how to keep new trellis upright? (2024)

FAQs

How to keep trellis upright? ›

Buy a couple of pieces of rebar from Home Depot or Lowes. Hammer one piece of rebar next to each leg of the trellis. Use wire to wrap around the wooden leg and the rebar to secure it. I use rebar that is cut to 2 feet in length.

The easiest way to do this is to install the top row of screws first, ideally getting someone to hold the trellis in place whilst you install the first screw. If you're working alone, it may help to prop the trellis up into the required position using a bag of compost.

Choose the right location to garden vertically – Trellises can block the sun from reaching your garden if placed in the wrong location. To maximize sunlight, position trellises on the north edge of your garden bed or next to a fence or wall.

Build a trellis that looks great as an outdoor architectural element -- and becomes even more beautiful when intertwined with climbing plants.

Slot the trellis in place

Neatly slot the panel in place, attaching it to the battens with your wood screws through the brackets you've attached. It should be fixed into the wall or fence firmly and above the ground – consistent contact between the base of your trellis and the moist ground may encourage rot.

Place stakes at both ends of a row or a large plant. Run the length of the garden wire or twine from the top of one stake to the other. String another wire or twine from bottom to bottom. Create a zigzag by wrapping the twine around the top and bottom lengths.

As a general rule, the posts need to be set approximately 600mm (2ft) into the ground. After the hole is dug place the post into the ground using a spirit level to make sure the front of the post is carefully aligned along the string line.

If you don't want to invest in new metal stakes, another option is pounding short stakes into the ground at the ends of your trellis, then tying heavy string from the top of your tall stakes to the short stake. This creates a "guy wire" setup that creates enough tension to give a lot more support to the trellis.

For a simple vegetable trellis that will last for a few seasons, attach plastic netting, also known as poultry netting to two pound-in metal garden stakes. You're done in a few minutes!

The I-trellis can be a single load bearing wire, or two wires (load bearing and cane positioning) secured to posts at 2 and 4 ft above the ground (Figure 7-1). Posts can be metal or wood treated for in-ground use, and should be set at least 2 ft deep and spaced about 25 to 30 ft apart.

How high should a trellis be? ›

We recommend a trellis that's tall enough to accommodate growing vines, but not so tall that you'd have to stretch to pick. Our trellises measure 6 feet tall, but anywhere from 4 to 6 feet will work for growing most vining plants vertically. If your vines begin to grow out of hand, pinch off the top tip of the vine.

Secure the Trellis

Depending on the size of your trellis, it is often easier to stake your ground spikes into the ground and then use a bubble or spirit level to get that piece of your trellis level first. Then attach your trellis to the provided ground spikes with included hardware.

Garden Staples + Twine

This is one of our favorite methods. Stick a garden staple in a pocket above and tie some twine around the plants below to keep them from falling over. You don't need to tie the twine tight around the plants. The goal is to create a place for the plant stems to lay vertically.