Do you know what a new plant needs the most for gentle growth? Water, nutrients, and of course, proper protection. But how to protect the tender tree trunks from the attack of animals, equipment, and weather elements? As you know, apparatus like weed trimmers, lawnmowers, etc. can cause huge damage to the delicate tree trunks. Similarly, the seedlings might face health threats due to sun, wind, or mechanical damage.
To shelter the saplings from such kinds of deadly damages, it’s essential to protect their trunks which are the roots of their growth. Here comes the compulsion of the best tree trunk protectors. They not only eliminate health risks by guarding the plants against animals, bugs, UV rays, trampling, wind damage, and many more but also ensure their untroubled outgrowth by securing the tree barks.
Let’s dig deeper into the following five handpicked products to learn what more they can offer in sheltering your saplings.
Product Reviews of the Best Tree Trunk Protectors
Don’t choose the wrong safeguards for your trees in the name of tree trunk protectors. Instead, follow the review section below to give your yearling trees the best trunk protection until they grow up!
1. Voglund Nursery Mesh Tree Bark Protector
- Protects tree trunks against animals and lawn equipment
- Breathable mesh wont hold moisture. Moisture can harbor insects and cause disease and rot
- Strong and durable UV treated plastic can easily be bent and trimmed to install around tree trunks up to 4 inches in diamater
- 40 Zip-Ties included for installation
- Sizes ranging from 12 inches tall up to 48 inches tall
First, let us introduce you to a stunning trunk guard for your young plants that come from the Voglund Nursery family.
As we all know, using plastic wraps around the tree can hold too much moisture to shelter insects. Resultantly, the tree barks are attacked and face so many diseases. Even the tender layers can rot which might lead the trees to death. One of the best things about this breathable tree guard is that it doesn’t retain moisture by maintaining proper ventilation. Therefore, it doesn’t damage the barks. Also, it provides the best protection from animals and mowing equipment.
Coming with plenty of zip ties, it is no rocket science to install it. On top of that, the UV-treated plastic provides 70% sun protection.
A slightly disappointing fact is that this trunk guard isn’t too rigid. So, you need to tie it really hard!
Features
Breathable Mesh: The respirable mesh design makes it a breathable tree wrap by permitting adequate airflow needed for the tree barks.
Zip Ties: No more trips to the store for purchasing toes separately. This tree guard includes forty zip ties that are enough for an easy installation.
Size: The size ranges between 12 to 48 inches tall.
Material: These black color trunk protectors are made of strong and sturdy standard weight plastic. Also, the plastic is UV protected. Above all, it’s easily trimmable according to your requirements.
Diameter: These protectors come in five packs and each one of them can cover a tree trunk with 4 inches diameter.
Pros
- Made of durable standard weight plastic
- Multiple protectors can be tied together for protecting trees with larger diameter
- Protects plants from the attacks of squirrels and rabbits
- Zip ties make it super easy to install
- You can bend them flat and trim them as you want
Cons
- Very thin and lightweight to survive a strong wind
- Less rigid to stay in place
2. Jiggly Greenhouse Plastic Mesh Tree Bark Protector
- These plastic tree guards are designed to fit trees with 4" diameters
- Pack Size: 5 tree guards and includes needed ties for easy installation
- Size and Dimensions: 36" high and has mesh that is .50" x .50"
- Made from high-density polyethylene that allows these tree guards to be both flexible and durable
- Protect your tree trunks from animals and lawn equipment
In the second place, we came up with an excellent tree base protector from Jiggly Greenhouse, a reliable name in manufacturing high-quality tree guards.
Similar to the Voglund Nursery Protector, this seedling savior is also tailored to fit trees with 4 inches of diameter. Also, it too comes in a pack of five guards and includes ties to install.
One of the most important features of this product is the open mesh design that prevents moisture buildup and saves the tree barks from infections. Besides, this is considered an ideal tree trunk protector from deer due to its outstanding defense against deer damage.
However, despite the positives, you might be bothered by the high price point. But if you consider its amazing performance against deer rubbing, it’s worth the money.
Features
Size: The tree trunk saviors come five pieces in a pack and are 36 inches high. Although available in 24 inches and 48 inches versions too.
Material: Being manufactured by high-density polyethylene, these are both flexible and perdurable. On top of that, they are UV-stabilized.
Mesh Size: The breathable mesh is 0.50×0.50 inches in size.
Diameter: Designed to be fit with trees that have up to 4 inches diameter.
Weight: The whole package is 1.6 pounds in weight.
Dimensions: Having the dimensions of 15.25×4.9×4.6 inches, the trunk guards allow more space gap between the tree barks and protectors.
Pros
- Proper protection from animals and lawn equipment
- Fast and facile installation
- UV-stabilized HDPE construction makes the protector pretty durable
- The open mesh design provides the tree adequate sunlight
- Deer will leave your trees alone once you use it
Cons
- A bit overpriced
- Strips are too small for the price
3. Eversprout Weather-Proof Tree Trunk Protectors
- STACKS VERTICALLY, HORIZONTALLY, OR BOTH! CONNECT VERTICALLY FIRST, THEN HORIZONTAL. 1 TREE GUARD FITS UP TO 4” DIAMETER TREE - Snap connectors allow you to connect multiple tree guards together. Connect tree guards vertically first, and then connect them horizontally. This allows you to custom fit the tree guards to all different shapes and sizes, from your saplings to mature trees. One tree guard by itself can protect a tree that has up to a 4 Inch diameter trunk.
- STURDY REINFORCED PLASTIC PROTECTS AGAINST THE ELEMENTS & MOWERS - Protective plastic keeps your saplings safe from lawn mowers, weed wackers, harsh uv sun, the elements, and more!
- THE EVERSPROUT EXPERIENCE – 1 YEAR WARRANTY, MIND-BLOWING USA CUSTOMER SERVICE, 1 TREE PLANTED WITH EVERY ORDER – When’s the last time you had a shopping experience that ‘Wowed’ you? Probably not in a while. Here at Eversprout we match amazing products with an incredible customer experience.
- EASY AIR FLOW DESIGN - Custom criss cross slot design allows for easy air circulation that promotes healthy trees. The air flow reduces trapped moisture.
- DARK GREEN COLOR BLENDS IN WITH NATURE - The dark green color camouflages and blends right in with tree trunks and foliage. No more eye sores on your trees!
Next on the list, you are going to meet an irresistible trunk guard that you can connect both vertically and horizontally.
As the name suggests, these protectors are weather-proof to fight against moisture build-up, sunscald, weed whacker, and any other harsh environmental elements. Besides, we loved the criss-cross slotted design that permits optimal airflow.
Howsoever, Eversprout is always popular for its amazing customer service and no exception in this product as well. Once you use these flexible tree guards, rest assured they will preserve your greeneries from UV rays, lawnmowers, and weed trimmers all year round.
Though the pieces are a bit difficult to stack and take some time to be assembled, keep trying and you can definitely do it.
Feature
Material: Being architectured with high-quality plastic, they are flexible and durable to serve for a long time. No cheap material is used here to make them breakage-prone.
Color: You cannot but admire the dark green color that blends so nicely with the leafage. In fact, they look great once stacked around the tree trunks.
Cut-out Design: The custom cut-out design permits necessary air circulation to maintain your trees’ healthy growth and also reduces trapped moisture.
Fitting: The package includes optional zip ties that let you connect multiple guards together. First, connect them vertically and then horizontally. In this way, you can fit them to a wide variety of trees in terms of shape and size.
Pros
- Best protection for seedlings to mature tree trunks
- Easy airflow with a slotted design
- The eye-soothing dark green color effortlessly blends with the nature
- Reinforced plastic makes them stronger and sturdier
- Adjustable architecture let them fit both thin and wide plants
Cons
- Quite challenging to assemble
- The slots are too wide to line up well
4. Dimex EasyFlex Plastic Tree Trunk Protectors
- EasyFlex plastic tree trunk protectors are designed to keep your yearling trees and shrubs safe from abrasions resulting from routine yard care.
- Weed wackers, hedge trimmers, and animals can cause irreversible damage to young tree trunks. Prevent that damage by wrapping the EasyFlex Tree Trunk Protector around the base of your tree.
- Unlike metal cage protectors, the easily expandable plastic design allows the protector to grow with your tree without cutting into new growth. The slotted design allows airflow to prevent bark rot.
- Innovative expansion tabs offer a way to increase the diameter of your tree trunk protector as your plants grow. The uniquely formulated taupe-brown color blends with most young tree bark surfaces.
- EasyFlex Plastic Tree Trunk Protectors are made in the USA by Dimex, a company committed to an eco-friendly stance, using recycled materials whenever possible. EasyFlex is a complete line of plastic and aluminum landscape products offered by Dimex.
The fourth place is occupied by an outstanding tree trunk protector from Dimex who is famous for making eco-friendly products.
If you are someone who takes care of your yard regularly, then the plants out there will surely face abrasions due to the stroke of hedge whackers, weed trimmers, or other gardening tools. To save your precious plants from such harsh attacks, EasyFlex Plastic Tree Trunk Protectors are the best tree guard.
Pretty similar to the Eversprout Protectors, these too are made with slotted designs. As a result, your yearling tree barks face less moisture retention which prevents bark rot.
Another excellent add-ons are the innovative expansion tabs that let them grow with your plants.
Despite being too rigid, they can provide optimal protection to the base of tree trunks if used appropriately.
Features
Material: Dimex manufactured these bark shields from 100% recycled plastic materials that are totally harmless and eco-friendly.
Expandable Design: You will live the easy expansion of the slotted coils that you can cut according to your needs.
Color: Talking about the color, it has a unique taupe-brown color that matches almost any young plants’ barks.
Size: Tailored as round tubes or coils, these exquisite shaft shields are 9 inches tall. And they come in a pack of twelve coils.
Dimensions: The product dimensions are 2×2×9 inches and each coil is suitable for covering trees with a 4″ diameter. Apparently, larger trees need two or more coils based on their measurements.
Pros
- The grayish-brown color naturally blends with most tree barks
- High-quality material makes them pretty durable
- Handy expansion tabs to connect the coils easily
- Echo-friendly due to the recycled plastic materials
- Pretty affordable price range
Cons
- Hard to use due to its rigidness
- Too large tabs to fit into the holes
5. Smart Spring Plant and Tree Guard Protector
- Affordable Protection: Protect plantings from weed eaters, rabbits, rodents, deer, squirrels, dogs, and cats
- Installs in Seconds: Simply snap together with two tabs, no ties needed; stores flat to save space
- Expandable: Connect additional panels as needed to make wider and/or taller
- The best quality and design to protect plants and ensure a faster growth.
- Quality Material: Made in the USA from UV-stabilized polypropylene for years of use
Finally, let’s discuss one of the most effective barriers to save the delicate tree bark from the attack of several gardening tools, squirrels, rodents, rabbits, dogs, cats, etc.
What we liked most about the trunk shield is that they are outstandingly sturdy in terms of surviving any hostile weather. Also, the one-minute installation is something you would look for in any best tree trunk protector.
Another most advantageous fact is that it makes the animals disinterested in your saplings and shrubs as they can hardly see them. So, you can protect your precious plants like lilies, sunflowers, bamboo, etc. safely.
However, if you need adequate sun protection, the large holes might be an issue. Apart from that, it’s must-have stock support to save the seedlings.
Features
Quantity: Comes in a package of 6 pieces. Also available in 3, 12, and 24 pieces. Based on your budget and requirements, choose the quantity.
Expandable Designing: You can connect multiple panels together to turn it into a larger tree trunk protector.
Material: The UV-treated polypropylene material makes them last for years. Also, they are robust and reliable barriers to shelter the delicate plants
Color: The absolutely soothing green color catches your attention when you use them around your greeneries. They look amazing when combined.
Easy Installation: You can snap two tabs together within seconds just by closing the clips, no extra tools or ties are needed.
Pros
- Best trunk protection within budget
- Superior UV-stabilized material for better performance
- Unimaginably easy to install
- The attractive green color keeps the cats away
- A reliable solution for outdoor plants that fasten their growth
Cons
- Not too tall as the picture shows
- Although prevents the animal attack, they are not completely pig proof
Why Are Tree Protectors Necessary?
In a word, tree guards are lifesavers for your precious plants. On one hand, they eliminate any environmental threats like sun, wind, or frost damages by sheltering the touchy trunk surfaces. On the other hand, no animals can rub or chew the tender tree bark if proper safeguards are there.
When your precious plants are exposed to external forces, you must protect them by putting them into the right wrap, be it plastic or metal tree trunk protector.
Perhaps the most interesting fact about any sapling shield is that it doesn’t only work as a shelter but also as a greenhouse. They store adequate light and warmth for the proper growth of the plants. In fact, the survival rate of the yearling woods highly increases due to telling tree shelter.
How to Apply a Tree Trunk Protector?
Well, don’t get confused about how to apply a tree protector. It’s pretty easy. You just need to follow the instructions.
Upon arrival, each set of tree guards comes with detailed instructions on how to assemble them. Some need to be connected vertically, some might be horizontal.
However, based on the diameter of your tree trunk, you should assemble the pieces. Then wrap the trunk with the protectors to drive away outside animals like cats, dogs, squirrels, mice, etc. Remember, some trunk barriers need to be snapped tightly, some need a loose-fitting. Most of them come with necessary zip ties to be tied together. According to the dimensions and assembly direction, you need to set them up one after another.
Although some stock shelters come in flat shape to be stored easily, you can install them turning into round tubes for better protection.
How to Maintain Tree Trunk Protectors?
Have you ever thought about how long a tree protector lasts? Or how can you maintain them properly? To get the answers, you should know when to remove the plastic guards.
To make the protectors last longer, monitoring them regularly is an absolute must. When you feel that there are any girdling issues, remove them immediately. Otherwise, it might lead the growing trees to death!
One more thing you should notice to maintain the trunk protectors properly- there should be enough spaces between the barks and the guards. This will not only remove additional moisture but also keep the barriers unharmed for years. And choose light colors for trunk shields so that direct sunlight can’t heat them up to change their forms.
Most importantly, clean the protectors once in a while to prolong their lifespan. This is the most important thing we guess.
FAQs
Will a tree protector stop a squirrel from climbing a tree?
Not really. Tree protectors are not that long, right? Squirrels will somehow manage to climb a tree by climbing on tall buildings, fences, or trees beside it.
What is tree wrap?
A tree wrap is made of polypropylene fabric to protect the tree trunks from several environmental risks. The long and thin strips are also known as tree protector straps to wrap the delicate tree barks.
What is the best tree guard?
Among all types of tree guards, plastic-made protectors are the best to shelter the saplings with an open mesh design. Usually, Dimex, Voglund Nursery, Eversprout, etc. make these types of high-tech trunk guards.
How do you protect a deer from a tree trunk?
Use eco-friendly tree shields that would do no harm to the deer even if they encounter the protectors.
Final Words
Tree guards are most desirable when your plants are powerless to fight back different weather conditions. Also, the bark surfaces might be totally damaged by the unexpected attack of animals, weed whackers, or other tools. So, to protect the touchy tree trunks, you must count on the best tree trunk protectors. Not only do they let the trees breathe properly but also offer adequate strengths to grow faster.
However, you can try the above-mentioned trunk guards to let your seedlings grow up smoothly. For a shoestring budget, we recommend Smart Spring Plant and Tree Guard Protector. If you seek an environmentally friendly pick, go for Dimex EasyFlex Plastic Tree Trunk Protectors. And the Voglund Nursery Mesh Tree Bark Protector is the most breathable one. Though whichever shaft shield you choose from the list, you are going to have a great grab for sure!
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