Tree Stabilisation

Newly planted trees need to be stabilised during the early stages of establishment to prevent the tree from becoming wind blown and damaging the new roots. There are many methods of achieving this, depending on the size of the tree planted.

Staking Small Trees (10cm – 20cm)

We double stake and rubber tie all small trees up to a third of the way up the stem. The height of staking is important. There needs to be a certain amount of movement in the crown in order to encourage the tree to root out into the surrounding soil. The movement forces the tree to anchor itself as a response to the wind movement.

During planting, we place a single stake, tight in against either side of the root ball and secure it with a sledgehammer.

We then use rubber tie to secure the tree to the posts and keep it upright.

Any excess stake is then cut off to keep it tidy.

There are many occasions where staking trees is not possible or wanted eg in prominent public open spaces where it would detract from the design. An alternative is to use a ‘below ground’ tree anchoring system such as the Platipus Tree Anchoring System.

Guying Larger Trees (25cm+)

We recommend guying larger trees (and trees over a certain size have to be guyed to prevent wind throw). We recommend and use the Platipus Tree Anchoring System to fix newly planted, rootball trees. The two applications we use are above ground and below ground anchors. For detailed product information and their installation, please use the links provided to visit their website.

There are many situations where staking trees is not possible or wanted for example in prominent public open spaces where it would detract from the design. In these scenarios underground guying is perfect.