dmiller224

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Hey Guys so I have already built my Hop trellis it is based on this design http://growhops.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/2344951201_1b3d0f16e1.jpg and was super easy to build took me less then 30 mins to build two. Now the thing is.. it is 12 feet tall I have dug down 1.5 feet and have hit rock i was planning on cutting off a half a foot so it would be a nice 10 feet. Do you think I need to have it deeper so it won't fall over? I was planing on making a mud slurry to act like a concrete. I live in So Cal if that changes anything

Mobius570

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Disclaimer: I am in now way a builder or contractor and take no responsibility for my actions or words.

At Home Depot/Lowes they sell a cylinder concrete form that you can cut to size. Could you put one in the 1.5' deep hole, leaving 1.5' of the form above ground and fill it with concrete, and also around the base for support? If it makes you feel any better, before the concrete hardens, you could tie something solid to some wire, then submerge that in the concrete on one end and tether it to the ground on the other end as sway support. Not sure if this would work or not. Guess a lot depends on how heavy the plants are and wind factor.

Here is link to the forms. http://www.homedepot.com/buy/sakrete-12-in-x-48-in-concrete-form-tube-65470062.html#.UQmTi7_C2y0

I was researching simple hop trellises and I like this idea. I was looking for a method I could add pulleys to it, so at harvest time I can bring the plant down instead of using a ladder. I'm curious about this as well because my ground is very rocking about 2' down.

dmiller224

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I have found a fanatastic Trellis that might help you out it http://growhops.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/hop-pole.png
Also this is a great site http://growhops.wordpress.com/ that explains a couple of different methods to growing hops. I dont think i could do the cylinder method because it would "too unsitely" and dont want annoy my parents already then i have to haha.
If I were you I would dig it down 2 feet and be done with it. Most things will not move in a two foot hole if you pack it right and use a post hole to dig it with so you dont collapse the sides. Unless your in chicago or some other super windy city

Mobius570

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Thanks for the links, I'll check them out.

GVH_Dan

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The advice I always give is its a gamble, sort of like buying insurance. If you spend time and money chipping into that rock and then pouring concrete, you can be reasonably sure that it won't fall over.

If you stop at 1.5 feet and use a mud slurry, you dramatically increases the chance that a freak wind storm, impact from a lawn tractor or a fat kid trying to catch an overthrown football is going to knock it over. But then again, you may luck out and it stays up right. (I would just make sure that if it falls, it doesn't take out anything expensive, like the house.)

If I were you, I would probably spend 15 minutes working on the rock. If you are getting nowhere, clean it off and use some cement to hopefully encase part of the rock and the pole.

Also, considering leaving the extra height in there. The taller the pole, the better your production is going to be. There is a limit, but that's somewhere around 16' above ground.

pigroaster

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If rock is too large to remove, Take steel fence posts or steel rebar and a sledge hammer and pound them in on and angle and then use #9 wire to attach them to your post before you fill hole with concrete. The base size can be larger in a no frost area so you have additional support. Otherwise I think you are going in a bad direction if you just pour concrete on your stone.

dmiller224

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Well I cant really put concrete in the hole because it is in my vegetable garden where I'm growing other things.. I might be able to use the post hole digger to get it out if I work it a little bit more. But the area where I'm in doesn't get crazy winds maybe like 35 mph tops and nobody would be touching it except me. Because theres a fence around it. As for the size I can't have it any bigger because 1. my parents said so and 2. I don't want to piss off my neighbors who are lawyers haha.

cmiyc

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When I helped my buddy make his trellis he was in a similar situation as you. We ended up using some home depot Homer buckets and filled them with concrete. Then stuck a wedge anchor in before it cured. We had dug holes large enough to put the bucket into so it was flush with the ground. This way they could be somewhat removeable and reuseable. We then bolted a strong tie to each anchor and then nailed the 4x4 in place.

We used anchors like these:

http://www.homedepot.com/Building-Materials-Builders-Hardware-Connectors-Masonry/h_d1/N-5yc1vZarer/R-100124689/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051

And these strong ties:

http://www.homedepot.com/Building-Materials-Builders-Hardware-Connectors-Masonry/h_d1/N-5yc1vZarer/R-100374999/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051

Those ties are nice because they keep the post off the concrete so moisture and rot are not an issue vs directly cementing the post. It ends up looking something like this except the buckets at ground level so they could be covered with top soil. His setup turned out way stronger than I ever thought it would. When I build my trellis this spring, this will be the exact way I do it.

dmiller224

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What about If I put on some braces at the bottom?