Tree tubes

[baller]

How long do you keep your fruit trees in the Tree tubes? I have a dozen apple trees that I put in tree tubes when they were 24 inches tall (48in tubes)abot two years ago, the trees are now about 6-7' tall and was wondering when they tall enough for the deer and hardy enough from the rabbits?
I am concerned about not being able to prune and shape the trees properly if they are kept in the tube too long. Any advice?

 

[RS]

Leave the tubes on the trees until they bust off. For some reason bucks love to make rubs on fruit trees (I learned that the hard way).

One thing I also did with some of my apple and pear trees was construct a fence around each tree to keep the deer away, and left about 16 inches of tube around the bottom of the trees in case rabbits got through the fence.

I also built a 10-foot-high fence around my whole "orchard", which has about 50 apple trees planted in it (that was a pain in the rear to put up).

I've had some of the trees planted about 6 years, and it looks like I will have a bumper crop of apples off those trees.

 

[baller]

Thanks RS! I was thinking about cutting the top of the tubes off to expose just the forked branches, but leave the main trunk covered with the tube. This may help protect from the rubbing and the rabbits, but may just suck it up and fence the trees.