Tree Tubes for Apple trees

[EnglishCocker]

I am going to be planting some 4 to 5 foot apple trees in about 2 weeks. Are tree tubes enough to protect them from deer or should they be fenced or possibly both? The area that i am planting them wont be used heavily by deer until December or January typically.
Thanks for the input!

 

[TFX 186]

Usually the tubes are for keeping the bucks from rubbing their horns on them in the fall. If they rub all the bark off it's a dead tree. The fence around them keeps the deer from eating the tips off the branches. They will eat the tops and tips off and stunt the trees if not fenced. Mostly fall to winter is when they do most damage on mine anyway.

Fish On!

 

[Allen]

Deer will still go after the small twigs with tree tubes on them.

You can help prevent deer from going after the trees by putting some cheap stakes around the trees and "fencing" the tree in with fishing line. They don't seem to like the fishing line. If you put wire around them they can see it and will work around the wire or beat it down.

I've lost a few fruit trees to deer over the years. The one that still pisses me off was a nice cherry tree that was about 7 ft tall when a doe and her fawns reduced it to toothpicks one night. That tree was about 3 inches in diameter at the base when it got destroyed.

Overall though, rabbits have been a bigger issue for me. The bastards girdled a 7 ft tall pear tree of mine last year.

 

[KDM]

Hog fence EACH one or they will get trashed. Tubes keep rabbits and other critters from eating the bark in winter. We lost 3 fruit trees this year due to rabbits. Had 3 years growth shot to hell. Open season on them from now on. We didn't hog fence our trees fast enough last fall and had 2 cherry trees trashed by bucks. For some reason deer have a special FETISH for fruit trees when it comes to choosing something to destroy by eating or rubbing. Good Luck!! PM me if you have more questions.

 

[pluckem]

I have no first hand experience in this, but have looking into tree tubes for future projects. I have seen the 5-6' tubes marketed for this application and have seen people have success with them.

For the guys who have used the tubes which, brand and what size did you use and not have luck with?

If it was only a handful, I would just fence and be done with it, however I was holding out hope the 6' high tree tubes would be the answer for higher quantity plantings.

 

[KDM]

We used pieces of drain tile and cut them to fit just below the first set of branches which is usually 2-3 ft. The deer will still destroy a tree if they can get close to it. We've had deer stand on their hind legs and push a tree over, hold it under their body, and eat the living shit out of it. Support ropes just provided a convenient snapping point for them to break the tree right off. We feed the deer all winter so needed something to protect our orchard and hog fence has worked for 5 years now. Even with 100 deer give'er take coming to the yard every night. The deer can prune the branches that grow through or close to the fence which I don't mind at all, but they can't get at the majority of the tree. We've tried to fence off more than one tree, but the 18 ft spacing between trees allows enough area for the deer to just jump in and wreck things. It's a bit of work to ensure the trees make it to a size where the deer no longer pose a serious threat to them, but if I want fruit, I'll have to earn it I guess.

 

[Lycanthrope]

I use these to protect my trees from rabbits and mice/voles. Works fine but wont stop a deer Id bet. Might be good to have a combo of these for the bottom and something more significant to protect the tops.

https://www.treeprotectionsupply.com/tree-tubes/tree-pro/tree-pro-2.5-ft/

 

[fullrut]

Hog fence EACH one or they will get trashed. Tubes keep rabbits and other critters from eating the bark in winter. We lost 3 fruit trees this year due to rabbits. Had 3 years growth shot to hell. Open season on them from now on. We didn't hog fence our trees fast enough last fall and had 2 cherry trees trashed by bucks. For some reason deer have a special FETISH for fruit trees when it comes to choosing something to destroy by eating or rubbing. Good Luck!! PM me if you have more questions.

I had a 3 year old tree girdled this spring. I figured what the hell and tried my hand at bridge grafting. Hopefully I got to it soon enough.

 

[pluckem]

The link below is of the tubes that people have said they have had success with. It is a 6' tube that you put on your seedling evening if its only 2-3' tall. After a growing season or two the tree will emerge from the top and all branches from the main leader will be at 6' or higher which should put it at a height above normal deer browse.

Research shows that the tube has other benefits to long term health of a tree vs just protection from animals, and you can read all about that online as well. Some comparison photos and studies show trees with no tube next to trees with tubes and the results are impressive.

Some users said the only issue they have had was the tube rotating around the stake when a larger animal tries to rub on them. They then starts using two stakes per tube to stop the rotation.



https://www.treeprotectionsupply.com/tree-tubes/tubex/tubex-combitube-6-ft/

 

[Lycanthrope]

The link below is of the tubes that people have said they have had success with. It is a 6' tube that you put on your seedling evening if its only 2-3' tall. After a growing season or two the tree will emerge from the top and all branches from the main leader will be at 6' or higher which should put it at a height above normal deer browse.

Research shows that the tube has other benefits to long term health of a tree vs just protection from animals, and you can read all about that online as well. Some comparison photos and studies show trees with no tube next to trees with tubes and the results are impressive.

Some users said the only issue they have had was the tube rotating around the stake when a larger animal tries to rub on them. They then starts using two stakes per tube to stop the rotation.



https://www.treeprotectionsupply.com/tree-tubes/tubex/tubex-combitube-6-ft/

bably want to remove the tube occasionally and trim the side branches to keep the tree going up instead of clogging the tube completely. Best to do this when they are dormant.
This should work but you would pro

 

[BDub]

I can see the tubes working if the trees are like 2 to 3 feet tall. Otherwise fence is the only way to go.