We have a self-set Mountain Ash in our urban front garden. I would say
it's been growing for about four to five years and is now about seven to
eight feet high. The nearest building is 30 feet away.

My intention is to let it grow as is but both my neighbour and window
cleaner say I should stake it as the wind will make it grow bendy
against the prevailing wind. We are far from exposed but when it is a
bit blustery the sapling does whip around.

My feeling is I shouldn't stake it and I've read two articles on-line
stating that staking is not required.

Does anyone have any opposite opinion?

Thanks in advance.


--
Wendy Tinley
SE Sheffield
4 miles west of junction 30 M1

On 13/06/2013 18:44, Wendy Tinley wrote:
We have a self-set Mountain Ash in our urban front garden. I would say
it's been growing for about four to five years and is now about seven to
eight feet high. The nearest building is 30 feet away.

My intention is to let it grow as is but both my neighbour and window
cleaner say I should stake it as the wind will make it grow bendy
against the prevailing wind. We are far from exposed but when it is a
bit blustery the sapling does whip around.

My feeling is I shouldn't stake it and I've read two articles on-line
stating that staking is not required.

Does anyone have any opposite opinion?

Thanks in advance.


Don't bother, it's got its roots well out, staking for young trees is to
stop them blowing around and loosening the roots before they are
established.

On 13/06/2013 18:44, Wendy Tinley wrote:
We have a self-set Mountain Ash in our urban front garden. I would say
it's been growing for about four to five years and is now about seven to
eight feet high. The nearest building is 30 feet away.

My intention is to let it grow as is but both my neighbour and window
cleaner say I should stake it as the wind will make it grow bendy
against the prevailing wind. We are far from exposed but when it is a
bit blustery the sapling does whip around.

My feeling is I shouldn't stake it and I've read two articles on-line
stating that staking is not required.

Does anyone have any opposite opinion?

Thanks in advance.





It's managed very well thus far! Leave it be. It isn't known as
Mountain Ash for nothing - it's used to a bit of exposure.

However, if it's likely trajectory means it will overhang a well-used
path or pavement and if it's likely to thrash passers-by, then by all
means consider a stake, but *not* one that passes through it's roots.

To reiterate, *it* doesn't need a stake; you might need it to have one.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:44:07 +0100, Wendy Tinley wrote:

We have a self-set Mountain Ash in our urban front garden. I would say
it's been growing for about four to five years and is now about seven to
eight feet high. The nearest building is 30 feet away.

Must like it, our Rowans aren't that much bigger and have been in
over ten years. B-)

My intention is to let it grow as is but both my neighbour and window
cleaner say I should stake it as the wind will make it grow bendy
against the prevailing wind. We are far from exposed but when it is a
bit blustery the sapling does whip around.

Unless it is exposed to an open aspect from the prevailing direction
and it is pretty much constantly windy it will grow straight. Our
trees are bent but they *are* exposed and it's nearly always quite
windy (by urban standards) and sometimes very windy (hard to stand up
windy).

The wind moving it about a bit will strengthen and thicken the trunk,
this won't happen if it's staked.

--
Cheers
Dave.

My experience is that the main thing causing a permanent lean is growing it too close to another tree, so that it bends to seek the light. Yours is doing well - don't stake it - indeed, I'd be a bit worried that, if you were to stake it, it would not be able to flex in the wind and would therefore be more likely to break.

On 13/06/2013 22:53, Spider wrote:

However, if it's likely trajectory means it will overhang a well-used
path or pavement and if it's likely to thrash passers-by, then by all
means consider a stake, but *not* one that passes through it's roots.

To reiterate, *it* doesn't need a stake; you might need it to have one.

Yes the sapling is adjacent to the pavement but as we live in a close
there isn't a huge amount of traffic - but as it could affect just one
person, it is a consideration.

My office window is over looking the front garden so I will continue
monitoring and if it is becomes a nuisance to passer-bys then I'll do
what I can to restrain the tree's exuberance.

Thanks for your reply.

--
Wendy Tinley
SE Sheffield
4 miles west of junction 30 M1

On 13/06/2013 23:44, Dave Liquorice wrote:
The wind moving it about a bit will strengthen and thicken the trunk,
this won't happen if it's staked.

Yes... that is what I'd read, so glad that others on here agree.

Thanks Dave.

--
Wendy Tinley
SE Sheffield
4 miles west of junction 30 M1

On 13/06/2013 19:23, David Hill wrote:

Don't bother, it's got its roots well out, staking for young trees is to
stop them blowing around and loosening the roots before they are
established.


I have waggled the tree quite extensively and the soil remained fixed in
position demonstrating, as you said, the roots are well out.

Other than flaying passer-bys I'm now not concerned about the tree.

Thanks for your reply.
--
Wendy Tinley
SE Sheffield
4 miles west of junction 30 M1

On 13/06/2013 23:44, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:44:07 +0100, Wendy Tinley wrote:

We have a self-set Mountain Ash in our urban front garden. I would say
it's been growing for about four to five years and is now about seven to
eight feet high. The nearest building is 30 feet away.

Must like it, our Rowans aren't that much bigger and have been in
over ten years. B-)

My intention is to let it grow as is but both my neighbour and window
cleaner say I should stake it as the wind will make it grow bendy
against the prevailing wind. We are far from exposed but when it is a
bit blustery the sapling does whip around.

Unless it is exposed to an open aspect from the prevailing direction
and it is pretty much constantly windy it will grow straight. Our
trees are bent but they *are* exposed and it's nearly always quite
windy (by urban standards) and sometimes very windy (hard to stand up
windy).

The wind moving it about a bit will strengthen and thicken the trunk,
this won't happen if it's staked.

Depends how you stake it. One way is with a diagonal stake and a longish
rubber tie wrap a couple of feet off the ground. Basically limiting how
much it can move but still allowing flexure.

This should give it enough support to avoid excessive tilt in the
direction of the prevailing wind. But as others have said if it is a
seedling that has grown in situ it already has enough roots so the stake
is more to prevent it growing where you don't want it. It is a different
matter for a newly planted tree that will otherwise keep on snapping
newly developed roots if it continually rocks in the wind.

In my garden newly planted anything taller than 2' has to be staked or
it will blow away. I once lost a 3x2' cloche in a storm. Never found it!

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On Thursday, June 13, 2013 6:44:07 PM UTC+1, Wendy Tinley wrote:
We have a self-set Mountain Ash in our urban front garden. I would say

it's been growing for about four to five years and is now about seven to

eight feet high. The nearest building is 30 feet away.



My intention is to let it grow as is but both my neighbour and window

cleaner say I should stake it as the wind will make it grow bendy

against the prevailing wind. We are far from exposed but when it is a

bit blustery the sapling does whip around.



My feeling is I shouldn't stake it and I've read two articles on-line

stating that staking is not required.
Does anyone have any opposite opinion?
Thanks in advance.

Wendy Tinley

SE Sheffield

4 miles west of junction 30 M1

If it's self sown it'll be fine without staking. The flexing of the stem helps to strengthen it.

Rod

On Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:56:23 +0100, Martin Brown wrote:

Depends how you stake it. One way is with a diagonal stake and a longish
rubber tie wrap a couple of feet off the ground. Basically limiting how
much it can move but still allowing flexure.

Single stakes get pulled over by the tree up here. But yes a simple
flexable support with give a few feet above ground is good. Old
tights are a good tie, fairly strong have give, last a couple of
years.

In my garden newly planted anything taller than 2' has to be staked or
it will blow away. I once lost a 3x2' cloche in a storm. Never found it!

The 6 x 8 shed gets blown away up here. B-) Or did until I used
plenty of metal plates to strap the roof frame to the wall frames and
drove stakes in at each corner as far as I could (18" or so) and
bolted them to the wall frames.

I might get a bit of video of a normalish windy day and pop it on
YouTube. Doubt it will be today, nice and bright, warm and fairly
still as the thermals haven't really started yet.

--
Cheers
Dave.