Protecting plants from wind
Quick answer. Wind causes three distinct problems: it accelerates water loss from leaves and soil, it erodes the soil surface — FAO names high susceptibility to wind erosion among the special problems of arid soils — and it rocks newly planted trees so that roots cannot make contact with the surrounding soil. Shelter addresses the first two; correct staking addresses the third, and only for as long as it is needed.
Water loss
Moving air carries away the humid layer that sits against a leaf surface, which raises transpiration for the same temperature and light. In combination with heat and the low water-holding capacity of sandy soil, a windy day shortens the interval a plant can go between waterings — sometimes dramatically, and without any visible change in the weather that a grower would register as a warning.
The same applies at the soil surface, where wind accelerates evaporation directly. Mulch helps here for the reason FAO gives: in very hot climates it reduces water loss from the soil.
Soil erosion
FAO lists high susceptibility to wind erosion explicitly among arid-soil problems. What blows away first is the finest fraction and the surface organic matter — the two components that a sandy soil can least afford to lose, since they carry most of its water-holding and nutrient-holding capacity. Erosion therefore quietly undoes soil improvement work.
Ground cover, mulch and windbreaks all reduce it. Bare, freshly cultivated ground exposed to wind is the worst case, which is an argument for not preparing beds long before they are planted.
Rocking, and the limits of staking
A newly planted tree moved repeatedly by wind cannot make root contact with the surrounding soil; the movement opens a gap around the stem at soil level, which also admits water and encourages decay. Staking addresses this.
But staking has a cost. A tree held rigidly does not develop the trunk taper and strength that comes from moving in the wind, so a permanently staked tree is weaker when the stake is finally removed. The principle is to allow the top to move while holding the root ball still, and to remove supports once the plant has established rather than leaving them indefinitely. Ties left in place girdle the trunk as it thickens.
Wind damage is not a deficiency. Leaf-edge browning and scorch from desiccating wind look very like the marginal scorch associated with potassium shortage or salt injury, and the three are corrected in completely different ways — one by shelter, one by nutrition after analysis, one by leaching. Do not apply potassium to a wind-scorched plant. A visual symptom alone is not a confirmed diagnosis.
Sources
FAO — Fertilizer and Plant Nutrition Bulletin 16, Chapter 5 (special problems of arid soils: high susceptibility to wind erosion), Chapter 8 (mulching and water loss), Chapters 4 and 7. Accessed 27 August 2026. Staking practice is arboricultural common ground and is labelled as such. No dimension or quantity is stated.
Last reviewed 27 August 2026