Tree stakes help ensure a newly-planted tree establishes well and doesn’t move about too much in the soil, damaging its roots. Apart from young, small trees (shorter than about 140cm (4.5ft)), almost all benefit from staking for the first few years after planting, though it is a particularly important task in windy gardens, on slopes, and when planting trees with a broad crown. 

Trees, whether container-grown or bare-root, are best planted between October and April and it’s important to insert tree stakes at the point of planting, to provide support straight away and avoid damaging the rootball. Most tree nurseries, garden centres and DIY shops sell tree stakes and ties, so pick these up when choosing or ordering your tree.

There are a number of different staking methods, depending on the shape and size of the tree and the site it is being planted on. Our step-by-step guides below cover how to stake a young tree using a single angled stake and a double stake. Options for larger trees are covered at the bottom of the page.  

Whichever method you choose, a tree stake should be buried at least 40cm (16in) into the soil.

Tools you need to stake a tree: 

• One or two wooden tree stakes of an appropriate length
• Tree ties (with or without buckles) – rubber or plastic ones are durable and long-lasting but
  Anything that can be decomposed by fungi, bacteria and micro-organisms, so it doesn’t persist indefinitely in the environment. Biodegradable plastics are usually made from plants, such as bamboo, rather than fossil fuels. Ideally, products that claim to be biodegradable should break down quickly and leave nothing harmful behind. However, they may need specific conditions in order to biodegrade successfully or may produce greenhouse gases such as methane in the process.

  biodegradable hessian ones are also available
• Rubber spacer  
• Claw hammer and nails  
• For double stakes - a wooden crossbar, screws and an electric drill 
• A sledge hammer or club hammer 
• A second pair of hands to help with larger trees/stakes 

1. Position the stake 

   If you are planting a small, containerised tree, roughly mark the extent of its rootball before you backfill soil around the roots. Position the tree stake so it is at a 45 degree angle to the main stem and the top (rounded) end of the stake is facing into the prevailing wind. Position the pointed end so it will be hammered into the soil beyond the spread of the rootball, to avoid damaging it. If necessary, reposition slightly to achieve a small gap (no more than 2.5cm (1in)) between the main stem and the stake. 

   If planting a bare-root tree with a wide root system, it’s best to position the tree stake before you backfill with soil, so you can ensure it passes between roots. Use the same measurements as above, lightly tapping the stake into the soil so it stands up on its own before backfilling.

2. Hammer in the stake 

   Using the assistance of a second pair of hands, if necessary, hold the stake in position and hammer it into the soil using a sledge or club hammer. Aim to bury at least 40cm (16in) of the stake so it stays firmly in place.

3. Secure the tree 

   Attach your tree to the stake around 40-50cm above ground level (or approximately one-third of the height of the tree). Use a spacer to prevent the tree trunk rubbing against the stake, or create one by making a large knot in tree tie tape.  
   
   Attach the tie using a figure of eight pattern, with the spacer sitting between the tree and stake, then tighten the tie. To keep it tight, hammer a nail through the tie into the stake, but don’t hammer it right down, so in the future you can pull the nail out with the claw end of a hammer and loosen the tie as the tree grows.

A pair of stakes joined with a crossbar offers additional support for tall trees on windy sites and for semi-mature, pleached or broad-crowned trees that have a large canopy compared to the size of their rootball, making them more at risk of windrock.

1. Position a pair of stakes 

   Dig your planting hole and place the tree inside it so you can mark the extent of its rootball, then set the tree aside. Position two stakes at opposite ends of the planting hole, just beyond the reach of the roots.

2. Hammer in the stakes and attach a crossbar 

   Hammer each stake vertically into the soil at least 40cm (16in) deep, aiming for the two stakes to be roughly level. Then screw the crossbar to each stake using an electric drill, aiming to have the top edge of the crossbar level with the tops of the stakes. If your crossbar is wider than the pair of stakes, saw off any overhang.

3. Plant your tree 

   Place your tree back in its planting hole, and with one person holding the trunk up against the centre of the crossbar, backfill soil around the roots to finish planting.

4. Secure the tree to the crossbar

   Feed a tree tie through one hole in the spacer, wrap it around the trunk of the tree and feed it through the other hole, so the spacer sits between the trunk and the crossbar. Then nail each end of the tie to the crossbar so it is snug around the trunk. If your tie has a buckle, it's often easier to nail it to the crossbar first, and then fasten it around the trunk. Avoid hammering the nails right down, so in the future you can pull them out with the claw end of a hammer and loosen the tie as the tree grows.

It is not often necessary to use a more substantial tree staking system in a home garden. However, if you are planting very large specimen trees for instant impact, or your garden is particularly exposed, then there are a couple of other options:

Guying involves using wires (often tensioned) to secure the trunk or main limbs to short stakes spaced equally around the tree. The stakes are inserted into the soil at a 45 degree angle away from the tree, and the wires are covered in a buffer, such as a length of rubber hosepipe, to prevent them rubbing. This method provides good all-round support for the tree and helps prevent leaning, but it takes up quite a lot of ground space and the guying wires can look unsightly in a border.

Ground anchors are essentially an underground staking system, holding the rootball in place below the soil. They involve driving anchors into the soil and attaching these to a loop of wire that is wrapped around the rootball. This system is good for highly visible areas where above ground methods would be unsightly, but they can be expensive and difficult to install.  

Some specialist tree nurseries offer a planting and staking service for mature trees, or, as you are likely to need assistance planting them, you could hire a professional contractor to take care of planting and staking. See our page on hiring contractors for more information or search for local companies offering tree anchorage systems near you. 

Check tree ties regularly to make sure they are not becoming too tight against the trunk as it grows. Once a year is often enough for slow-growing trees, such as flowering dogwood (Cornus kousa) and Japanese maples (Acer palmatum), but you might need to check those on fast-growing trees, such as Himalayan birch (Betula utilis) and eucalyptus, a few times a year.

It is also a good idea to check stakes and ties after bad weather, making sure they remain intact and well-anchored and there are no signs of abrasion.  

Tree stakes should remain in place until a tree has developed a good root system and a trunk thick and robust enough to support itself without bending over or shifting in the ground. This typically takes between eighteen months and three years, but can be longer for semi-mature specimens and those on weak rootstocks, such as dwarf apple trees.

Stakes that have only been in place for a couple of years can usually be removed by pulling them out of the ground by hand. Remove the tree tie then rock each stake back and forth until it becomes free enough to pull out. Fill the resultant hole(s) with topsoil so they don’t pose a trip a hazard. Where stakes have been in place for a number of years, and are very close to the tree trunk, it is generally better to saw them off at ground level than attempt removing them.