Choosing and Treating Stakes to Prevent Rotting

Technical articles

Fence stakes

Fence stakes tend to rot if they are not treated or chosen from resistant wood species.

Which species to choose?

Prefer acacia or chestnut (a slow-growing and dense wood)

When and where to cut the wood?

Preferably, choose the north-facing slopes (colder slopes, harder wood and slow-growing), with descending sap (in winter) but only cut after at least two good frosts of -2°, -3°.

Ideally choose a period of waning moon (sap at the root and not in the branches).

How to cut the stakes?

Cut the stakes with a wedge and not with a saw. The wedge allows following the grain of the wood, water cannot infiltrate the core and the wood will last longer – conversely, the saw will create entry points for water which will soak the wood.

Treating the stakes?

Avoid wood from railway tracks, treated with creosote.

Many treat stakes by soaking them in used motor oil for several days or even weeks. They can also be superficially burned with a flame.

Heat-shrink sleeves

Finally, there are sleeves such as those made by PostSaver which provide effective protection.