Wrapping large trees

[jcazz 0]

I have a question to put those of you who have some experience in this area. I have two good sized trees in my front yard that were completely ignored this year (I'm not sure of the species, one looks like it might be a Black Locust the other may be a Maple or Sycamore).

Next year I'm thinking about wrapping them in lights, but I've never tackled anything quite that large before. I know I've read some people wrap and leave them up - which is appealing because frankly I would prefer to not be getting up and down in these trees twice a season.

To those of you who have large, wrapped trees:

• Do you leave the lights up year round or take them down?
  
  
• If you leave them up year round, how many seasons do you get before the sun, wind, and weather end up ruining them?
  
  
• If you leave them up, do the trees look unusually odd the other 11 months of the year?
  
  
• Do you wrap multiple colors or just use them as accents (e.g. clear only)?
  
  
• How long does it take you to wrap a 50' - 60' tree?
  
  
• If you leave them up, do you have to re-wrap every so many years because of growth?
  
  

Thanks!

Jacob

[keitha 0]

I remember Richard H. saying he had a lot of lights that needed replacing after leaving them up all year next to his parents house.

[Scott4864 7]

Hi

I’m curious as well. We moved to a new house this year and have several large trees that we would like to wrap next year too.

How do you get the power distributed up the tree? Do you run cords up the tree before wrapping? How far apart are the plugs going up the tree?

Thanks,

Scott

[RichardH 0]

We left a lot of our lights up over the season. The ones that were brand new actually look pretty good but the ones that already had a couple years of use are faded and have a pastel look to them but are still acceptable. I will not be using them again for next year.

[Toymakr000 1]

"I have a question to put those of you who have some experience in this area. I have two good sized trees in my front yard that were completely ignored this year (I'm not sure of the species, one looks like it might be a Black Locust the other may be a Maple or Sycamore).

Next year I'm thinking about wrapping them in lights, but I've never tackled anything quite that large before. I know I've read some people wrap and leave them up - which is appealing because frankly I would prefer to not be getting up and down in these trees twice a season.

To those of you who have large, wrapped trees:

• Do you leave the lights up year round or take them down? NO! The squirrels eat the wires
  
  
• If you leave them up year round, how many seasons do you get before the sun, wind, and weather end up ruining them?
  
  
• If you leave them up, do the trees look unusually odd the other 11 months of the year? A little green and sparkly.
  
  
• Do you wrap multiple colors or just use them as accents (e.g. clear only)?Yes red green white.
  
  
• How long does it take you to wrap a 50' - 60' tree? Never done the whole tree. up to 12 ft takes 6 hours,8,000 lights
  
  
• If you leave them up, do you have to re-wrap every so many years because of growth?
  I don't think they'd last that long.
  

"

[drivemewilder 18]

It takes alot less time...and in my opinion looks a whole lot better...if you don't wrap. Just run your stringer straight up the trunk and follow whatever branch you want lit. Then start a new stringer right next to the first. I put 2 strings of each color on each branch, but i don't wrap at all. Wrapping is far too time consuming and doesn't look that professional to me. Most people that see my trees, make the same comment.

[ChrisCringle 0]

It takes alot less time...and in my opinion looks a whole lot better...if you don't wrap. Just run your stringer straight up the trunk and follow whatever branch you want lit. Then start a new stringer right next to the first. I put 2 strings of each color on each branch, but i don't wrap at all. Wrapping is far too time consuming and doesn't look that professional to me. Most people that see my trees, make the same comment.

Got pics of your trees?

[keitha 0]

Hi

I

[drivemewilder 18]

Here is a video link. Around the 3:00 mark is a good shot of the trees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7pEyqT_H0w

[jcazz 0]

That doesn't look bad - and it would be a lot quicker than wrapping.

How do you attach the stringers to the tree? Staples? I'm assuming that it's not hurting the trees?

Can you tell I don't know much about trees?

Thanks,

Jacob

Here is a video link. Around the 3:00 mark is a good shot of the trees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7pEyqT_H0w

[drivemewilder 18]

Yes, staples. Although not the kind you use in a staple gun for small projects around the home. The larger ones that you hammer in. Can't think of the name of them off hand, but they are about 1/2" in length. And yes, it saves a tremendous amount of time compared to wrapping. I wrapped for many years before i tried this out, wrapping was the dumbest thing i ever did. Ok, not the dumbest! I've tried getting others to do it, but noone is even willing to try it.

[Bobby&Bobbie 10]

Jacob I have been wrapping large trees for 26 years. Check out my pictures to see them for your self. I do two 60' maple trees with 60,000 + minis in each, a 76' pine tree with about 30,000 minis and a 40' cedar with about 9,000 C-7. I have had many different municipalities, tree climbers that put lights in big trees and electricians contact me over the past 15 or so years if input. If you put wrap the trees the right way the only enemy that you will have is fading, a limb snapping off and squirrels. We have a very large population of squirrels around here. A cheap and easy fix for them is rubber snakes. We leave the light up all year with minimal damage from the squirrels. Just keep in mind that you have to move the snakes around about once a week. We have 3 - 4 rubber snakes per tree.

Bobby