A trellis is in the simplest of terms a fence to support climbing, vine plants or any plant that needs a little support. Trellises consist of some sort of support such as posts and a system of horizontal joints of any material creating a support for the plant. They differ from an arbor in the sense that they are generally vertical, flat and straight where as an arbor is a three dimensional shape made of fencing. Both however serve the same purpose.
Trellises can be made of almost any material strong enough to support the plant you are making them for. The most common materials are twine, metal wire and wood. They can be simple and designed to serve their purpose or decorative and provide support for plants while providing aesthetic value as well. Trellises can be used near housing to give climbing or vining plants an alternative to house siding as well.
This guide on how to build a trellis will cover the three primary materials a trellis is made from as well as how to make a simple trellis from each one. This guide can be either followed step by step or used as base knowledge for creating your own trellis creations.
Twine:
Twine trellis are best for temporary use such as vegetable gardens. They are generally more functional than decorative.
To build a twine trellis you will need:
-2 pieces of wood of your desired thickness and length for the top rails of the trellis.
Recommendation: 2 six foot 2×2 pieces
-5 pieces of wood of your desired thickness cut to the height you wish your trellis to be with the ends sharpened to be stuck into the ground. These will be the support beams.
Recommendation: 5 seven to eight foot 2X2 pieces
-Galvanized Screws
-Twine
Keep in mind that you can make this trellis in any size you wish. The trellis recommendations are good for tomatoes, but for smaller more delicate plants you could down size it considerably. The instructions are not complicated, basically you are building a wall frame.
Step one: Bury each of the five pieces of wood into the ground evenly spaced to a depth of about 3 feet. (This leaves a 4-5 foot tall trellis)
Step Two: Screw the longer top pieces of wood to the top of the staked boards.
You should now have a very lose looking fence structure.
Next there is opportunity for simple variation.
One method is to place a screw in the top rail where ever you plan to place a plant below it. Take a adequate amount of twine and tie it loosely to the base of the plant. Wind the twine up the plant and then tie it securely to the screw at the top of the trellis.
Another method would be to place screws evenly spaced along each board and the top and then create a fenced net pattern by running twine horizontally and vertically through out your frame.
With the later method simply but gently weave your growing plants up into the net structure and they will later grow in and wind around the twine on their own.
Wire:
Wire Trellises are better for heavier plants that again may not be permanent or go into recessive states like grape vines. They like twine trellises are often more functional than decorative.
To build a wire trellis follow step one and two from building a twine trellis. However you will want to use a heavier duty board than the recommended 2X2 for twine. Use at least 2X4 sized or above boards.
So to build a wire trellis you will need:
-2 pieces of wood of your desired thickness and length for the top rails of the trellis.
Recommendation: 2 six foot 2X4 pieces
-5 pieces of wood of your desired thickness cut to the height you wish your trellis to be with the ends sharpened to be stuck into the ground. These will be the support beams.
Recommendation: 5 seven to eight foot 2X4 or 4X4 pieces
-10-12 gauge wire
Once your frame work is complete drill holes horizontally through out the stakes to run the wire through creating wire rails so to speak. You’ll want to use at 10-12 gauge stainless steel wire.
You can leave your trellis with simply the horizontal wire fence or drill holes in the top rail and run vertical lines as well. Wrap the wire each time it cross the horizontal lines to secure.
Wood:
Wooden trellises are generally permanent structures and more what you see designed to be decorative as well as functional. They are also commonly used to protect house siding.
You can buy kits to make wooden trellises or wooden trellis panels to design your own. You could also create your own entirely out of wood pieces. One a creative idea is to use twigs and sticks for a natural look when making your own trellis.
To build a trellis from a kit, simply follow the enclosed directions.
To build a trellis using purchased trellis panels follow step one and two in making a twine trellis again using larger boards like with a wire trellis. (at least 2X4) Now simply screw the panels to your frame.
To build your own trellis, again follow step one and two from a twine trellis. Now screw (or tie if you are using branches and twigs in a smaller trellis.) slightly thinner pieces of wood than your chose for your frame such as plywood strips in a fence or criss-cross pattern on your frame.
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