1. Drive the stake into the ground 1.5 to 2 inches away from the seedling.

2. Use the tie hole tabs to form a cylinder (insert one edge of the vertical slit into the tie hole tabs of the opposite edge).

3.Side branches - If your seedlings have side (lateral) branches, prune them off. DO NOT bend these upward to squeeze them into the tube (Figure 1).

4. Lower the tube over the seedling, with the overlapping edges against the stake.

5. Thread the “zip ties” through the tie hole tabs, and cinch tight around the stake (Figure 2).

-For 2 ft C-style tubes, use 2 ties (top and bottom tie holes)
-For 3 ft C-style tubes, use 3 ties (top, middle and bottom tie holes).

TIPS: The stake should be OUTSIDE the tube, to allow optimal growing volume for the seedling inside.

Make sure that the base of the tube is pushed slightly into the soil, or at least is tight against the soil.

Mound loose soil around the base of the tube to a height of ~2 inches.

VENTING – with C-style tubes the middle tie hole tabs can be removed to provide ventilation and help promote dormancy for some tree species in northern climates.