How to Make a DIY Plant Trellis That Won’t Suck
This summer, I encourage you to ditch the expensive and cheap pine trellises found at big box stores. They are never big enough, rot after a few seasons, and never become strong enough to serve as a decent trellis. This year, let’s commit to making a durable wall trellis that will look completely professional and protect your home’s structure from plant damage.
Wall trellis basics
A trellis has two functions: first, to give the plant something to hold onto and guide it where to grow, helping it support and structure; second, keep the plant far enough away from the structure to protect it from damage. Plants are tough creatures that seek structure and will cling to your home’s siding and gutters if it’s the easiest thing to do.
No matter what plant you choose to trellis, you will still need to provide care for the plant, whether that means annual pruning, fertilizing, or helping it trellis. When a plant runs out of trellis it will head towards your roof and you will need to keep that under control too.
Tools you’ll need to make your own trellis
To create a wire grill you will need:
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Eye hooks serve as anchors and hold the grille away from the wall.
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Wire or cable to pass between hooks.
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Clamps (or stops) to hold it in place.
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Forceps for fixing the forceps. (There are different sizes of wire, pliers, and tongs, so you should choose based on how heavy the plant will be. Typically, I use 20-gauge wire for light plants like Clematis and the much heavier 9-gauge for heavier plants such as roses.)
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Silicone caulk to seal drilled holes and prevent water damage.
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Velcro tape to facilitate plant growth.
Planning and installing the trellis
To plan your trellis, draw the wall you will use with the exact dimensions. Start laying out where the anchors will be located. You don’t need to start the trellis below three feet above the ground. You don’t have to cover the entire wall either; you can choose where the trellis goes to guide the plants. For example, a screen can extend over your windows and across the wall to give plants growing on either side a path to keep them away from the windows.
Each of the eye hooks must be pre-drilled into the siding or concrete using the appropriate drill bit (and an anchor if necessary). Then apply some clear silicone caulk to the mount and screw in the eye hook. The silicone should seal the hole to prevent water from entering the house.
Now that the eye hooks are in place, you can choose the pattern you will use for the wire. You can use a plain mesh or a diagonal mesh, but there are no rules for stringing the wire, meaning you can use any geometric shape you choose. While roses may not follow the shape exactly, smaller vines such as jasmine are more likely to follow the shape, revealing the shape on the wall.
To put the first wire in place, place the crimp on the end of the wire, and then thread the free end of the wire through the hook and back into the crimp, forming a loop. Slide the crimp as close to the eye hook as possible, and then use the crimping tool to secure the crimp to the wire. Wind the wire around the next hook, cut enough to make a loop, and repeat the step. Before crimping the wire, make sure it is taut. For this, it’s a good idea to have some pliers to hold the wire and pull it. Now you simply repeat this process over and over again until the mesh of your choice is ready.
The vine plants arrive from the nursery tied to a wooden pole, so the first thing to do is remove the plant from the pole. Unwind it carefully and then remove the plant from the plastic pot and plant it at the base of the trellis. Drape the vine over the lowest bar of the grill and secure it to the grill with Velcro tape. The tape should be tight enough to hold the vine in place. If it is too tight it will suffocate the plant, so loosen it as much as possible. The Velcro tape can be adjusted in the future.
Maintenance and care
As the plant grows, you will train it to attach to the wires using Velcro tape and secure it in the desired direction. You can treat it like any other plant, making sure it has food and water and making sure it is pruned when necessary.