nurseries thinking that deer browse would mean that customers would keep buying more trees to replace those that were eaten; all nurseries want their customers to be successful. It was more a matter of nurseries worrying that openly discussing the threat of deer browse and recommending tree tubes as the solution would 1) discourage people from planting trees in the first place, and 2) would drive the cost of tree planting past what people were willing to spend.
Fast forward to 2011 and many things have changed:
1) The population density - and therefore the severity of deer browse - has done nothing but get worse. The elephant in the room has become the blue whale in the room!
2) There is now a much more widespread understanding - on the part of foresters, county conservation districts, and private landowners - that simply planting trees and walking away is a recipe for failure. When you compare the cost of tree tubes to just planting trees, they seem like an expensive added cost. When you compare the cost of tree tubes to what you would have to do without them to have a successful project, then you realize that tree tubes actually save you money over the long haul.
3) Today's tree nurseries are producing planting stock that is light years better than the seedlings that were grown 20 years ago. New root pruning pots and other advancements mean that the seedlings you get from many of today's nurseries are supercharged for optimal growth. The nurseries have more invested in producing these great seedlings, and the thought of sending them out unprotected to the field to be exposed to the ravages of deer browse and doubt is unacceptable. And the customers who purchase them, wisely making the decision to spend a little more on top-notch planting stock with known superior genetics, also wisely make the decision to protect those seedlings with tree tubes.
Two of the very best nurseries producing seedlings for enhancing wildlife habitat have partnered with Wilson Forestry Supply to offer Tubex Combitube Tree Tubes: Mossy Oak's Nativ Nurseries of West Point, MS and The Wildlife Group of Tuskegee, AL.
The test of how strongly these great nurseries feel about our tree tubes? 1) When they plant trees on their own properties they never do so without our tree tubes. 2) The both tell their customers: If you have a certain budget for your project it's better to reduce the number of trees you plant and cover them with tree tubes. 3) Both will tell people in no uncertain terms: If you plant trees without tree tubes with today's deer densities and invasive weeds and grasses you are wasting your time (which means you are also wasting the blood, sweat and tears they put into raising those trees).
It's an exciting time. After years and years spent trying to convince folks to use tree tubes, that argument has been won. Now the only question is: Which tree tube? And when you're the US source of Tubex Combitube Treeshelters, you also feel very good about the answer to that question as well!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Tree Tubes For Black Walnut - Finally, A Perfect Fit
When plastic tree tubes made the leap "across the pond" from the UK and became commercially available in the USA in 1989, many of the first customers were black walnut growers.
It made perfect sense: Eastern black walnut produces extremely high value veneer lumber, but can suffer from low initial survival rates and its seedlings are a favorite of deer. Black walnut growers often paid premium prices for planting stock with known superior genetics; all the more reason to protect their investment with tree tubes.
And while only the most unrealistic of these planters ever hoped to live to see these trees grow large enough to harvest in their lifetime, they all hoped to see those trees well established and on their way to maturity before leaving them as a legacy to their descendants.
There was only one problem: Growers quickly realized that from Missouri on north, black walnut seedlings did not harden off properly for winter inside the unvented tree tubes sold at that time. We learned over time that if the tree emerged from the tube by about August 1st it would generally have enough exposure to ambient conditions to harden off for winter. If it didn't emerge from the tube until after that date, or didn't emerge from the tube at all the first year, it stayed active and growing too deep into the autumn and would suffer die back after the first hard frost. It didn't kill the tree; it would resprout from close to the ground the following year and very quickly grow up through the tube. Ultimately the tree would emerge from the tube early enough in the season to harden off properly for winter.
Unfortunately, by that time many black walnut growers had grown frustrated with tree tubes and stopped using them.
A short term "fix" was discovered through trial and error. It was learned that if you elevate the base of the tube an inch or two off the ground on Labor Day the air flow through the tube would induce dormancy and would prevent die back. Of course it would also expose the base of the tree to rodents, at a time of year when rodents are actively seeking food and shelter. This solution was more like a "patch" software designers come up with while truly fixing the problem in the next version of the software.
Well, the next version of tree tubes - Tree Tubes 2.0 - is here: Vented Tree Tubes. Vented tree tubes have solved the die back problem with black walnut, chestnut and all other trees where it was a problem.
Black walnut growers were correct to view treeshelters as the ideal solution to their problems. It just took a little while for tree tube technology to catch up, and for tree tube designers to introduce version 2.0 instead of simply offering a patch.
So if you are planting black walnut seedlings, grafts, or direct seeded nuts, don't plant without our Tubex Combitube Treeshelters. Your trees - your legacy - deserves nothing less.
It made perfect sense: Eastern black walnut produces extremely high value veneer lumber, but can suffer from low initial survival rates and its seedlings are a favorite of deer. Black walnut growers often paid premium prices for planting stock with known superior genetics; all the more reason to protect their investment with tree tubes.
And while only the most unrealistic of these planters ever hoped to live to see these trees grow large enough to harvest in their lifetime, they all hoped to see those trees well established and on their way to maturity before leaving them as a legacy to their descendants.
There was only one problem: Growers quickly realized that from Missouri on north, black walnut seedlings did not harden off properly for winter inside the unvented tree tubes sold at that time. We learned over time that if the tree emerged from the tube by about August 1st it would generally have enough exposure to ambient conditions to harden off for winter. If it didn't emerge from the tube until after that date, or didn't emerge from the tube at all the first year, it stayed active and growing too deep into the autumn and would suffer die back after the first hard frost. It didn't kill the tree; it would resprout from close to the ground the following year and very quickly grow up through the tube. Ultimately the tree would emerge from the tube early enough in the season to harden off properly for winter.
Unfortunately, by that time many black walnut growers had grown frustrated with tree tubes and stopped using them.
A short term "fix" was discovered through trial and error. It was learned that if you elevate the base of the tube an inch or two off the ground on Labor Day the air flow through the tube would induce dormancy and would prevent die back. Of course it would also expose the base of the tree to rodents, at a time of year when rodents are actively seeking food and shelter. This solution was more like a "patch" software designers come up with while truly fixing the problem in the next version of the software.
Well, the next version of tree tubes - Tree Tubes 2.0 - is here: Vented Tree Tubes. Vented tree tubes have solved the die back problem with black walnut, chestnut and all other trees where it was a problem.
Black walnut growers were correct to view treeshelters as the ideal solution to their problems. It just took a little while for tree tube technology to catch up, and for tree tube designers to introduce version 2.0 instead of simply offering a patch.
So if you are planting black walnut seedlings, grafts, or direct seeded nuts, don't plant without our Tubex Combitube Treeshelters. Your trees - your legacy - deserves nothing less.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
5 Foot Tree Tubes Coming Soon to Wilson Forestry Supply
A frequently asked question has been: Does Wilson Forestry Supply offer 5 foot Tubex Combitube Tree Tubes? I'm happy to be able to say: We will soon!
4 foot tree tubes are still the most popular size, and get the job done in the majority of situations. Most tree planters are best served by 4 foot tree tubes - moderate cost, excellent deer browse protection, and if deer nip a few emerging shoots a couple of treatments of Deer Guard repellent are enough to get the terminal shoot past the browse line.
However, sometimes a 5 foot tree tube can make all the difference - that extra one foot of deer browse protection is needed to get the trees past the browse line.
The need for 5 foot tree tubes is primarily drive by the population density of whitetail deer. The more deer per square mile, the heavier the pressure on available sources of food. The more pressure on food sources the more deer are forces to reach higher to get the food they need - to the point of standing on their hind legs.
So if your spring project calls for 5 foot tubes, don't worry, we have them on the way. Don't order from somewhere else until you contact us for a low price on 5ft tree tubes!
4 foot tree tubes are still the most popular size, and get the job done in the majority of situations. Most tree planters are best served by 4 foot tree tubes - moderate cost, excellent deer browse protection, and if deer nip a few emerging shoots a couple of treatments of Deer Guard repellent are enough to get the terminal shoot past the browse line.
However, sometimes a 5 foot tree tube can make all the difference - that extra one foot of deer browse protection is needed to get the trees past the browse line.
The need for 5 foot tree tubes is primarily drive by the population density of whitetail deer. The more deer per square mile, the heavier the pressure on available sources of food. The more pressure on food sources the more deer are forces to reach higher to get the food they need - to the point of standing on their hind legs.
So if your spring project calls for 5 foot tubes, don't worry, we have them on the way. Don't order from somewhere else until you contact us for a low price on 5ft tree tubes!
Tree Tubes: Yes, Time Does = Money
In recent posts, we've been looking at the hidden costs of tree tubes. In the last post we looked at shipping costs, and how with certain tree tubes you have to use a longer stake to compensate for a flimsier tube.
In this post I want to look at time. Professional tree planting contractors, for whom time literally does equal money, universally prefer the Tubex Treeshelter design. There's a little more up-front cost that some other tree tubes, but they save 22.73% on installation time (approximately!). Why?
1) They come ready-to-install, already in circular shape
2) The ties are pre-threaded and looped - all you have to do is cinch them tight around the stake
Sometimes private landowners and hobbyists doing their own tree planting work think, "I have a limited budget and I'm not paying myself per hour to install tree tubes, so I might as well save money on the tubes and spend a little more time installing them."
Even if, in a literal sense, your time does not equal money (in other words, you're doing this on your "free" time) this line of thinking doesn't work.
First, keep in mind that there is ALWAYS something else you could be doing with your time. Extra time spent installing lower cost treeshelter tubes is time that you're not doing weed control, pruning, fertilizing, or other activities that contribute to the success of your project.
Second, chances are that the very aspects of the lower cost tree tubes that make made them cost less in the first place are aspects that will require much more maintenance down the road... and more time on your part. For example, if a tube ships flat it must then be formed into a tube in the field. If it was made flat, it is probably a flimsier design that can either revert to a flat shape or bend or buckle in the field, requiring additional work on your part to reshape, cinch up ties, etc... and again that's time you could be spending doing something more productive.
So even if you are a private landowner planting trees on your own time and on your own dime, time still equals money. So many things go into making your tree planting project a success, and your time - while perhaps not valued in dollars - is extremely limited. Any money you save on tree tubes that take longer to install and require more maintenance will be lost if you get behind in weed control and other activities critical to the success of your trees.
Thanks for reading, and as always to learn more please visit us a www.wilsonforsup.com.
In this post I want to look at time. Professional tree planting contractors, for whom time literally does equal money, universally prefer the Tubex Treeshelter design. There's a little more up-front cost that some other tree tubes, but they save 22.73% on installation time (approximately!). Why?
1) They come ready-to-install, already in circular shape
2) The ties are pre-threaded and looped - all you have to do is cinch them tight around the stake
Sometimes private landowners and hobbyists doing their own tree planting work think, "I have a limited budget and I'm not paying myself per hour to install tree tubes, so I might as well save money on the tubes and spend a little more time installing them."
Even if, in a literal sense, your time does not equal money (in other words, you're doing this on your "free" time) this line of thinking doesn't work.
First, keep in mind that there is ALWAYS something else you could be doing with your time. Extra time spent installing lower cost treeshelter tubes is time that you're not doing weed control, pruning, fertilizing, or other activities that contribute to the success of your project.
Second, chances are that the very aspects of the lower cost tree tubes that make made them cost less in the first place are aspects that will require much more maintenance down the road... and more time on your part. For example, if a tube ships flat it must then be formed into a tube in the field. If it was made flat, it is probably a flimsier design that can either revert to a flat shape or bend or buckle in the field, requiring additional work on your part to reshape, cinch up ties, etc... and again that's time you could be spending doing something more productive.
So even if you are a private landowner planting trees on your own time and on your own dime, time still equals money. So many things go into making your tree planting project a success, and your time - while perhaps not valued in dollars - is extremely limited. Any money you save on tree tubes that take longer to install and require more maintenance will be lost if you get behind in weed control and other activities critical to the success of your trees.
Thanks for reading, and as always to learn more please visit us a www.wilsonforsup.com.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
When Shopping For Tree Tubes, Watch For Hidden Costs!
When shopping the internet for tree tubes for tree seedling protection, be sure to watch out for hidden costs - costs you can't see right away but which can dramatically affect the total cost of your tree planting project.
In this post we'll cover two of these hidden costs:
1) Tree tube stake length: With our Tubex Combitube Treeshelters, you can use a 4 foot stake with a 4 foot treeshelter. When you drive the stake into the soil, the tube is rigid enough so that the part rising above the stake won't buckle in the wind.
For some tree tubes which are less sturdy, you might need a 5ft stake for a 4ft tube, so very little of the tube extends above the driven stake. Otherwise, these pliable tubes would bend and fold over the top of the stake.
An extra foot of stake length means that the stake costs more of course, but also means it costs more to ship it as well.
2) Shipping and "handling" is another of the hidden costs when buying tree tubes. Make sure you are comparing the full delivered price of a given tree tube, including tax, shipping and "handling." Some companies post low online prices, but try to make it up with higher shipping fees.
As always, if you have any questions about Wilson Forestry Supply tree tubes, please don't hesitate to contact us.
In this post we'll cover two of these hidden costs:
1) Tree tube stake length: With our Tubex Combitube Treeshelters, you can use a 4 foot stake with a 4 foot treeshelter. When you drive the stake into the soil, the tube is rigid enough so that the part rising above the stake won't buckle in the wind.
For some tree tubes which are less sturdy, you might need a 5ft stake for a 4ft tube, so very little of the tube extends above the driven stake. Otherwise, these pliable tubes would bend and fold over the top of the stake.
An extra foot of stake length means that the stake costs more of course, but also means it costs more to ship it as well.
2) Shipping and "handling" is another of the hidden costs when buying tree tubes. Make sure you are comparing the full delivered price of a given tree tube, including tax, shipping and "handling." Some companies post low online prices, but try to make it up with higher shipping fees.
As always, if you have any questions about Wilson Forestry Supply tree tubes, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Most Unusual Uses For Tree Tubes and Grow Tubes
In nearly 22 years of working with tree tubes and grow tubes, I have pretty much seen it all.
Years ago I had a customer in Iowa who used 2ft tree tubes on his sweet corn! He said that with grow tubes his corn was ripe 2 weeks earlier than everyone else's - and every knows that first sweet corn of the year is worth twice as much. He only used the tubes for a month or so each summer, then stored them in his barn the rest of the year. Figured they'd last just about forever, and would pay for themselves many times over.
He's probably still doing it yet today... and hoping against hope that his neighbors don't catch on and start using grow tubes on their sweet corn!
Years ago I had a customer in Iowa who used 2ft tree tubes on his sweet corn! He said that with grow tubes his corn was ripe 2 weeks earlier than everyone else's - and every knows that first sweet corn of the year is worth twice as much. He only used the tubes for a month or so each summer, then stored them in his barn the rest of the year. Figured they'd last just about forever, and would pay for themselves many times over.
He's probably still doing it yet today... and hoping against hope that his neighbors don't catch on and start using grow tubes on their sweet corn!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
When To Remove Your Tree Tubes
One of the most frequently asked questions about tree tubes is: “When should I remove them?”
All too often tree growers remove their tree tubes too soon. Remember, a tree tube has two jobs:
1) Protect the tree until it grows up past the deer browse line, and
2) Support the tree until it is firmly established. Removing treeshelters too soon allows them to do only half of their full function.
The second most common mistake? Not removing the tree tubes at all, thinking they will break down and disappear in time. Tree tube suppliers themselves share some of the blame for this, since in the early days it was thought that tree tubes would indeed photodegrade completely on site. Here are two important rules of thumb to follow:
RULE OF THUMB #1: Your tree tubes will need to be removed. Yes they are photo degradable and will eventually break down in sunlight, but that won’t happen for 10 to 15 years in most cases. (On the other hand, if tree tube manufacturers leave out the UV inhibitors that increase durability, then the tree tubes won’t last long enough to get the job done.) Best practice for the health of your trees and for the aesthetics of your site is to remove and properly dispose of your tree tubes.
RULE OF THUMB #2: Remove your tree tubes when the trees inside are approximately 3 inches in caliper (diameter) at the base, BEFORE they start to push out against the walls of the tree tubes.
Our Tubex Combitube Tree Tube is made with a laser-line perforation so that the tree tubes will split open and expand rather than constrict the growth of your trees. This is especially helpful for large scale and back country plantings that don’t get visited very often. Even with this great laser line feature it’s still better to remove and dispose of your tree tubes when the trees reach 3 inches in diameter at the base.
If you have any questions about our tree tubes – or any tree tubes on the market – please don’t hesitate to contact us. We have a wealth of experience we can share to make your project as easy and successful as possible! And be sure to visit us at www.wilsonforsup.com to learn more.
All too often tree growers remove their tree tubes too soon. Remember, a tree tube has two jobs:
1) Protect the tree until it grows up past the deer browse line, and
2) Support the tree until it is firmly established. Removing treeshelters too soon allows them to do only half of their full function.
The second most common mistake? Not removing the tree tubes at all, thinking they will break down and disappear in time. Tree tube suppliers themselves share some of the blame for this, since in the early days it was thought that tree tubes would indeed photodegrade completely on site. Here are two important rules of thumb to follow:
RULE OF THUMB #1: Your tree tubes will need to be removed. Yes they are photo degradable and will eventually break down in sunlight, but that won’t happen for 10 to 15 years in most cases. (On the other hand, if tree tube manufacturers leave out the UV inhibitors that increase durability, then the tree tubes won’t last long enough to get the job done.) Best practice for the health of your trees and for the aesthetics of your site is to remove and properly dispose of your tree tubes.
RULE OF THUMB #2: Remove your tree tubes when the trees inside are approximately 3 inches in caliper (diameter) at the base, BEFORE they start to push out against the walls of the tree tubes.
Our Tubex Combitube Tree Tube is made with a laser-line perforation so that the tree tubes will split open and expand rather than constrict the growth of your trees. This is especially helpful for large scale and back country plantings that don’t get visited very often. Even with this great laser line feature it’s still better to remove and dispose of your tree tubes when the trees reach 3 inches in diameter at the base.
If you have any questions about our tree tubes – or any tree tubes on the market – please don’t hesitate to contact us. We have a wealth of experience we can share to make your project as easy and successful as possible! And be sure to visit us at www.wilsonforsup.com to learn more.
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