Plant support is an essential in every field for climbing crops because it increases efficient development and yield in these crops. However, plant support is not only made for food crops such as cucumbers, tomatoes and other edible vegetables. They can also be used in the garden for crop flowers.
Plant support for crop flowers come in different shapes depending on the purpose for which you are using it. While some may look like the conventional trellis, others take unique shapes specific for the kind of plants they are supporting.
REASONS TO USE PLANT SUPPORT FOR CROP FLOWERS
There are so many reasons why you need to use plant support in your garden. It does not only make your crop flowers grow beautifully, it also makes your garden look tidy. Bushy flowers tend to cover everywhere including the pathways. They also tend to cover the less vigorous ones preventing sunlight and air from getting to them. Not only do they make the less vigorous ones suffer; they also make the garden look untidy and less beautiful. Using a suitable plant support for bushy flowers controls such growth, removing the stress from the less vigorous plants, as well as clearing the pathways.
It also offers support for climbing crop flowers. These climbing crops are vines that require a support to climb on. It is either that, or they are left sprawled on the ground. Leaving these beautiful vine crop flowers on the ground takes the beauty away from the garden. But it does not end at that; they could also get damaged just lying there. So it is best to provide support for the climbing plants so that they can grow beautifully as they are supposed to.
In addition, plant support prevents your flowers from leaning. Some crops are predisposed to lean, while others lodge as a result of heavy rainfall or storm. A suitable plant support prevents your flowers from lodging or even breaking, and helps it grow upright.
CHOOSING A SUITABLE CROP FLOWER SUPPORT
The use of flower support may be as a preventive approach or a remedial one.
A preventive approach involves mounting the support before the flowers grow out. So that, as they grow, they become integrated with the support. However, if the support was not mounted from the beginning, it can still be installed as a remedial approach.
SINGLE STEM/ ADJUSTABLE PLANT SUPPORT: this support is most suitable for plants with single stem. It prevents the plant from leaning or lodging during a heavy rainfall or strong wind.
An adjustable plant support is just like the single stem support, however, it can be adjusted at different height of the plants. It is suitable for tall single stem plants. It is also suitable when the flowers are in bloom.
RING/ LINK PLANT SUPPORT: this support is suitable for bushy plants. It controls the bush and prevents encroachment to the pathway. It also keeps vigorous plants from smothering the less vigorous ones.
GROW THROUGH SUPPORT: this support is most suitable for plants with large and heavy bloom. It is made of a ring grid that supports the bloom, thereby reducing the stress on the stem.
TRELLIS NET/ SPIRAL SUPPORT: these supports are good for climbing crop flowers allowing them to grow beautifully upwards.