How To Train Vining Plants On Your Trellis
When it comes to vertical gardening, trellises are certainly the best method of providing support for vining plants that want to grow skywards. The structure of a trellis provides lighter plants with the structure that their naturally lighter limbs lack, but how do you train your climbing plants to grow up your metal trellis? Having a great vertical garden only requires a few simple steps which can be implemented by simply starting right and keeping an eye on your plants as they grow and assisting them upwards.
Setting the Stage
The first step in any gardening adventure is always the most important, when, what, and where you plant sets the stage for the entire gardening process. Once you have planned out this simple gardening checklist, you can begin installing your trellising and planting your climbing vines.
When choosing trellising, make sure to choose a solid and durable material. Removing trellising from a climbing plant will be a difficult task after a year or two of growth, so having a product that will last for years is not only better for your plants, but also for the gardener. Metal trellises are a great option for climbing plants and vines because of their longevity and ability to hold more weight than a wood or plastic option.
Stake your trellis firmly in the ground, trellis stability will become evermore important as the climbing plants grow heavier over each growing season. An insecure trellis is at risk of falling, and presents a hazard to the gardener and to the plant itself. Once the trellis is firmly set, plant your climbing greenery beneath the trellis and begin to watch for small vines and tendrils that are attempting to grow upwards.
Training Your Climbing Plants
Before you begin to actively train your climbing plants, make sure the plant is at a healthy height and has enough vines to begin the process. Don’t start too early before the plant begins to fill out, but make sure to start before the vines start growing wherever they might want to.
Once the vines begin reaching up and out, begin to tie them gently to the trellis. Stay away from harsh materials such as wiring to tie the plant to the trellis and instead use twine, other gardening string, or another softer material to secure the climbing vines to the trellising. Using a harsher wiring can result in harm to the delicate young vines on the plant, so it's best to just stay away from these options. As the vines grow, continue to tie them off to higher parts of the trellising, and slowly remove lower support as the vine becomes trained to grow up the trellis.
Continued Care For Climbing Plants
As your climbing plant becomes more used to vertical growth, the gardener’s job gets increasingly easier. The vines themselves will work their way up your tall trellis and only those vines that grow erratically will need to be trained.
At the end of the growing season, make sure to properly prune your climbing plants to promote healthy growth next year. Remember that different plants will require different levels of pruning, with flowering plants likely needing to be pruned throughout the summer growing seasons and other types needing to be pruned primarily at the end of the year. The key to pruning is simply to create room for new vines and flowers, while also limiting the size of your plant to the area of the trellising.
Training a climbing plant is a surprisingly simple way to add a professional appearance to your home, so don’t be afraid to give it a try. Remember that the key to training your plants vertically is just to pay attention to the growth of the plants and their progress upwards. Happy Gardening!