Thursday, March 15, 2018

How to Make Natural Plant Supports ~~ Branch Trellises


How to make a plant trellis
Internet search hit success depends upon finding the exact word or phrase to describe the indescribable.  In the quest for "rustic wood plant support thingies that kind of look like a teepee," Google images led to trellises with the French term tuteur meaning "guardian."  

How perfect!  The upright guardian of plants, formed by the cast off branches of trees. Poetic, organic and cheap.

For the price of a roll of twine, floppy plants and flowering vines can be protected in style:

  1. Gather interesting, sturdy detached branches. They don't need to be perfectly straight and uniform. 
  2. Precut a length of twine and grab some twist ties.
  3. Choose five compatible candidates and form a teepee, joining the branches about one-quarter of the way from the top.
  4. Trim the branches so they are even top and bottom.
  5. Join them at the top intersection with the twist tie then overwrap the intersection with twine. Trim.
  6. Install tuteur into the ground or pot over the baby plant.  Evenly space the bottom of each support.  Plant firmly in the soil. Adjust until even.
As an alternative to twine, use dried vines. 

Went a bit crazy that first year with the tuteur trellises, but they're nearly free, easy and add a rustic flair. 


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