This wind is really starting to piss me off

I've had a hell of a time trying to keep this tree upright




I had a good landscaper last summer but I forgot his info. Anyone know someone that is reasonably priced and will allow me to pay cash on the spot (one place I called wanted me to mail in a check)?


I'm in the southwest close to Rhodes Ranch

oh your poor tree. I imagine you've tried staking it and tying it up?

ya that stick/pole lying next to it is what I used last.

I hammered it kinda deep in the ground and it would wiggle its way loose. Then i got it deeper in the ground and it just snapped. Its thicker than the tree too.

Whatever i used to tie it also breaks.


I'm getting sick of messing with it.

First: The Position of your Stick/Pole is bad because you hammered it through the roots of the tree.

Second: Don´t hammer it in the ground complete vertical. It has so not alot of power against the wind.

If you wanna do it by yourself lock at the paintament.



2 options: 1 Stick slanting and tie it very high. just short under the first side branch.
Or 3 Sticks nearly vertical and also tie it just short under the first side branch.

To tie take a coconut cord if available.
Oh and this tree will most likely die anyway because the canals for water and other things in the tree are most likely damaged when it is bend over like this.

thx.

Would rebar (sp?) be a better option than sticks? The pole i used I just found in the garage and it kinda sucks that it is thicker than the tree and adding two more just seems like it would look ******ed.

If so, anyone know where to get rebar at?

The roots are solid, it's the trunk that's taffy-like for some reason.

Suggestion: Take three 2x4's, about 8-footers, and some baling wire.

Straighten up the tree (you may need a friend to hold it in place with some rope), place the three 2x4's around the trunk, and wire them tightly against the trunk, be careful not to cut into the trunk with the wire. This will solve the limpness of the trunk, but will now transfer the torque from the wind into the root structure, so you may need to also brace the entire tree with guy wires or props.

As the tree grows, loosen the wire a bit.

Home Depot has all this stuff, you can also find pieces of scrap rebar laying around at construction sites. Ask before you take anything off the construction site, because theft of construction materials goes on all the time, and you don't want to get arrested, obviously.

A cheap chainsaw would solve the problem quickly IMO.

i would keep it that way
matrix tree = awesome

Use wire to tie the tree to whatever supports you use, but use tubing (like an old garden hose) so the wire isn't directly touching the bark. Cut it into 6 inch sections or so and run the wire through it.

Did that. The wire broke multiple times, followed eventually by the support

I believe you can find one of those on this site if you look.

You shouldn't be using a stick or pole.......use a T-post. I'll admit they can be a bit of a bitch to drive in the ground, (will need a sledge hammer) but they are strong. It's a metal post that in in "T" shape (like the Bellagio I guess). This keeps it from bending. I used to use them to hold up new trees in Boulder CO where it gets just as windy as here all the time. Use 2 of them accross from each other having them slightly lean away from the tree. Tie them to the tree with a flat nylon rope or rope/wire and use the flat things that wrap around the tree. Don't directly tie/wrap round rope or wire to the tree.

GL

this wind just destroyed my $500 freestanding gazibo on our back patio btw

I doubt that he hurt the tree by going through the roots. I had an arborist stake a tree a similar distance.
That looks like an oleander tree and they are pretty hard to kill.

I agree with your 3 stick plan. OP needs to go to star nursery.
I would tell him to just buy a new oleander tree for 30 bucks but he would have to stake it as well so might as well see if this one lives.

I LOL'ed - I was totally picturing the tree dodging bullets in slow motion

T-posts work really well as anchors, but before you start pounding them down, be sure you know where your electric, gas, water, and cable service lines are.

This is like most homeowner tasks, it starts out looking really simple, but after getting all the tools, and materials together, and spending the time doing the work, and cleaning up, it wasn't simple at all.

Use multiple poles.

This is getting worse.


So i went to star nursery and they got me some poles and I rented a stake driver.


Poles seem way too tall and I got the stake driver stuck on the pole so I can't really use it as intended and drive the stake into the ground.

What a fail

went back and got the right size stake driver.

Meh, could be better but its fixed for now imo

that looks good cpitt, especially for what you were working with. I think I'd dump a bunch of Miracle Grow dissolved in water on the roots now.

Those stakes look like they should hold it fine. I would recommend Superthrive...great stuff, works well on every type of plant. Just use a capful added to a gallon of water and dump it on there.

Of course he is not killing the tree imediatly but it weakens the tree.
It is like someone hammers a nail through your leg, you don´t die but you also don´t like it.

cpitt: looks good for the tree and if you cut the sticks to the same hight it also looks good for people who walk by.

The tree looks much happier.

The post driver you rented was for steel t-posts, they would have worked better than wood, but that's ok. The array for three posts should be at the angle points of an equilateral triangle, 120 degrees apart.

The way you did it, you need a fourth post to get full support. Think three-legged stool vs. a four-legged stool.

But good-job anyway. The tree will be saved.

It will be stress tested tomorrow night and Monday: Prop bets on whether it makes it?

I'll take the under.



Oh. I mean, it'll make it

Seems to be a windy Spring for Vegas. Everytime I check the LV Sun website there's a new weather report for high wind.

I think it'll: