Attaching Trees?

I used hot glue but you have to clean up the glue strings, looks like spider webs.  Works good, if you need to take them down then you can reuse them by either melting the glue off or scraping it.

Drill a hole & dab-on some white glue.

I have used hot glue, sets fast and holds well, just pick off the strands of glue as laz stated.

I've also always used a hot glue gun.  You only need hold the tree upright for a few seconds for it to become secure.

Hot glue here, also.

Fargus, I concur with Bobby Ogage. It's a tried and true method as the glue dries clear. Another plus to using white glue, you can apply your landscaping material while the glue is wet. Plus, you don't have to worry about all the glue strings that happen with hot glue.

Hello Fargus, I use a Leather Awl.

Depending on how big the trunk of the tree is, most leather awls are tapered starting out narrow at the point and then thickening up toward the handle. For me this gives me the versatility of different sizes tree trunks and being able to use the same tool.

For gluing the trees in place I will use either Hob-e-Tac Adhesive or Foam Tack Glue. Both of the items are made by Woodland Scenics. 

Both products are white in color when applied but when fully cured they become clear and have a very dull appearance.

Depending how tall your trees are and how large they are in diameter sometimes you have to hold the tree in place or prop it up in place to the glue sets.

Tried the hot glue method but got tired with finding strings of glue in spots where it was hard to get back to due to all the trees I just planted.

The trees I currently have my layout are from a Honeysuckle Bush.

In the fall I will go out and trim of branch tips and then bind maybe three or four of the branch tips together with brown floral tape which will make a nice size tree after a bit of pruning and shaping.

My layout is a winter scene so may trees have no leaves.

I usually coat the trees with Water Effects from Woodland Scenics to make them look ice covered and then add snow.

I am always looking for a better way to make trees.

Hope this helps, good luck planting your forest!!!!

Mark Strittmatter

TCA # 14-69917

Thanks guys! these are all great ideas! I know alot of it is common sense, but since im poking them through thin cloth and chicken wire into a void off air instead of being poked into styrofoam. I figured they would have more of a tendency to lean. Do any of you have a problem with leaning trees?

Not when using the hot glue...just hold it for a few seconds until it sets up.

That's why I use hot glue for the plaster cloth you specified.  Other materials call for other methods.  As CWEX says, it hardens quickly.

If I am planning on putting in a lot of trees in one area I will put the trees in first that I want to makeup the tree line.

Once these trees are in place and secured I use these trees to help hold up the remaining trees that I want to put in the area.

The branch's of the tree will intertwine with one another and help support each additional tree.

If I have a few trees that are leaning so what, I never been in a wooded area where all the trees grew perfectly straight. 

It works for me!!

Good luck!!

Mark strittmatter

TCA # 14-69917