Sweet Orange plants, particularly during the early stages of growth, can develop quickly but remain vulnerable to collapsing due to factors like strong winds or heavy rains. Staking the plants on the day of planting can help prevent such damage.
Why stake Sweet Orange plants?
Staking in Sweet Orange is recommended for various reasons –
- Brittle Stems: In their initial stage, Sweet Orange plants have tall, fragile stems with grafted or budded joints, making them susceptible to damage from strong winds.
- Weather Vulnerability: Young plants can be uprooted or split during bad weather conditions, or even from the weight of their own growing branches.
Benefits of Staking Sweet Orange Plants
- Staking keeps the plant upright and provides support during high winds or storms.
- It helps prevent stem breakage, particularly in areas prone to adverse weather conditions.
- Staking aids in training the plant’s structure during its vegetative growth phase.
When to stake Sweet Orange plants
Staking should be done on the same day of plantation.
This provides immediate support and ensures the plant develops proper structure during its early growth phase.
Duration/Period of Staking
Sweet Orange plants should remain staked until their stems have gained enough strength to stand independently.
Materials required for staking in Sweet Orange Plants
Difficulty level in Staking of Sweet Orange plants-
Easy to Moderate
Sequential steps
Step 1: Take a bamboo 6 feet length and 4 inches diameter.
Step 2: Strike staking bamboo next to stem of Sweet Orange plant. Keep a distance of 4 inches from the stem of the plant. Place the stake at an angle to offer additional support to the plant.
Step 3: Ensure that bamboo stake is penetrated 1 feet below the ground
Step 4: Tie Jute thread i.e. Sutli (Thread) at 2 locations in the plant, first at 6 inches above the ground and second at 6 inches below the top leaf of the plant.
Important points and precautions in Sweet Orange plant staking –
| Precaution | Reason |
| Size of Bamboo Stake – Use a bamboo stake of 6 feet length and 4 inches diameter | Staking is to be done for a long period i.e. 2 years of plant age therefore, if grower uses a small bamboo of 2 or 3 feet it needs replacement. This will result in an additional effort of labour and stake costs. To avoid this, it’s advised to use suggested size of bamboo. |
| Bamboo stake penetration – Appropriate distance should be taken care of while penetration of bamboo stake near to the plant. – Avoid the roots when striking the stake into the ground. | If the stake is too far from the plant, it will cause pulling of plant in one direction. If the stake is too close to the plant, it will damage the root structure of the plant. Hitting on the roots may injure or even kill the roots. |
| Bamboo Health or Condition: – Healthy, Insect free. | Bamboo infected with termite/insects will in turn infect the plant and may lead to severe damage. To increase bamboo’s life in wet conditions, it can be dipped and dried in bitumen / tar-coal. |
| Tie for staking -Use of Jute thread (Sutli). Do not use nylon / plastic / metal wires. | Plant stems are tender and will get damaged / cut due to sharp edges of nylon / plastic and metal wires. These wires / Nylon thread brittles in sun heat and metal wire gets rusted in rain. Figure-of-eight technique is used in tying to prevent rubbing of plant against stake and avoid damaging. |
Figure-of-eight knot in staking of Sweet Orange plant.  | |
| Do not tie tightly: It will damage the plant. | Tight tying will rub the plant stem with bamboo stake and damage it. Do not tie in plants too rigidly, they should be able to move with the wind. When tying in individual stems, use a figure-of-eight knot, so the string passes between the stem and the bamboo to prevent rubbing. |
| Tying at 2 places At 2 specific intervals (4 inches above from surface, 4 inches below from top leaf). | Tying off plant may seem like a lot of work, but it is necessary to help the plants thrive. Without the ties, the plants may bend over, become covered in mud, or snap off and die. Tying at 2 places help plant to stand firm and straight. |
Steps of tying
Step 1: Bamboo should be placed 4” away from the stem.
Step 2: Tie up the plant with bamboo 4-6” from the surface.
Step 3: Tie up the plant with bamboo 3-4” below from the top leaf.
| Staking –What can go wrong? Staking with weak and small stake–is not a staking at all…!! |  |
| Correct Staking in VNR Jackfruit Plant Staking with 4 inches diameter and 6 feet bamboo gives proper support to plant for initial growth. |  |
| Do not tie with Nylon/plastic thread. Nylon thread is sharp with edges can damage the soft tissue of the plant. It can cut through the epidermis of the plant and cause vascular bundle damage and bruises to the plant. |  |
Care of staked plants
Check regularly on Bamboo stake: Ensure that bamboo stake is grounded firmly in soil and is not tilted too much. Ensure that it keeps giving proper support to plant. Replace jute thread if found damaged.
Change of tie position at regular intervals: When the plant achieves growth and its height increases, the position of tie needs to be changed. Remember, first tie needs to be fixed again at 6 inches distance from top leaf of the plant.
Check on Sweet Orange plants regularly and apply additional ties if needed during plant growth stage: Add ties about 6 to 8 inches (15.2 to 20.3 cm) apart. Make sure to secure the tie to the bamboo stake and not the plant. All the branches should not be grouped at a single stake near the plant’s center.
Regularly check the stakes for termites. If found drenching of Chloropyriphos 20% EC – 3-4 ml per litre.
