| Staking is a simple technique but an important one | | | | break or crush stems. Furthermore, leaves and |
| for vegetable and flower growers alike. For | | | | flowers won't look quite as graceful as they would if |
| large-flowered plants such as dahlias, asters, and | | | | properly trained from the start. |
| peonies, staking allows the blooms to show to best | | | | Bamboo Canes: Bamboo canes are lightweight, |
| advantage and keeps them from getting top-heavy | | | | sturdy, and available in several thicknesses from |
| after a rain. Tall, fragile-stemmed plants like | | | | pencil-thin to several-inch canes suitable for staking |
| delphiniums often need help weathering storms. In | | | | tomatoes or large flowered dahlias. Use the thinner |
| the vegetable garden, supporting plants with stakes | | | | ones for supporting stems of delphiniums or other |
| or other supports will mean the difference between | | | | top-heavy beauties. Select a bamboo cane about |
| a good harvest and a poor one. If you've ever tried | | | | two-thirds as tall as the plant will be at maturity and |
| to grow tomatoes without staking the plants or | | | | insert it into the ground close to the base of the |
| growing them in cages, you know how hard it is to | | | | plant. Then use yarn, strips of soft fabric, or strips of |
| salvage a decent crop. Whatever tomatoes you are | | | | old pantyhose to tie the flower stem to the stake. |
| able to find under the heavy weight of the plants | | | | Add more ties as the plant grows taller. For |
| often succumb to attacks from insects and larger | | | | multi-stemmed flowers such as chrysanthemums, use |
| animals or rot. | | | | a single stake to support more than one stem. Tie |
| Staking doesn't have to be unattractive, an important | | | | twine or yarn to the stake, gather the stems, and |
| consideration in the flower garden. In fact, if done | | | | loop the twine loosely around them. |
| correctly, it's not in the least bit an intrusion. Properly | | | | You can also use bamboo canes to make a sort of |
| staked plants have no visible means of support the | | | | cat's-cradle around clumps of flowers such as |
| foliage grows up to hide the stakes, strings, and | | | | peonies. Insert four or five canes around the plant. |
| wires. | | | | Again, they should be two-thirds as tall as the plant |
| There are several different ways to stake plants. As | | | | at maturity Then tie twine to one and wrap it around |
| a general rule, it's best to start early in the season, | | | | the others in turn. Tie it off on the first cane. Add |
| so the leaves have a chance to cover the supports | | | | rings of twine every 6 to 12 inches as the plant |
| and you can train the plant as it grows. It's not easy | | | | grows. You can also weave the twine through the |
| to stake a plant that has sprawled on the ground or | | | | plant foliage from one stake to its opposing one to |
| has flopped over after a heavy rain. You can easily | | | | create an extra network of support. |