Last year I added some tubex tree protectors to several trees on the croft.
Initially, I thought these only had one purpose – to protect the trees from grazing animals, until they reached a certain height.
I only later learned that they create a microclimate for the trees and actually act like mini greenhouses. On a day with even a little sunlight, you can feel the heat rising out of the top of them. On top of this, they also encourage your trees to grow straight upwards which is useful if you want to use them for building materials or just want them to look uniform.
I only added protectors to about half of my trees, and the ones which did have them clearly grew a lot faster and stronger. This year I’ve just gone ahead and added more, so hopefully they’ll all get a well-needed boost when this cold spring weather disappears.
Where to buy
I bought mine from Christie Elites, which is also where I get all of my tree saplings. Worth noting that they’re usually sold out after spring so best to grab them early.
Installation
They come in varying sizes, 0.6m and 1.4m – I go for the larger ones to keep them out of reach of our sheep. I’m not sure what applications the smaller ones would have or why you’d use these over taller ones – perhaps for shrubs that only reach a certain height?
Installing them is pretty simple and only requires a wooden stake and a large hammer for driving the stake into the ground. The tubes come with two cable ties attached which tighten around the stake. It’s not rocket science but the below might save you a few minutes, and a few swear words.
- I normally put the tube around the tree sapling first so it’s positioned correctly. If you hammer the stake in first, it could be too far from the tree base meaning the tree has to bend to fit into the tube.
- Then put the stake through the cable ties, keeping the stake flush against the tube and making sure you have both as straight as possible (can be tricky if you’re on a slope).
- Hammer the stake into the ground, ensuring you don’t damage the tube whilst doing so. Hammer it in as far as you can without the top going below the top cable tie.
- Lastly, just tighten the cable ties around your stake. Make sure you have the tube the correct way round – usually, one cable tie will be closer to the end of the tube, and that’s the end you want to be on the ground. Also, be careful that your cable ties inside the tube haven’t wrapped around the tree itself before you tighten them.
