How do you protect your seedlings?

[DEERSLAYER]

I have found 1/4" hardware cloth at least 18" tall works best to protect young trees from rabbits and rodents. Tree tubes can work great too if your seedling isn't susceptible to diseases like powdery mildew (apple trees are a good example) plus they usually increase growth rate by a significant amount. Also, 2"x4" 5'-6' tall wire fencing works good for protecting from deer. I make a circle about 6' across and sink three T-posts to tie it to. I have not had much trouble with sun scald so I don't white wash my young trees.

How do you protect your young trees and seedlings?

[DEERSLAYER]

Doesn't anybody plant trees or protect them?

[BackWoodsHunter]

Just me I guess! I will be using cages made from chicken wire or poultry fencing whatever you want to call it. I will get either the 4ft or 5ft tall stuff and make narrow cages with it.

[Treejunkie]

Just me I guess! I will be using cages made from chicken wire or poultry fencing whatever you want to call it. I will get either the 4ft or 5ft tall stuff and make narrow cages with it.

Ditto.

[Black Squirrel]

Doesn't anybody plant trees or protect them?

I haven't planted any lately, but if I did I would use those white plastic Tree Tubes, they accelrate growth, especially the first year. They kinda act like a greenhouse, optimizine growth and protecting from the environment.

[Spysar]

Put human hair around them, or a dog blanket, or moth balls. Various plastic tubing with a slit length wise that will curl back around the trunks.

[hunt n nut]

I get the 3" x 5" rolls of fencing 5' high and and make about 16" cages. For the winter to protect the trunk from mice and other rodents I wrap screen around it. This is what I do for apple trees of coarse.

[BackWoodsHunter]

I get the 3" x 5" rolls of fencing 5' high and and make about 16" cages. For the winter to protect the trunk from mice and other rodents I wrap screen around it. This is what I do for apple trees of coarse.

Where I am planting we generally get so much snow that I shouldn't need screen for awhile because the trees will be buried for the first few winters. After that I may need to get screen to protect from rodents unfortunately. We only have a few rabbits because predator numbers are so high. I'd like to get rid of both critters. I also plan to cut down a bunch of trees next fall either for timber to sell or to hinge for bedding areas so hopefully rabbits eat on the tree tops and not my new trees.

[DEERSLAYER]

It only takes one rabbit to damage A LOT of trees and mice have tunnels under the snow, plus there is summer to consider.

[BackWoodsHunter]

[quote="DEERSLAYER"]It only takes one rabbit to damage A LOT of trees and mice have tunnels under the snow, plus there is summer to consider.[/quI

Good point! I will consider that stuff. What do the guys who use chicken wire use to stake their fencing? Bamboo stakes or something more durable?

[DEERSLAYER]

T posts work good because you want any fence solidly anchored. I had a friend that wasn't willing to spend the extra $$ and staked them with tent steaks and string.

One day when he went to check the progress of his trees (they had been growing there for two years) he found that deer had run into the fence and pushed it right into several of his trees, breaking prime scaffolds (branches).

Another friend also went cheap and just pounded in some skinny wooden "posts". Some bear cubs were playing and did the same thing, except he was lucky and his trees were still in good shape.

[kenn1320]

I planted 50 saw tooth oaks with tree tubes. I planted them mainly in the woods, tried to find openings. The few that did take off didnt do so well. Seems they would get about 8" out the tube by end of fall and when the snow came, the deer would reach up and nip the tops off. A forester walked the property and told us those tree's would never make it planted in the woods like that. We dont really have open land, so we didnt move them. Hopefully others can learn from my mistake. I think a cage to keep deer from getting close to a tube would be ideal, as the tube is supose to help growth as others have said.
Ken