New hedge, experience with tubex tree protection
Hi, i had quite a bit of new hedging put in, some late november and some early march. Its mixed native with an ornamental or two thrown in, but majority hawthorn.
it is staked with bamboo cane, then has a tubex guard.
i have a bit of a check every now and again, and find some types of tree doing better than others, but if i take a tube off its very wet in there, even if its a very dry day. The beech has reacted badly, kind of smells mouldy, gone brown and has some white fungus. I took the tubes off and they seem to have recovered well. The roses are similar, very wet and dont look good. I have been taking the guards off for a bit of a dry out and then putting back.
All seem fine once they have pushed out of the top of the tubes, but the beeches in particular are quite short with lots of branches, I think thats why they have suffered most.
all the hawthorn are out the top of the tubes and doing well.
I wondered what people thought to these tubes ? There is no air flow with them and they trap moisture for sure.
Posts
I did have a bunny problem, but have just finished rabbit fencing, which gives me the confidence to leave some off of it helps the plant. Otherwise definitely moles, short tailed voles, lots of birds including partridge and pheasant picking about. cant think of anything else.
Are the Tubes not good for high winds too?
Thanks buddy. I think ill leave the tubes on ones that are doing fine, and probably stake the beech leaving the tubes off. I am pretty sure these beeches would have died with the tubes on, of fungus infection or similar. The roses im not sure about, will make a call depending on what they look like. I dont think the tubex are ideal, a bit more air flow would improve them.
If you've sorted the bunnies I'd take them off. The voles can get up inside them anyway. I don't like them for the reasons mentioned above.
The only other thing is deer, do you have those?. The bunny fence should keep hares out as well.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Got deer and hares in the vicinity, but never seen them in the garden. I wont take them off the trees that are clearly doing OK, which is most of them. it will still give me a fair bit of staking to do though.
Hi, We planted a mixed (blackthorn/Hawthorn) hedge in spring 2015. Apart from a couple all are well out of the tubes. When is it ok to take the tubes off. I want a bushing hedge and do not have a pest problem.
Hi, its my understanding that the tubes are only any use for defending from pests, so if thats not a problem, take them off.
In my experience, these plant tubes can stop lower branches from forming and thus leave bare leggy bottoms to hedges. Unless there is a definite risk from rabbits I would leave them off.
Thanks a1154 and Tootsietim, I had more or less made up my mind to take them off but it is good have that reinforced.
Steve