Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Tip
Growing strings
Avoid bringing bamboo canes into the polytunnel as much as possible, simply
because when you're dealing with long ones it's difficult to keep track of both ends
at once. The most dangerous time is when you pull them back out of the ground
when you are finished with them, because then they jab upwards, and once you've
heard the distinctive 'pop!' of the other end of a cane going through the tunnel roof
you're much less likely to use them again. Thankfully, growing plants up strings is
an easy and reusable alternative to provide support for tall plants such as tomatoes,
cucumbers and melons.
The first thing to provide is a horizontal support wire running as high as possible
above the bed. This has to be something that stretches as little as possible, other-
wise it will sag. Although thick garden wire will do at a pinch, plastic-sleeved wires
can slip out of knots and the weight of two or three melon plants should not be
underestimated. Thick galvanised wire is much less likely to fail at a crucial moment.
Run the support wire along the length of the bed, passing it over each crop bar.
Loop one end around a suitable attachment point, such as a Q-clip or an angled
nail driven into the door frame, and pull the wire as taught as possible before
securing the other end in a similar manner. If you wish, a barrel strainer (available
from good hardware stores) can be used on the wire to get it really taut, but this is
probably unnecessary.
Next, use strong polypropylene twine to make the growing strings (natural products
such as sisal are less suitable because they will rot before the season is finished).
Tie the loose end of the twine to the support wire above the planting hole and
lower the rest to the ground, but do not cut it. Beginning at the top, tie the twine to
provide a small loop every 20cm along the length, and a final larger loop that will
be 7cm or so under the ground. Cut the twine just past this loop.
When you plant something that needs the support of a string, place the final loop
in the bottom of the planting hole and put the root ball of the young plant on top
of it, then proceed as normal. (This is illustrated in the first colour section.) Avoid
disturbing the string for a couple of weeks, but as the plant establishes itself the
roots will secure it in the ground very firmly. The plant can be gently twisted
around the string as it grows, and you can use ordinary twine to secure it to a loop
at any point. Make sure that you do this every 50cm or so by the time the fruit
begins to develop. The loops are also handy for attaching string bags to support
melons or particularly heavy trusses of tomatoes.
When it is time to remove the plants, take them apart in sections, working from the
bottom up, snipping the attachments from each loop in turn. This prevents the
plant from suddenly losing support and collapsing on to neighbouring crops. Once
done, the growing string can be pulled out of the ground and wiped with a clean
rag before being rolled up and secured to the support wire with a clothes peg.
Note that the support wire does not need to be directly above the bed, as the
plants will happily grow up the strings even if they are at quite an angle. The growing
strings, however, will always slide along the support wire to find the lowest point
that their length will allow.
