Tieing down plants...

Hi fellow growers,

Now that my half acre of killer shit has attained giant status (some around 8 to 10') I had to come up with a way to stop my girls from peeking over the block wall and saying hello to passers-by and the neighbors.

On my usual weekly treks to Lowe's, I noticed a handy item to assist in tie downs. It works fantastic.

At Lowe's, Menards or Home Depot, go to where they sell masonry block for building walls, etc. Look at my attached photos and ask for masonry block wall support wire. They come in 2" and 4" widths and are 8 feet in length. They cost less than two dollars each. The wires are put between each course of block to reinforce the wall the block is being laid on.

I formed a "rainbow" with them. I should have used these from the git-go and trained the plants as they grew. But alas, you learn as you go right?

Push one end in the ground a foot or two away from the base of your plant. Bend the other end to form a rainbow as low as you want to go and stick the other end in the ground. Very carefully bend your plant over and tie it down in several spots. If you hear a snap, no big deal, it will heal itself. There are several good threads regarding tieing down, and some really inventive ideas, too. Clothespins, tent stakes, etc., will also work. I swear they made these wire products for growers!

I bought a roll of plastic tie tape from my garden center and use it to tie down the plant to the wire. It doesn't harm the branches. If you start early enough training your plants and planning your garden layout, you can tie down two plants to each wire...one from the left and one from the right, one each side of the wire. The 4" works great for this. Your yield will also increase.

Another plus. We get high winds in the desert from monsoons that blow through. Tying your plants over and using this flexible wire keeps your honeys out of harm's way in more than one way. They offer great support to your plants.

I highly recommend to keep the honeys off the ground though, no point in inviting unwanted guests of the bug kind and peeps who notice your ten-footers over the wall.

By using your creativity you should be able to train your plants well enough to keep them undetected from unwanted eyes, fly-overs, etc. Make sure you "blend" them in with surrounding foliage, that helps exponentially in keeping your honeys safe.

Peace,

Chi ;)