Effective Ways of Staking and Trellising Your Climbing Veggies

Single String method While writing the article, it occurs to me that there is a need to emphasize that the primary aim of staking/tre...

Single String method

While writing the article, it occurs to me that there is a need to emphasize that the primary aim of staking/trellising is to produce good vegetable fruits and leaves, free of any form of blemish which make them to be appealing to buyers. Notwithstanding, there are other benefits but one shouldn’t be carried away by aesthetic appearance of staking/trellising.
Some vegetables by nature produce vines which enable them to climb therefore to get maximum returns from them, there is a need to stake and trellis them. The staking methods to be adopted depend on whether the veggies in question are planted for fruits or for leaves. As easy as it
looks on the surface, this is one of the major arduous tasks on your farm but once you are able to overlook the stress and cost implication of doing this; you are surely on your way to maximizing returns on your farming/gardening investment.

Watch!!!Instructional video of how to effectively stake/trellis your climbing veggies

There are many materials that can be used for staking / trellising, it ranges from locally sourced materials like bamboo, tree trunks to iron poles, strings, sack ropes etc. The material you may want to adopt depends largely on the cost implication, the length of time in use, whether you wish to re-use the same material again, available labour force etc.
You may also read: How to calculate plant population 

Difference between staking and trellising
The words staking and trellising may be aimed towards the same purpose but in actual sense aren’t the same. Staking involves the use of pole-like material to support your climbing plant while trellising on the other hand involves the use of rope or rope-like material to also support your climbing plant in such a way that your plants do not make direct contact with the soil. However, while staking can be done alone, trellising needs one form of stake or the other to work.
Let me take you through some common staking and or trellising methods. It is important you know that the primary aim of staking is perhaps the most important not the aesthetic appearance. Therefore, let your option be hinged on what is/are available in your locality and cost implication.

Watch!!!Instructional video of how to effectively stake/trellis your climbing veggies

Type of staking/Trellising methods

Slanting mesh method

 Slanting mesh method: The staking part of this method can be constructed with the use of pole, bamboo and tree stems while the trellis aspect of it can be done using sack rope or rope fiber. It advantage is that it offers the plant an acute angle that if well positioned, the plant would receive maximum sunlight which would surely result into maximizing photosynthesis and by extension yield. It also makes harvesting to be easy as the fruits would naturally hang on the underside of the slanted part. As a result, collecting them would be with ease and also being under shade, are protected from direct sunlight.  
You may also read: How to raise tomato nursery
 Vertical mesh method: This method is similar to the slanting mesh method except that it isn’t slanting in shape and does not use many materials. It is constructed in form of a goal post with two adjacent posts while a bar is placed on them. A mesh-like material is constructed in-between the two poles where the crop is expected to climbed. One of the major advantages of this is that it can be constructed before or during planting/transplanting. This measure helps to ease pressure that comes with staking / trellising and makes this to be done ahead of the crops that require it.


Watch!!!Instructional video of how to effectively stake/trellis your climbing veggies

Vertical mesh method

 Single String method: This is also constructed in form of a goal post with either a bar of iron, wood or bamboo placed on the two posts. It may also be done in such a way that a firm string can take the place of bar. Each plant is then supported with trellis which is separately tied to the top bar. Aside its use by climbing veggies; this is a method majorly use for tomato crop (see attached picture above). The downside is that it can’t be done ahead of time before the plants are well grown.
 Parallel string method: This method uses a lot of multi-level parallel string attached to vertical poles in such a way that the crops to be supported are planted in-between the strings. It is very effective for non-climbing plants like tomato, peppers etc.

Watch!!!Instructional video of how to effectively stake/trellis your climbing veggies

Single pole support method

 Single pole support method: This method does not use any form of trellises at all. A pole is erected aside a plant to be supported and the plant is tied vertically to the pole. It is also common in non-climbing but heavily fruiting crops.
 Spiny stick support method: This is similar to the single pole support method but the pole used in this method has long spines which the plant to be supported rest on.

Benefits of staking/trellising your crops
 Protect the plant from physical damage
 Enhance opportunities for pest management
 Increase effectiveness of weed management
 It helps in maximizing growing spacing making it possible to increase plant population per a given         space
You may also read:Seven things that may happen to your tomato plant this wet season

 Improve harvestable fruit quality and appearance
 Allow better ventilation therefore reduces disease infestation
 Ease of harvesting since fruits are at arm’s length
 Make it easier to walk through the farm and monitor diseases/pests
 Increase yield and gross income

Watch!!!Instructional video of how to effectively stake/trellis your climbing veggies

Some of the vine-type veggies that grow best on support are legumes such as long beans, French beans, peas, cucumber, indeterminate tomato, gourds, melons and squash. I hope you would fine use for this article. There is always a room to improvise but note that there if you must maximize returns from this set of aforementioned crops, then you must support them in one way or the other.