beginner's corner
“
When you do manually secure growing vines
or other plants, select materials that won’t
cut delicate stems, and tie or loop them
loosely enough to allow for stem expansion
as the plant matures."
Even vining plants can develop side shoots and create prob-
lems on a trellis if they aren’t carefully pruned. Cucumbers
are a good example. Carefully removing suckers to maintain a
single main stem can keep cucumbers and other vines on the
straight and narrow, just like it can tame a sprawling tomato
plant. When pruning some fruiting vines to achieve a single
stem habit, use caution. All that side greenery isn’t necessar-
ily extraneous. On the same Y juncture where you may find
a sucker, which is characterized by its leaf development, you
might also encounter essential growth like a tendril, flower, or
small fruit. Familiarize yourself with the appearance of all the
plant’s growth stages before you grab your shears or prepare
to pinch. If you do want side shoots to develop, control their
numbers to help maintain good air flow and curtail excess
growth below waist level, where competition for light is fierce.
Pay attention to the anchoring structure of the vines you’re
installing, too. Instead of the tendrils we discussed above,
some vines attach by hugging surfaces with elongated leaf
stems, in which case they may prefer wider or narrower
supports. Others use adhesive disks (yes, like glue) to attach
themselves. These anchors are effective, but to make good
contact, they need a textured surface rather than a smooth
material like PVC or vinyl. Vines with aerial roots also require
textured surfaces. Yes, a plant, even a vine, can be manu-
ally secured using clips or twine, but taking advantage of its
natural inclinations makes the job of maintaining a successful
trellis easier. The plants will secure themselves, even though
their choices may occasionally need some adjustment.
When you do manually secure growing vines or other
plants, select materials that won’t cut delicate stems, and
tie or loop them loosely enough to allow for stem expansion
as the plant matures. There are proponents of most of the
popular securing material options on the market. Detractors
warn that thin poly twine can cut plants, while natural fibers
can only be used for a single season and may break under
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grow cycle