Protecting young trees.

[RiverFish]

I have a vegetable garden that has been growing maple trees in it as well, seeds from the neighbor. The garden is fenced in, protecting the young maples from the deer. I have lost other maples on transplant to the yard due to the deer.

My question is, what is the best protection for these trees? The maple trees are getting to be 3 feet high, so I would like to try to transplant them if possible.

Thanks.

[pureinsanity]

Chicken wire, Fencing, whatever you can put around it to deter them away. Do not put anything on the trunk just something around the tree.

Good luck

[RiverFish]

Thats what I was thinking, just wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing. Thanks.

[Steve Foss]

I use 6-foot T-posts and 1/2 inch hardware cloth or larger heavier mesh wire fencing. Four T-posts per tree. You can drive them in 2 feet so 4 feet stick out. I run a circle of fence from 3-4 feet in diameter. Most of the fencing rolls I use are 3 feet tall. So I put one course around the posts at ground level and wire it to the posts. Then I stack a second 3-foot course above that, and the 1 foot remaining on the T-posts is enough to anchor the upper course of fencing.

That protects the trees up to 6 feet. Deer can rear up and reach a bit higher than that, but not much higher, and in the places I've done this it makes things too hard for the deer to spend that kind of energy when there is easier browse around.

[RiverFish]

Thanks Steve.

[BoxMN]

I do similar to Steve, using same galv wire mesh, but I use much less hefty posts. I put three smaller rods (green ones from memarddds) around each approximately 3' diameter cage. It has been working pretty well for my growing pine trees. I do use the wire mesh that is 4' tall though, and evne the stuff that is 4' tall and has the "rabbit proof" bottom (lighter weight and cheaper) seems to have been working fine for me.

[RiverFish]

Follow up question. Is there a "Golden" time to transplant these young maple trees from my garden to a permanent place?

[Bowfin]

Follow up question. Is there a "Golden" time to transplant these young maple trees from my garden to a permanent place?

1st choice - spring just after ground thaws and before leafout.

2nd choice - fall just before ground freezes and after leaf fall.

Take a shovel and cut the roots around the trees now. Let the trees sit and dig them out and transplant early next spring. If you cut the roots now the trees will put on some more fine roots over the next month in the root ball you will be transplanting.

Also - Putting the white corregated plastic tubes around the tree stems (sold at the place where you "save big money") will protect them from rabbits, mice, buck rubs, sun-scald and weedeaters.

[Steve Foss]

What Bowfin said, except for the root cutting part. If the maples are only 3 feet tall, you should easily be able to dig out around the roots without cutting them first.

If you transplant in spring or fall as specified, as long as you get as much root as possible and lay the roots in well and pack to remove any air pockets, as well as watering in thoroughly, you shouldn't get much (or any) shocking/dieback when the growing season starts.

I've transplanted quite a few naturally-grown maples of that size, and haven't yet had an issue with extensive root systems.

[RiverFish]

Thanks again guys.