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Trellises
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Posted by mikedahms London Ontario (My Page) on Mon, Nov 24, 08 at 12:58
| I found this site while looking for different trellis ideas for some of my smaller Hoyas. I like to use bamboo and have started coating the ends of bamboo stakes in liquid paraffin wax to hopefully prevent them from rotting but I find the Hoyas trellised with bamboo seem to take up more space and they don't easily fit on my plant stand so I reserve the bamboo for my larger Hoyas. I am going to try and fashion a few smaller trellises from wire and I found the trellises on the multi-frames site quite inspirational.
Has anyone else run into problems with bamboo rotting too quickly? What is your favorite trellis material, wire or bamboo?
http://www.multi-formes.com/trellis.html
Mike |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Trellises
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| Hi Mike, I don't buy trellises, I only make them so I tend to use wire, from wire hangers which I open w/ pliers & reshape as desired. Usually I just make an inverted U shape, but once in a while I make an abstract curled shape, like interlocking Ss or curliques that look like musical clefs. I once used wooden coffee stirrers to make a trellise even tho' I know it would rot after a while. It was a small but gorgeous wooden ladder-type trellis I made for a H. lacunosa to climb; it was charming ('til the feet of the trellis rotted from frequent moisture). |
RE: Trellises
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Mike, a tip a while ago about bamboo stakes suggested dipping the ends in a product called Plasti-dip, which is similar to what tool ends are dipped in sometimes.
I have seen something like that at Home Depot or Lowes. Elsie |
RE: Trellises
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| Pirate Girl I have never used wire hangers, they seem too rigid to easily bend compared to the wire you can buy at the hardware store. Do you find it hard to create a symmetrical arch? Elsie I have seen the rubber dip and had thought about using it as well but seeing as I already had some paraffin wax I decided to use it instead. If anyone has ever grown orchids there are many inventions made of wire such as rhizome clips or even pot hangers that are designed to clip to the lip of a pot. I can't help but think just how convenient it would be to grow a Hoya in a plastic pot inside of a larger clay pot that the trellis is securely clipped to. Mike |
Here is a link that might be useful: Wire clips, stakes, rhizome clips etc
RE: Trellises
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Mike, Have you ordered from this company? I like some of there stuff.Not bad prices.
I wish I could find somewhere I could buy those 4in plastic hanging pots. Cindy |
RE: Trellises
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| Cindy no I have not ordered from them before but they do have a nice selection of supplies. I came across the site a while back when I was looking for tree fern totems and I remembered the different wire hangers they had. And here is my version of the wire trellis with pot clips. The clay pot is 4.5" and the trellis is 18" high. 
Mike |
RE: Trellises
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I make hoops from vinyl-coated aluminum clothes line wire. I've used these hoops for years and they don't rot or wear out. I get the clothes line wire at a local hardware store. I paid about 10.00 for a 50' coil. (since the wire comes coiled it's very easy to make into a hoop.
Mike |
RE: Trellises
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| Thanks for the pictures. What size wire are you using?I think I will try to us your idea. Come on spring hurry up. I know it not even winter yet.I hate this time of the year. I might not see the sun for weeks at a time. Cindy |
RE: Trellises
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| Mike does the vinyl covered wire hold it's shape well or do you attach it to the pot some how? Cindy I can't remember what size wire I got but it looks to be about 12 or maybe 10 gauge. As long as the wire is easy to bend it will work well but stiff wire will be difficult to bend into the pot clip at the bottom. Mike |
RE: Trellises
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RE: Trellises
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Mike,
The wire holds its shape very well. I make the bottom of the hoop so it fits into the soil, in the pot, for support. It works great. As the plant gets root bound it helps to hold the hoop even better, but it's not necessary for the plant to be root bound for the hoop to be stable in the pot. I've been using these hoops for my hoyas since the late 70's. It's kind of hard to describe, but I have a photo of the hoops that I will post here tomorrow and that will show what I'm talking about.
Mike |
RE: Trellises
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A few years ago someone on this forum suggested green wire hedging/edging that you would use in a flower bed. Use wire cutters to cut the units a part and you get about 8 trellises per "bundle". They come flat but you bend them into a curve so they will fit into the pots. It is a little easier to see in the second photo. They also come in two sizes-all of these are the smaller size.
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RE: Trellises
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| I find the bamboo trellises very sturdy, but I agree that they take up lots of room. I also love these wire trellises that I traded with someone on here...they are HUGE, but for big plants they are very supportive. I'll post some pics below - don't ask me how they were made!! I don't think it's too hard though. Maybe she'll chime in. Also, I have a lot of difficulty with the smaller wire trellises getting "top heavy" and leaning backwards. Even when they are secured to the pot or in the soil, I can't figure out a way to make them more sturdy. My favorite small ones are the thicker U-shaped wire trellises I get from Hawaii - and they can be easily replicated. Ok...some pics. Here is that smaller wire trellis that is now leaning back against the wall behind it due to it's "top heaviness" from growth. First I will post an old pic so you can actually SEE the trellis, then a more current pic:
 Here are the trellises that were sent to me during a trade here that I was referring to. The first 2 are the same hoya, but the first lets you see how the trellis looks and the second shows how nice it looks when it gets more covered with growth. It works great for big-leaved hoyas. I know her thread is on here somewhere (on how to make it)....i'll try to find it.
 And here's the small green U-shaped one for my tiny plants and even cuttings:
 Gabi |
RE: Trellises
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| Nice ideas and pictures every one. Gabi if your trellises are leaning back and need more support you could try what I have done.Drill small holes in your plastic pot. One in front and one in the back and take some thin wire and secure the trellises to the pot. The trellis becomes very strong and you will not see the wire because the plant will grow around it.I hope this makes sense.If you would like a picture let me know. I went to take some and the batteries need charging. Cindy |
RE: Trellises
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RE: Trellises
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| Here is a pic of the hoops I make from the aluminum clothes line wire. The wire comes in a coil so it's very easy to make a hoop from the wire. The bends at the bottom of the hoop are there to add stability once the hoop is put into the pot. Without these bends in the wire, the hoop is not as stable in the pot, especially when the plant is first put into the pot with the hoop. I make different sizes of hoops for the different sizes of plants and their leaves. A couple of the different sizes of hoops are shown below. It's important to make the bottom part of the hoop as deep as the pot. You want the first part of the hoop, that starts the arc of the hoop, to be at the edge of the pot. You also want the part of the hoop that will be in the soil to be at the outer edges of the pot. You can just pull the hoop apart a bit so the hoop sits more-or-less correctly in the pot even before you add the soil. 
Mike |
RE: Trellises
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| Cindy, I completely understand what you are saying. Thanks so much for explaining that to me and for your pics. Gabi |
RE: Trellises
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| Wow great trellises everyone I'm impressed! Laura and Gabi I like how full your plants are on the traditional ladder style trellises, they have so much more room for horizontal growth.
Cindy I love the copper tubing idea. I have been thinking about growing one of my large growing Hoya species like Hoya loyceandrewsiana in a big pot on the floor and give it a thick piece of natural rope to climb that is anchored to the ceiling with a hook. Mike |
RE: Trellises
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| Mike What a good idea. Show pictures if you do this. Cindy |
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