Cactus tree guards - handy video demonstrating everything you need to know about installation!

[Donna Cox]

Cactus tree guards - reusable & relatively non obtrusive - have been widely funded through the Farming in Protected Landscapes grant (FiPL) at 100% of cost for planting of individual parkland/shrubland or orchard trees (at least within Dartmoor National Park). They arrive flat packed. Robbie Phillips has made an informative video to help those putting up the prickly beasts for the first time, as lots of people have been asking about them, plus the kit you will need.

Find the video here: https://youtu.be/ZCGwLYa54Wc

Both metal rebars or wooden posts can be used to install the guards https://cactustreeguards.co.uk/gallery

And guards can be linked to create larger guards, with 2 sheets standard for a larger enclosure. 

Further information on installation: https://cactustreeguards.co.uk/concept or see the attached installation guide.

For installation you will need:
Three rebars are needed for a guard - 1.5 meter x 10mm rebar ribbed steel/high tensile cut steel. You can go up to 2m, but pay more.

You can purchase other items that are necessary:
https://cactustreeguards.co.uk/products

-You will need an easy tie tool for the metal ties, and a rebar drive rod.

-An optional tool is the guard former, which takes pressure off wrists if doing a large number, but it does slow the guard forming down and is not suitable if making guards in the field over a larger number of locations.  

-A decent pair of gloves to protect from the barbs!
https://www.safetygloves.co.uk/maxidry- ... 6-451.html

If you have big hands worth getting size 11 but average hands size 9 or 10
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B076J6W5MK? ... ct_details

Timings:
Around an hour per tree to install (includes planting the tree). Can be quicker once experienced, or when a production line is set up. Placing a larger number as part of an installation speeds up the time taken per guard, especially when they are clustered over a smaller area. When spread over larger areas the most timely part is getting all of the bits to the individual trees ready to guard.

Costs:
The individual guards cost about £20 each (in 2023) with an additional £10-12 for the 3x rebar to support them or a post can also be used.

Rebar lengths will generally cost around £1.50-£3.50 depending if you have a trade supplier. Building merchants tend to be best but online metal rebar steel specialist are also possible. They are heavy and weigh approximately 1kg each so you cannot transport more than 200 in a standard car, and they are long. 

Here is the website about them and Tim is the person who sells them in the UK.
https://cactustreeguards.co.uk/
 
Delivery is expensive at £150-180 for a pallet so it works out best if ordering a pallet load.

Robbie can be contacted at robbie.phillips925@hotmail.co.uk


 

[Bob]

Donna,
Lyn Climate Action, (I'm a committee member) based in Lynton North Devon, have planned to develop a rare apple tree orchard and wild flower
meadow on public owned land in The Valley of Rocks (all permissions in place). We need protective tree guards (local goats and deer) and one option might be 'Cactus'.
My concern is potential injury from the 'cactus spikes' to unsupervised children (entitled to be on the public meadow) who might not be capable of assessing injury risk. Has anyone experience in using Cactus Guards on land open to public access?
Our more costly option (which we are trying to fund) for each of 35 trees, is 1.8 metre high cage guards built from split chestnut stakes and wrapped in fence wire to form 1.2 metre wide guards. So 2nd question: any suggestions for local sourcing of 140 x 2 metre high split chestnut stakes. Thanks.

[Steve Pollard]

Bob - I get my chestnut stakes from Dorset Fencing Supples https://dorsetfencingsupplies.co.uk They deliver throughout the south west and have a wide range of materials. For 6' high guards you would use round 8ft 4-5″ posts (you won't get split stakes that long, 4-5" will last longer than 3-4"). I have made about 40 similar guards to protect apple and other trees from cattle, and the time and cost of making them should not be underestimated. I make mine 2m wide - would 1.2m be wide enough to prevent deer and goats reaching their heads through the wire to the trunk? Also unless you are making an access gate on each guard, 1.2m wide does not allow much space to climb in to each year to carry out formative pruning. With regards to using Cactus guards on public access land, I would ring Tim at Cactus and ask him, he's bound to have experience of that. However, would you not be using barbed wire on the wooden tree guards anyway? Is barbed wire used on the fences of the land?