If you just put up a beautiful pergola, you're likely wondering how you can get some beautiful vines to grow on it. This is a great option for those who want an additional shady area with natural surroundings. However, there is more to training your vines to grow on your pergola than just planting and waiting for it to wind around the pergola. This guide explains how to train your vines to climb, cling and provide the beauty and shade you're looking for.
Step 1: Grab These Supplies
There are not many items that you need to encourage your vines to grow on the pergola. Nevertheless, you will need to have the following items on hand.
Step 2: Cut and Tie the Stockings
Cut the stockings into thin strips that are a few inches long. As your vines begin to grow, tie them to the pergola to begin the training process.
Check the plants daily for new growth and tie the vines to the pergola as needed. When you see a few inches of growth, it's time to connect the vine to the structure with another piece of nylon.
In time, your pergola will begin to cling on its own. The more the vines attach themselves to the structure, the fewer nylon strips you'll need.
Step 3: Pinch, Trim and Prune
As the vine grows more, pinch a few of the leaves off with the garden clippers. In doing so, you'll encourage more growth. But you will need to keep the vine from growing out of bounds by using more nylon stocking strips to tie this new growth to the pergola.
If you're planting flowering vines, clip off the flowers shortly after they bloom and begin falling off their stems. Dead flowers can take away nutrients from the vine, so it's best to rid the pergola of any dead flowers.
Prune the branches that are growing away from the pergola off so that your structure looks uniform. While pruning helps encourage new growth, you can use the nylon strips to tie the young branches to the pergola to fill in bare spots as the plants grow.
Expect to spend a few hours a week, pruning, pinching your vine and tying it to the pergola so that you can have the shade you desire. Contact a company like Rocky Mountain Fence & Deck for more information.
Share25 May 2015
