Holding up lines with a small nail - Bad Idea

[bryankloos]

Hi All,

First year on tubing. I have lines up and have worked out level/slope.
I will remove the system each year and then reinstall in the same locations.
I'm curious if it is a bad idea to hammer in a small nail to the tree to both hold up the lines but also mark where/which trees the lines get routed through...

Thoughts?

Bryan

[tcross]

i'm no expert, but i wouldn't worry too much about it. after the first year the nail is in the tree, the wound would heal up. many larger producers near me use a small nail driven though a scrap piece of tubing where their main lines go around trees to give the line some sort of hold on the tree.

[MISugarDaddy]

Bryan,
I would NOT use a nail to do as you are asking. I did that on a few trees when I first put up tubing and found that it "injures" the tree in the area of the nail. As a result, you have to treat that area like it is an old tap hole. An alternative to doing that would be to paint a small horizontal stripe on the tree where your tubing is located. You could simply move the tubing up or down a couple inches and then paint the mark. After you are done doing this for the entire line, move the tubing back on top of the line. There are several colors of tree marking paint available that last several years.
Gary

[DrTimPerkins]

Bad idea for several reasons. First, there are simpler ways of marking (as already suggested) and simple ways of maintaining level without nails. Secondly, it does create a wound, although small. Third...at some point you may cut down trees -- hitting a nail isn't a good thing. Fourth...no mill will likely want to buy any wood if you've put nails in them.

[mol1jb]

When I was IDing maple trees 3 years ago I used line paint (the stuff for marking ball fields and such) and I can still see those marks today. Very easy to carry a can with you into the woods.

[Sugarmaker]

As mentioned try to avoid nails. Tighten the tubing with end ties and or side ties. i had similar issue till I got it figured out a method to keep the lines tight. I actually use some black spray paint above and below the line to mark the elevation. Also use the drops to hold the line in position too.
Regards,
Chris