Trellis net and other plant support techniques are often ignored and very rarely discussed. It may be difficult and confusing to understand the different methods, but every grower will need to use such techniques at some point in their growth journey.

There are a plethora of products to choose from when it comes to trellis netting. So how can you identify the best and most effective? You also need something that fits your needs. All of that depends on the kind of plants you want to grow and the main reason you want to grow them.

Benefits of Trellis Netting

A trellis net is what you need if you're seeking something to give your plant a direction to grow in. Trellis Net is the ideal product for providing a growth direction to your plants.

With the help of a trellis net, you can grow large plants. It is excellent for supporting the plants and the weight of their large buds.

Vertical trellis and horizontal trellis are the two methods by which you can use a trellis net. Use a vertical trellis net if you want your plants to grow tall, and use the horizontal ones if you wish your plants to grow short and wide.

A trellis netting system is a great addition to your growing space. Choose a vertical trellis and grow plants at a good height if you have a tiny or compact garden. If you have limited height issues, then use the horizontal nets that push a wide canopy. Trellis net will help you maximize your growing spaces in both conditions.

Plants become stressed when flowering as the weight increases and often snap if they can't bear the weight. So invest in a trellis net to prevent that from happening and keep your plants happy and healthy.

Plant Training with SCROG and SOG

SCROG and SOG are two very popular trellis strategies that every grower typically knows about.

Sea of Green (SOG) maximizes the growing space. The growers use this strategy to fit in as many plants as possible. SOG helps the plants grow and harvest quickly but with a lower yield.

The screen Green (SCROG) is the opposite of SOG. Growers use this strategy to optimize the space with the fewer plants they have.

Both strategies train the plants to grow width-wise and have as many buds and branches as possible. They are also given a good amount of time for vegetation and flowering. Trellis plays a supportive role in holding the heavy buds, or else they fall off or snap the branch.

You can use Trellis Netting for Various Other Things

The use of trellis is not restricted to directing the growth of the plants. There are various other uses for it, as well. Let’s look at some of them now.

Trellis Netting is Ideal for Vining Crops

The structure of the trellis net and its design is frendly to the vining crops as well. You can find them in a number of weaves and sizes that fit the intended use. You can get it in the common sizes of 4’x100’, 4’x16’, and 4’x8’, which is ideal for covering the greenhouse entirely.

The best fit for a trellis net is a vining plant because it does not cling to other things, such as a central pole for support. The spot-on design of the web net provides enough space within the web to easily access the fruit. It is also sturdy enough to bear the weight of the entire plant.

Because vining crops are heavy, you should opt for the commercial-grade trellis net as it will fully support the vine's weight without sagging or falling.

For Floral Plants and Tomatoes, Use Bamboo Stakes

The versatile bamboo stakes are famous for their many uses in gardening. If you choose a bamboo stake to support a central stemmed plant like a tomato, you will not regret your choice.

Single stemmed plants need support from the stem as this is where they begin sagging or falling, so a bamboo stake can be held tight against it and prevent it from breaking.

You can also use them for plants that you put up for retail sale like blooming or house plants such as the kalanchoe.

You can secure them with 8'' plastic cable ties to achieve better results. But don't make it tight as they can easily cut through your plants' flesh.

Another thing that works well on central stemmed plants and plants like them are plant yo-yos. They are just what they sound like because they suspend from the ceilings and pull out.

Use Plant Pull Ties to Avoid Fruit Access Restriction

You can find plant ties in lengths of 250’, 100’, and 50’. Therefore, it is an alternate way of anchoring the tough vining plants without tangling yourself with the nets.

But you cannot depend on a single strand that is stretched across the growing area to support your heavy vine plants. You might need to stretch the plant ties at various intervals in height. In this way, you can make sure that the plant ties support heavy vine plants such as melons, squash, or cucumber.

The best way to do so is to lay the plant ties at one-foot intervals.

Use Grid Supports for Retail Vining Blooming Plants the Best Marketing and Supporting Tools

Grid supports are often ignored but are the best supports for retail blooming plants such as clematis or climbing rose. It has a circular grid metal ring with a support pole at its center.

The grid support maximizes the plant's bloom features by anchoring multiple vines of the clematis or climbing rose with twist ties on the grid. Not only does the grid system fully support the plants, but it also attracts people to the plant by displaying its colorful blooming parts.

Effective Plant Training Tactics

You have already up to your game if you have started using the trellis net and transitioned from being a beginner to an advanced grower. But there are other training tactics that you should employ too. And pruning is one of them.

With the help of pruning, you allow your plant to grow in another manner.

Plant Topping

While growing, you will find that one dominant shoot will overrule the other plant branches. In this situation, you should ‘top’ the shoot. Further, this is where you can chop the shoot to make it even with other branches.

Plant topping might shock your plants for a while, but it distributes the energy evenly to the rest of the plant instead of the dominant (bully) plant that takes up all energy. You will end up having an even canopy and increased budding sites throughout the plant.

Plant Pruning

Although topping is important, you should also be pruning at regular intervals in other areas of your plants as well. But don’t go crazy and chop off your plants in all directions.

Take off the large fan leaves to promote the development of new buds and stems. But make sure you don’t remove too many fan leaves as this may stress the plant.

Starting at the plant's bottom, where there is no light, begin pruning. Further, pruning will encourage the growth in the areas of plants that get an ample amount of light.

Trellis Netting in a Nutshell

Now that you know so much about trellis netting, you can select how you want to train your plants and increase your yields. If you have further questions and want to learn more about trellis netting, please check our website at GroIndoor.com or contact our growing experts at 866-GRO-INDR today!