Tree Tubes: When to Use Them and When to Skip Them
Tree tubes are translucent plastic cylinders you place over newly planted seedlings. They create a mini greenhouse around the tree, accelerate growth, and protect against deer, rabbits, and wind. The USDA Forest Service and UK Forestry Commission have studied them since the 1980s, and the research is clear: tree tubes can double or triple height growth in the first two years.
But they’re not for every situation. In hot climates they can cook your seedlings. Left on too long, they produce thin, weak trunks that snap in the first windstorm after removal. And at $5-15 per tree installed, they add up fast.
Here’s when tree tubes make sense, when they don’t, and how to use them right.
What are tree tubes?
Tree tubes (also called tree shelters or grow tubes) are translucent polypropylene cylinders that fit over a newly planted seedling and attach to a stake. Tubex, a UK company, commercialized the first ones in the early 1980s after Graham Tuley of the UK Forestry Commission proved they accelerated oak seedling growth dramatically.
They come in three main types:
Solid wall tubes create the strongest greenhouse effect. Trapped CO2 from the seedling’s own transpiration plus soil respiration raises the carbon dioxide level inside the tube. Higher CO2 means faster photosynthesis. Humidity stays high, wind stress drops to zero, and night temperatures run warmer than ambient. The result: seedlings in solid tubes consistently grow 2-4 times faster in height during their first two years compared to unprotected controls.
Vented tubes have punched holes along the sides. They reduce interior temperature spikes while keeping most of the browse protection. Better for hot climates and conifers, which are more heat-sensitive than deciduous hardwoods.
Mesh tubes are rigid polypropylene mesh with no enclosed atmosphere. No greenhouse effect, no growth acceleration. They’re purely a physical barrier against deer and rabbits. Use them when you need browse protection but can’t risk heat buildup.
Standard heights run 2 feet (rabbit protection), 3 feet (rabbit plus some deer), 4 feet (the most common for reforestation), and 5-6 feet (full deer protection in high-pressure areas). Inner diameter is typically 3-5 inches.
Don’t confuse tree tubes with spiral tree guards
Spiral tree guards are a completely different product. They’re flexible plastic strips that wrap around the trunk base to prevent lawn mower damage, string trimmer bark injury, and rabbit chewing. No greenhouse effect. No growth boost. They cost $2-5 each and protect the bottom 18-36 inches of the trunk. If that’s what you need, read our tree sapling protection guide instead. This article is about actual grow tubes.
When tree tubes make sense
Reforestation and woodland restoration
This is the original use case and still the best one. If you’re planting 50-10,000 seedlings across acres of land with deer populations, tree tubes change the math. Without tubes, a 12-inch bare root oak seedling in deer country has near-zero survival. With a 5-foot tube, that same seedling reaches above browse height in one to two seasons instead of four to five.
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) commonly specifies tree tubes in riparian buffer planting plans. If you’re doing streambank restoration or a USDA conservation project, ask your local NRCS office about cost-share programs that cover tree tubes.
Bare root seedlings
Bare root trees are the ideal candidates for tree tubes. They’re small (12-24 inches), vulnerable, and cheap ($2-5 each in bulk). A $5 tube on a $3 seedling is reasonable math. A $5 tube on a $250 nursery tree makes no sense. The tube won’t fit over a 2-inch caliper trunk anyway.
High deer pressure on residential properties
If your property backs up to woods and deer eat every new planting, tree tubes solve the problem for seedling-sized trees. Five tubes at $5-10 each is cheaper than replacing five dead $40 nursery trees after the deer browse them down.
Orchard establishment
Fruit tree growers in deer country use 4-5 foot tubes to get young fruit trees past the browsing danger zone quickly. Once the canopy is above the tube, deer can’t reach the growing tips. If you’re starting a small orchard with bare root stock, tubes are a smart investment. For the rest of the orchard care, check our fruit tree pruning guide once they’re established.
When to skip tree tubes
Hot climates (zones 8-10)
Interior tube temperatures can exceed ambient by 20-30 degrees on sunny days. In Texas, California’s Central Valley, or the Deep South, a solid tube on a 100-degree day means 120-130 degrees inside. That cooks seedlings. Vented tubes or mesh tubes are safer options in warm climates, but you lose most of the growth acceleration benefit.
Container-grown nursery trees
If you bought a 5-gallon tree from the nursery, it’s already past the stage where a tube helps. The rootball won’t fit in a standard tube, and the tree is big enough to handle some browse pressure on its own. For protecting nursery-size trees from deer, a hardware cloth cage (covered below) works better.
Humid, poorly drained sites
Trapped moisture inside solid tubes promotes fungal problems on stems. In the Southeast or Pacific Northwest, where summer humidity is already high, solid tubes can create disease incubators. Mesh tubes or hardware cloth cages are safer.
Single trees in the front yard
If you’re planting one tree in a suburban yard with no deer pressure, you don’t need a tube. You need proper planting technique, first-year watering, and maybe a trunk wrap to prevent mower damage.
How to install tree tubes
What you need
- Tree tubes (match height to your threat: 4-5 feet for deer, 2-3 feet for rabbits only)
- Stakes (fiberglass preferred, lasts 10+ years; bamboo works but rots in 2-3 years; hardwood stakes like white oak last 5-7 years)
- Zip ties or tie straps (often included with commercial tubes)
- A mallet or post driver for the stakes
Step-by-step installation
1. Plant the tree first. Follow standard planting procedure. If you’re working with bare root stock, dust the roots with mycorrhizal inoculant before backfilling. The mycorrhizae colonize root tips and dramatically improve nutrient and water uptake during establishment.
2. Drive the stake. Position it 2-4 inches from the seedling, on the windward side if your site has a prevailing wind direction. Drive it 12-18 inches deep. The stake should extend to near the top of the tube when installed.
3. Slide the tube over the seedling. Center the tree inside with at least 1 inch of clearance from the walls. Push the tube base 2-3 inches into the soil. This seals the bottom against voles (they’ll girdle seedlings from inside a tube if there’s a gap at ground level).
4. Attach the tube to the stake. Use the included straps, zip ties, or wire through pre-punched holes. The tube should be snug against the stake but not crushing the seedling.
5. Water thoroughly. The tube traps humidity, but the roots still need water. For the first growing season, water weekly in dry weather or use a slow-release watering bag if the tree is large enough.
When to remove the tube
Remove the tube when the trunk diameter approaches the inner diameter of the tube. For most hardwood seedlings, this is 3-5 years after planting. Don’t wait until the tree is being strangled by the tube opening.
Gradual removal is critical. A tree grown inside a tube has thin trunk taper and no wind resistance. If you pull the tube off all at once on a windy day, the tree may snap or lean permanently. Instead:
- Cut 2-3 vertical slits down the tube wall in spring
- Leave the slit tube in place for 3-4 weeks so the tree can acclimate to wind
- Remove the tube entirely after the tree has stiffened
Best timing: early spring, before full leaf-out. The tree has the whole growing season to build reaction wood and trunk strength.
Solid tubes vs. mesh guards
| Factor | Solid Tube | Mesh Guard |
|---|---|---|
| Growth acceleration | Yes (2-4x height) | No |
| Deer protection | Yes (if tall enough) | Yes (if tall enough) |
| Heat risk | Significant in zones 8+ | Minimal |
| Fungal risk | Moderate in humid areas | Low |
| Herbicide shielding | Yes | No |
| Cost per unit | $4-10 | $3-8 |
| Best climate | Zones 3-7 | Zones 7-10 |
Simple rule: If your summer highs regularly exceed 95 degrees, use mesh or vented tubes. If you’re in zones 3-7 and want maximum growth acceleration, solid tubes with ventilation holes are the sweet spot.
The trunk weakness problem
This is the biggest honest drawback of tree tubes, and too many articles skip it.
Trees develop structural strength from wind. Wind causes micro-flexing in the trunk, which triggers the tree to produce reaction wood (thicker cell walls, better trunk taper). A tree inside a solid tube gets zero wind stimulus. The result: a tall, thin, whippy trunk with almost no taper at the base.
Pull the tube off a 5-year-old oak that’s been sheltered since planting and you’ll often find a trunk that bends 30 degrees in a moderate breeze. Some trees recover within a season. Others lean permanently or snap in the first storm.
The gradual removal method (cutting slits, then removing after a few weeks) reduces this problem significantly. But if structural trunk strength matters to you more than maximum early height growth, mesh tubes are the safer choice. They protect against browse while letting wind through.
DIY alternatives
Hardware cloth cage
For homeowners protecting a few trees, a DIY hardware cloth cage is cheaper and often more practical than commercial tubes.
Materials: 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch galvanized hardware cloth (sold in rolls at any hardware store), 24-36 inches wide. A 25-foot roll runs $25-40 and makes 6-8 cages.
Build it: Cut a 3-4 foot section. Roll it into a cylinder 8-12 inches in diameter. Secure the overlap with wire ties or hog rings. Stake it to the ground with U-pins or cable tie it to a wooden stake.
Height: 24-36 inches stops rabbits and voles. 48-60 inches deters most deer (though a determined doe will push past a 4-foot cage if she’s hungry enough).
Advantages over tubes: No heat risk. No humidity problems. Lasts 5-10 years (galvanized steel resists rust). No plastic waste. Better ventilation means no fungal issues and natural trunk taper development.
Disadvantage: No growth acceleration. You’re trading speed for safety.
Chicken wire cage
Less rigid than hardware cloth but adequate for rabbit protection. Use 1-inch mesh. For voles, add a 1/4-inch mesh ring at the base (voles fit through 1-inch mesh easily).
What tree tubes cost
For a homeowner planting 5-10 seedlings:
| Item | Per Tree | 10 Trees |
|---|---|---|
| Solid tube (4 ft) | $5-8 | $50-80 |
| Fiberglass stake | $3-5 | $30-50 |
| Zip ties | $0.50 | $5 |
| Total (tubes) | $8-14 | $85-135 |
| Hardware cloth cage (DIY) | $4-6 | $40-60 |
| Wooden stake | $2-3 | $20-30 |
| Total (DIY) | $6-9 | $60-90 |
At scale (500+ trees for reforestation), bulk pricing drops tube costs to $3-5 each. NRCS cost-share programs in many states will reimburse 50-75% of tree establishment costs including tubes. Talk to your county conservation district.
Top brands
Tubex invented the commercial tree tube in the 1980s. They’re UK-based and distribute through US forestry suppliers. Their Combitube and Standard lines are the benchmark products in professional reforestation. If you’re doing a serious planting project, Tubex is the standard.
Plantra is a US-based manufacturer. Their SunFlex Grow Tube (5 ft and 6 ft heights) and Rigid Mesh Tubes are popular with conservation agencies and private landowners. They also sell complete establishment systems with weed barrier mats and fertilizer packets.
Tree Pro has been manufacturing in West Lafayette, Indiana since 1987. Their products are made from 100% recycled materials, which is a legitimate differentiator if plastic waste concerns you. The Miracle Tube and Bark Pro are their main product lines.
For homeowner quantities (5-25 tubes), search Amazon for “tree grow tubes with stakes.” Multiple suppliers sell kits with tubes, fiberglass stakes, and zip ties in one package. Look for 4-5 foot height with ventilation holes.
When to plant with tree tubes
The best time to plant trees with tubes is the same as without: fall through early spring in most of the country. In cold climates (zones 3-5), plant in spring after the last hard freeze. The tube provides some frost protection but won’t save a freshly planted seedling from a deep freeze.
Install the tube the same day you plant. Don’t wait. Deer find newly planted seedlings within 48 hours. Ask anyone who’s planted bare root oaks in deer country. They’ll tell you stories.
If you’re looking for more ways to protect young trees beyond tubes, our sapling protection guide covers staking, mulching, trunk guards, and winter tree wrap for the first few years of establishment.