I have a couple of trellises anchored using rebar just pushed into the ground about a foot or so deep, but I have fine sandy loam soil so it wasn't too difficult to push it in that far. They seem pretty solid.

I agree with nhbabs.

We stood on a ladder and drove the three pieces into the ground, pulled the three pieces together at the top and attached the hose clamp. Probably took 10 minutes. We've had storms, high winds and tornados ripping all around us this year that have taken out trees and ripped up roofs and the rebar is still standing. No PVC pipe or cement is necessary.

Carol

Thanks Carol. I went to Lowes this afternoon and purchased 4 10 foot sections of rebar and I have large hose clamps so I'll see if I can get two made this weekend. Sandy

Correction.. I meant to say I purchased 8 10-foot sections. I'll be using 4 sections for each trellis. Sandy

Can you post pictures when you're done I'm interested to know how it turns out. I'm planning on replacing my trellis as well.

I put 5 rebar arbors in the ground over eight years ago. On the largest one I reinforced each side with a second piece of rebar and used hose clamps to fasten them together. This one did not have winter damage. But this winter two of the unreinforced arbors blew over. They are starting to rust pretty badly about 6" to 12" off of the ground and bent there when they blew over. Since I was able to pull them back up (with help) I simply reinforced the sides by driving another long piece of rebar into the side on each leg of the arbor. I fastened each old leg to the new leg beside it with bailing wire. They did stay up in the next storm and look to be OK. With growth on them they look fine. These rebar legs have been in dirt with no concrete around them for 8 years now - pretty good!

Katie

Thanks Katie
That sounds like a good plan. I hope to get them up this weekend. I'll post pictures when I have them up. Sandy

I like this idea. Questions:

- How deep into the ground do you pound each piece of rebar?

- Do you ever have problems with the rebar getting too hot in the summer and burning the vines/plants attached to them? Probably not - you're not in Florida with clematis.

- How do you attach vines to the rebar? I have some long, sprawling plants but they don't have tendrils. They will have to be gently wrapped around the rebar and tied up. Will that green gardener tape work? Is there something better?

Thanks,
Carol

Hot rebar or black painted metal hasn't been an issue for me. In summer my rebar trellises have more than 11 hours of full sun. Temperatures are usually in the 80's and often over 90 degrees. (There were days that DH's weather in NH was hotter than mine in NOLA where I was traveling.)

In early summer I guide the vines toward the rebar and then they crawl up on their own after that, but most of mine are type 3 clematis that get pruned to the ground annually. Clematis don't have tendrils like peas; they wrap their leaf petioles (leaf stems) around things.

My trellis legs are about a foot into the ground, and they haven't moved over 2 or 3 seasons that they have been up.