How to Support a Young Tree

When the tree is still young, the most important factors you have to supply for it is nutrients, water, and most especially, support. If you don’t hold up or support the young tree, it will end up getting crooked and bent in one section of it's trunk and will grow that way for the rest of it's life. So it is important to provide some kind of support for it.

One of the most popular ways of supporting young trees is to place long stakes into the ground on either side, and tie it around the tree with ropes. Tie it with loops but keep in mind that the loops should not be too tight to allow for further growing and increasing of the size of it's trunk.

When to stake your tree
Staking is not necessary in each and every young tree, but you should only stake those trees that you think would be affected by the wind and other forces that might make the roots unsteady inside the ground. It causes the roots to be in motion and not get hold of the soil properly, a fact which prevents the tree to develop normally and in some cases, even die. This is one of the most harmful things that can happen to a young tree, and staking would prevent that, if done properly. Be sure that the tree really is in need of staking it, because staking a tree that doesn’t need it could constrict it's movement and growth and eventually bring harm to it.

The process of staking is an easy process. Just take three stakes and tie each one separately near the base of the trunk. Try to use some sort of a tether to prevent rope burn on your tree trunk, to minimize the amount of friction. These can be bought at any gardening shop.

When your tree has been staked long enough for it to stand on it's own, remove the stakes as soon as possible. Every moment the tree is constricted it is losing some of its vitality. As soon as it seems like the wind is dying down around your area, look on the weather reports and see how much wind is forecasted. If the skies will be pretty clear for a while, you should at least temporarily take off the stakes.

Staking a tree that doesn’t need it can be as damaging as not staking a tree that does need it. It might be beneficial for you to consult an expert, and get their opinion as to whether your tree should be staked, and for how long.