Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Sep 14, 2010 6:27 pm I have a hakea laurina that I planted in April and took the little bamboo stake out straight away as per recommendations from here, plus it didn't seem to need it. Well, it's now doubled in height - about 4-5ft now - and blew over last week in winds that left it drooping at about 30degrees from the ground. Just after I pruned it a little for shape. So now I've stuck a great big stake in next to it and tied it quite tightly to try to get it to stand upright again. How long should I leave it staked? Should I loosen the ties once it seems to stay put by itself? Should I give it a harder prune? I reckon it's sprouted 6 inches since I pruned it a couple of weeks ago. I'm reluctant to prune anything off the leader though because I want it to be a mini tree shape with a trunk rather than a bush shape. Re: Questions about staking 2Sep 15, 2010 12:45 am I would get it a harder clip. These need to have a multi stem tree shape, a mallee shape. If you clip it to a single trunk, it just won't work out so well or at all The wood just won't be strong enough for that sort of growth. When it gets bigger you can clear away the lower parts and have a nice canopy of foliage Remove the stake. If it can't stand up, then the roots are not strong enough. Staking will only make the roots slow to develop or retard development. If you absolutely have to, use a few stakes around it spaced away and let the plant fall about inside the stakes (with some rubber tree tie going round them.) Then it strengthens, but isn't in danger of snapping. Re: Questions about staking 3Sep 20, 2010 11:13 am Well I only left it a week tied tightly and it now stands up again by itself Now I've given it a little triangle of stakes that it can fall about loosely in. I hope it strengthens up in its current position because it's growing into a lovely shape, one stem up till about knee height, then two for a bit, then about chest height it's sprouting nice and densely in every direction. Just what I wanted ETA I didn't trim off any low mallee like branches, it grew that way by itself as far as I can tell. Re: Questions about staking 4Sep 20, 2010 1:46 pm I live in a very high wind area and upon planting my fruit trees, I didnt stake. After a few weeks i noticed one of my lemon trees starting to lean in the direction that the wind blows every morning. It was getting worse so I staked it with some of my wifes old stockings. It has alot of give so it lets the tree flex and move in the wind to assit in root devolpment, but it doesnt hold the tree up so to speak. I will take off the stake when the wind dies down in mid spring and leave it till next winter, and monitor it. Sometimes you just have to stake your trees depending on where you live or you'll be forever picking up trees on their side! Re: Questions about staking 5Sep 20, 2010 7:20 pm Sorry Oohsam with better shaping prior to planting we can avoid those situations Re: Questions about staking 6Sep 20, 2010 8:37 pm I recently planted up some Grevilleas. The whole batch I had to choose from was tall, staked and lanky. The first flopped over when I took out the stake. So at the horror of the client, I clipped off the flowers, cut it back by half and shaped it up. It stood robust and strong, and when the new shoots arrive in a few weeks it will be on it's way to being a plant far better than it was going to be The client will now have a heap more flower too, they just have to wait a while Re: Questions about staking 7Sep 26, 2010 10:24 pm I see. When I bought my citrus tree, it had already been pruned to shape and was strong and healthy. I thought it would be ok without staking, but after a few weeks I seemed to have been wrong... Am I over worrying that if I remove the stake it will end up growing lop sided? What do you do in that situation fu? where you remove the stakes and the wind causes it to lean... Is the positioning of the tree wrong? Or do I put a wind breaker infront of it..... Is it too late to remove the stakes? ie. If the stake is removed, will the root system develop and strengthen to hold the tree up or can it be too late? Should I remove the stake, give it a heavy prune and see how it goes? what do you think. Re: Questions about staking 8Sep 27, 2010 11:24 pm Rip the stake out and prune back hard. Mind you don't take out the graft though. It will be a funny wobble in the stem lower down with a bit of a scar. Sometimes you can still see the old stem next to the new bit that was budded on. Re: Questions about staking 10Sep 28, 2010 12:01 am Yeah. If there is lots of exposed stem give them a slap of white paint to stop the stem burning in the sun. Mine are all painted and it also helps reflect heat. A mate of mine also has his painted. You can see them in the open garden thread. Personally, considering your layout (study/work desks in bedrooms), I don't think you have any other option but to leave NW windows and make them as big as possible e.g.… 7 10455 We had this happen to us last year and got charged a variation. Try and give away as much as you can that is usable to charity otherwise if you are in Sydney I have a… 1 4477 Not sure what council area you are in. Some LGA's allow zero lot retaining walls. This usually occurs in greenfield developments but not often in established areas. You… 1 8215 |