Formal planting of semi-mature trees

[Andy Collins]

I am in the middle of a planting project, using 15-20foot trees. The majority of the trees are to enhance the perimeter and are basically in-fill. One group are to be placed in a high profile site. The group of trees there will be Q.robur, rubra, palustris, and Carpinus betula, 7 trees in all. My gut feeling is to install underground cables to brace the rootballs, without the visual impact of stakes. This involves quite a lot of extra work (and cost). Would you stake and tie in this instance, or go with the more aesthetically pleasing underground cabling?

[bob]

i prefere stakes have had problems with root ball fastening and have usually gone for stakes

[Andy Collins]

Cheers bob, what probs did you have with the rootball fastening?

[bob]

difficult to get them tight without cutting into roots with either wood or wire and damaged a few roots and found if wet ground the root balls came a bit wobbly and wood get in way of irrigation system as do pegs for wire stakes often deter vandals and protect tree from knobhead grass cutters all down to area i think

[Andy Collins]

Fair point, the tensioning of the wires was something that was concerning me, as far as vandals/loony mowermen dont think thats going to be an issue here. Dont really want guy wires trailing about either, so may just go for double-staking.

[bob]

we were using the gripplers for tensioning wires which is not the cheapest wut better than just braying stakes in till tight enough

[kevwrenn]

I have used underground stakes with wire, dead mans anchors and also the platypus system (from greentech i think) in various locations all without problem. If vandalism is a problem in the area, then trees will just be snapped off at the level of the stakes. to protect rootballs just use a strip of a good thick rootbarrier fabric.

Kev.

[Andy Collins]

Thanks for that kev, the platipus system looks reasonably simple to install, any comments on it?

[billythegoat]

Hi there

what type of ground are you planting on?

[Andy Collins]

Hi there

what type of ground are you planting on?

 

The topsoil is a good loam, pH neutral, about 8-10" deep, then the subsoil is basically a sand ballast and fflint layer. The pits are a little larger than usual, to incorporate a 40-40-20% mix of topsoil, soil improver and manure.