Need a single "stake", help please

Hello everyone,

I have on order 2 Nugget rhizomes and am planning on prepping the area(s) for planting. One will be going around a lightpost at the front of my yard, and so I have no worry I can train it around that. The other, and the reason for this post, is going to be going in a small planters box between my property and my neighbors. I do not have room to use a tee-pee design or overhang.

So what I need is a stake of some kind that will last and be able to adequately support the vine.

I had thought of a large piece of rebar (say 12-15' tall) and then driving that straight into the ground about 3-4' to anchor it. I don't even know if rebar is available easily in that dimension, or whether its not good to use in the first place(does it rust?). My other thought was a tall wooden dowel or something, but I really have no clue on what is commonly sold at general hardware stores to use.

I have a 3-4' wrought iron planter hanger I can use in the meantime, but would prefer to have the proper stake in place PRIOR to planting the rhizome (for fear of damaging the roots).

Thank you for your advice in advance and I'll see if I can grab a picture of two of where these will be going.

justin

A grounding rod is pretty long, and won't rust. It would be fairly smooth though. Not sure if the vine would be able to support itself on that. You could drive a pipe into the ground and make a "T" at the top, then run twine down from there. It would be slightly wider than the pipe, but not as wide as a teepee.

Rebar will rust, but unless you dislike the look of it, it won't rust enough to become weak in a large number of years. I believe rebar is farily flexible though, so it might not do well to support the weight of hops vines.

I used 2" diameter PVC pipe. It's somewhat unsightly, but I painted it green so it doesn't stick out like a big ugly white plastic pipe. At the Home Depot near me, they sell 10' long pipes, although I'm sure you could get longer if you asked / looked. Pipe works for me & a bunch of other people based on what I've read. If you anchor it down 2.5 - 3' deep ideally with cement you should be good.

One idea I had a little to late was to take something like a 10 - 15' pipe and place it inside of a 3' hole, but inside the hole would be a much wider pipe capped off at the end with cement in it. I suppose a bucket would work just as well, but if you had a long 2" diameter pipe sticking into a very short 5" pipe filled with cement, it would make for a cleaner & neater anchor. Just a thought though.

What about a section of pipe? Galvanized? Not sure that you'll want to deal with that kind of demensions with rebar as it would be a logistic nightmare as well as a wee bit heavy

What is the soil like? You might be able to drive a section of pipe with a hand sledge if the soil is right and then connect a section to that but I'd be concerned about bracing it a bit more. Maybe consider an anchor below ground if you go that route.

Go buy a cheap flag pole. You bury a short housing in concrete in the ground, and the flag pole inserts into the housing. THen you can remove it in the off season.

Try this dude.
Home depot has eight foot green plastic coated steel rods. Stake them at two ends one starting at the hops of course. like this \-------------------/
The wire or twine run through a hole you have drilled at the top then stake into the ground below the pole to create tension. You'll need to put two feet of the pole into the ground but your hops will be 6 feet up and however many feet across you choose to run the poles.
This will also make for easy harvesting!!

how tall of a system for the first year do we need?

I've read that an average of 6'-8' but I think that depends on variety.

Big "A" said:

Try this dude.
Home depot has eight foot green plastic coated steel rods. Stake them at two ends one starting at the hops of course. like this \-------------------/
The wire or twine run through a hole you have drilled at the top then stake into the ground below the pole to create tension. You'll need to put two feet of the pole into the ground but your hops will be 6 feet up and however many feet across you choose to run the poles.
This will also make for easy harvesting!!

Click to expand...

My friend Hagen and I did almost the exact same thing this past weekend for his 9 rhizomes. He used these steel rods and is using his treeline for the other "stakes." Looks pretty nice and really functional. It should be pretty easy for him to train the bines with this method as the exposed stake is just shy of 6 feet. Should make for easy harvesting as well. The stakes we got were closer to 7 foot though. I believe they are called engineer stakes.

Thanks everyone for the replies. As mentioned in my first post unfortuntely due to the space constraints this has to be a single pole, no \---------/ setup could work. I didn't think about the flex of the rebar so that is out. My favorite so far is the PVC pipe, but I'm worried the wife will nix that idea based on looks. Maybe if I paint it as you mentioned it won't look so unsightly...

What is this grounding rod you refer to? Is it just a metal rod of long length? My biggest issue is going to be finding a local place with a pole at least 10' tall. Since I'm going to be burying at least 2-3' for support even 10' is kind of short.

Also doesn't PVC flex quite a bit at longer lengths?

jest get the longest 4x4 you can and put it in the grond 2-3' with an Eye Screw at the top. then tie the twine to the eye screw then down to the plant.

im not sure buy dosint the sun make PVC brittle?

GarciasHomeBrew said:

jest get the longest 4x4 you can and put it in the grond 2-3' with an Eye Screw at the top. then tie the twine to the eye screw then down to the plant.

im not sure buy dosint the sun make PVC brittle?

Click to expand...

I agree with the treated 4x4.

12 and 14 foot lengths are sold and are cheap.

You could even extend it by bolting on some lengths of 2x4 in two sides.

GarciasHomeBrew said:

jest get the longest 4x4 you can and put it in the grond 2-3' with an Eye Screw at the top. then tie the twine to the eye screw then down to the plant.

im not sure buy dosint the sun make PVC brittle?

Click to expand...

The Effects of Sunlight Exposure
The exposure of PVC to the UV component of
sunlight results in PVC molecules in the first
.001" to .002" of exposed surface becoming
permanently converted to a complex structure
typified by polyene formations. The result is a
brownish discoloration, often termed “UV
Discoloration,” “UV Degradation,” or simply
“Sunburn.” UV discoloration does not occur
where PVC is not exposed to sunlight, and
ceases when exposure ends.
The discoloration process is time dependent, and
can be slowed with the addition of UV absorbers
in the PVC compound. The most common
additive used for this purpose is titanium dioxide,
which also functions as a pigment. Titanium
dioxide imparts a beige to bright white color to
PVC compounds, depending upon the type used.
The Consequences of Sunlight
Exposure for PVC Pipe and Conduit
Research has been done to determine the effects
of long-term (two year) sunlight exposure on PVC
pipe (See “UNI-TR-5: The Effects of Ultraviolet
Aging on PVC Pipe,” by the Uni-Bell PVC Pipe
Association). Other than the visible discoloration,
the following summarizes the results on pipe
physical properties:
Physical Property Performance Characteristic Effect of Sunlight Exposure
Impact Strength = Decrease
Impact Resistance = Decrease
Tensile Strength = No Effect
Pressure Capacity = No Effect
Modulus Pipe Stiffness = No Effect

The research indicates that the sole performance
characteristic adversely affected by sunlight
exposure is impact resistance. Depending upon
the type of pipe, additional care may be required
during pipe handling and installation to avoid
potential breakage. Once installed, however,
there will be no effect on the pipe’s pressure
capacity and external load capacity.

The degree to which impact strength is affected
by sunlight depends upon a number of variables,
including: time of exposure, climatic conditions,
diameter of pipe, wall thickness of pipe, and type
of PVC compound used. Because of these
variables, it is impossible to state how long it will
take before the effects of sunlight exposure
become noticeable. In general, pipes of smaller
diameter and thinner wall will exhibit more effect
from sunlight exposure than larger, thicker-walled
pipe. The effect of sunlight exposure on thickwalled
pressure pipes such as those made to
AWWA C900 and C905 is almost unnoticeable,
other than the surface discoloration.
The tapping of UV-discolored pressure pipes has
been a topic of concern. However, the PVC pipe
industry has found no evidence of tapping
failures due to UV discoloration.
PWEagle’s Schedule 40 and Schedule 80 UL
listed electrical conduit has been tested for
sunlight resistance according to UL requirements
and is listed for continuous outdoor exposed use.
Prevention of UV Discoloration
For permanent above-ground PVC pipe
installations, it is recommended that the pipe be
protected from sunlight exposure. This can be
accomplished by wrapping the pipe with an
opaque material, or more commonly, by painting
it. If the pipe is to be painted, a water-based
latex paint formulated for exterior use is
recommended. Oil or solvent-based paints may
damage the pipe and/or not adhere well. In order
to minimize heat build-up, white or light-colored
paints are best.
Pipe that is going to be stored for a long period of
time (one to two years or more) may be protected
from the sun with light colored tarps. The tarps
should be placed so as to allow for adequate
ventilation to prevent heat build-up.

It seems that you have a pretty small property, so the house must be fairly close to the planter's box, right? Just run a piece of twine up to a window or roof corner and secure it.