(First post) Planting a native woodland, East Sussex

[spandit]

They were diddy but we used full guards - to cram them into spirals would be a bit difficult as they were quite bushy

[Matthew Storrs]

Yes spiral guards would be too small, I meant these really SHELTERGUARD | Shrub Shelter tubes | Tree Shelters for Shrubs | Tree Guards | Features

It is my understanding that Scots pine don't do too well in the 1.2m standard tree guards- too restrictive and not enough air circulation, so I was told by the nursery. I can definiatly see they would be quite restrictive as the tree grows.

[codlasher]

I use the softer mesh for the pines and similar. I wouldn't use tall guards at all as they will die.

codlasher

[spandit]

I use the softer mesh for the pines and similar. I wouldn't use tall guards at all as they will die.

codlasher

 

Good to know. I'll look into replacing them.

 

Out of interest, when you buy "one" Tubex tree guard (for about £1.20), do you get a single tube or a nest of 5?

[Matthew Storrs]

I think £1.20 would be for just one guard- I notice the price drops considerably the more you buy.

[spandit]

Did the number of stakes & tubes match? Seem to have more tubes left over than stakes at the moment. Fortunately, I have some of my own spare spirals as ran out with shrubs to spare

[Matthew Storrs]

Ha, no none of the numbers matched, loads of plants and not enough tubes or guards, I think some of the plants were sort of add ons- ie just little suckers that were a bit small but they put them in the bag anyway. The worst to plant were the oaks because there roots were so deep- ended up digging 1foot pits for the oaks whereas the cherries/birch and hawthorn hardly needed much more than a 1 inch diameter hole!

[spandit]

Putting the oaks into the tubes is a pain too... Try threading it through weed membrane too!

[spandit]

I think £1.20 would be for just one guard- I notice the price drops considerably the more you buy.

 

Just looked on the Tubex site and you're right, they are that much each.

[sandspider]

I'm not going to uproot them all now! They're at 2m spacing and I'm hoping it will encourage them to grow straight. A lot of the other bits are spaced more but we were running out of space.

 

Ha! Don't worry, I wasn't suggesting you pulled them out! It was just a thought that happened to occur. Probably not a good idea (for the various reasons mentioned) as the vast majority of tree planting seems to be dense and thinned rather than thin and fill gaps later.

 

At least the end is in sight now. I get quite a lot of pleasure from seeing chillis on chilli plants and even little rocket seeds germinating, so I can only assume you'll get immense pleasure from seeing the trees grow and become a woodland...