An old saying goes: A good craftsman never blames his tools. This explains why I always blame my tools when my projects go haywire!
Tree tubes are, first and foremost, a tool for successful tree planting and establishment.
Craftsmen know three things about tools:
1) Buy high quality tools – they will pay off in the long run
2) Don’t ask a tool to do something it’s not intended to do
3) Even the best tool is only as good as the knowledge and skill of the craftsman
Tree tubes are not meant to replace any aspect of sound forest management. You still need to understand your site and which trees will grow best (tree tubes can’t magically make black walnut grow well in low fertility sand). You still need to do adequate site preparation. You still need to take care of the planting stock (no leaving bare root seedlings in the back of the truck in the hot sun – even tree tubes can’t grow a tree with dead roots!). You still need to plant properly.
And most of all, you still need to do aggressive weed and brush control (tree tubes can’t make American chestnut seedlings outgrow kudzu or multiflora rose).
Sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? It is a lot of work, and anyone who tells you different isn’t being straight with you.
The obvious question becomes, if I have to do all of that work anyway, why use tree tubes?
The answer is equally obvious: Because without tree tubes you can do all of that work and still end up with nothing to show for it. Record deer populations we have today can decimate the most meticulously planted trees in a matter of days. Periodic drought can stress newly planted trees before they get their roots into a stable water supply. Mice or rabbits can gnaw at them. And without tree tubes doing effective weed control around your trees – actually even finding your trees amidst the weeds and brush – is very difficult and time consuming.
If you have the skill and expertise to plant trees the right way, Tree Tubes are the perfect tool to make sure all of that hard work pays rich dividends.
