Garden stakes keep breaking!

[Tiger]

Every few months or so it seems that the stakes that I put into the ground fail, ie, they come loose and don't hold anything. Now I've tried different woods, different angles from steep to shallow. I pound them pretty hard with a club or claw hammer (hard enough that the end that I'm hammering splinters away) and that still doesn't help. Is there some rule of thumb about how deep they need to be? Is there some preferred angle or should I just stay in the workshop and let SWMBO deal with it?

[echnidna]

wotsorta soil you got?

[Tiger]

Actually Bob, I've tried this on a clay-based and also a fairly sandy soiled type, but now that I live on clay, I'd like to deal with that now.

[echnidna]

pointing stakes helps.

Usually about a foot (300mm) deep is stable.

If you have problems driving them into clay drill a 3/4" hole in the dirt first.

[DJ’s Timber]

What size stakes are you using?

I reckon anything under 40mm x 40mm is just going to keep breaking and should be a minimum of 400mm in the ground

[Tiger]

The top soil is about 150 mm deep, then clay. A drill bit would only drill so far into the ground unless it was an extended bit. I keep hammering and the stake gets about 300 or 400 mm into the ground and then it won't go any further, the other end just splinters. I use quite thick stakes about 50 mm square.

[Ashore]

Tiger why not use star pickets instead the cost should be less than replacing garden stakes all the time

Rgds

[Barry Hicks]

Like Ashore says, go for star pickets. I bought wood ones from Bunnys and the hardwood ones weren't too bad but I usually broke them trying to get them out of the ground to re-use them.

Barry Hicks

[Barry_White]

Actually the best thing to drive garden stakes in is a star picket driver. My garden stakes are Stringy Bark hardwood and are 50mm x 25mm. These stakes are over 10 years old. The are used in granite soil and I drive them in about 300mm.

They are used for tomatoes each year and I pull them out of the ground over the winter. Once they go through the top soil of 150mm they then go into granite subsoil. The ends are staring to show signs of rot.

The only time any got broken was when I left the yard gate open by mistake and the cows got in the yard and when I chased them out they ran through the garden an snapped a few off.

[outback]

Actually the best thing to drive garden stakes in is a star picket driver. My garden stakes are Stringy Bark hardwood and are 50mm x 25mm. These stakes are over 10 years old. The are used in granite soil and I drive them in about 300mkm.



Wow :p

[Tiger]

Thanks, guys. We have many roses and small trees, star pickets could become a little expensive at the lengths we need but maybe for the bigger trees they're an option.


Baz, a star picket driver is a tool you can buy or a homemade job?

[DJ’s Timber]

Baz, a star picket driver is a tool you can buy or a homemade job?


Can be either. It's just a steel tube of approximately 600mm long with one end capped with 2 long handles welded to the sides.

The heavier it is the better

[Tiger]

Thanks, DJ.

[Barry_White]

Wow :p

Gee I'm allowed an occasional typo aren't I. Now corrected.

[Barry_White]

Baz, a star picket driver is a tool you can buy or a homemade job?

It can be either. You would probably need to find a rural supplies store to get one. I bought mine, but my brother in law made his own. Just a piece of pipe big enough to go over the stake with some clearance a couple of handles and one end blanked of. Do needs to have a bit of weight in it.

Here is a pic of mine.

[outback]

Gee I'm allowed an occasional typo aren't I. Now corrected.

Of course you are, particularly when they are funny like that one. :D

[JDarvall]

Probably a good idea to wear ear muffs or plugs when using that driver.

[Barry_White]

Probably a good idea to wear ear muffs or plugs when using that driver.

Only makes a dull thud when used on garden stakes.

[JDarvall]

oh, I thought he was talking about getting steel star pickets. My mistake. Just made me think of my first day fencing out on this farm. Didn't have any ear muffs. Bearly hear a thing by the end of the day but riiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnng. :D

[LandscapeDesign]

What is your method of staking?
A single stake, two or three stakes? And do you tie the plants loosely or tight?
Larger trees should not need stakes if they are established and have healthy roots. Staking them only makes the trunk weaker because it doesn't need to develop it's own strength.
In my experience 3 stakes with three ties is reliable.

[rhancock]

It can be either. You would probably need to find a rural supplies store to get one. I bought mine, but my brother in law made his own. Just a piece of pipe big enough to go over the stake with some clearance a couple of handles and one end blanked of. Do needs to have a bit of weight in it.

Here is a pic of mine.

I've seen them at Bunnies...

[Bleedin Thumb]

Make sure that the starpicket driver will fit over a 50 x 50mm stake. They usually don't. I had to get a driver made specifically to fit the 50 x 50 out of 60 x 60 square section from memory.... about $120 .

[batcat]

Quick and dirty... I have an old screwdriver with a shaft about 18" long. I hammer that into the soil to check for rock and make a 'pilot hole' where I want to put a graden stake. Works fine!

The 'tool police' would not be impressed, but I bought the screw driver for just this task at a 2nd hand shop for $2 :-)