Using Different Types of Plant Ties

Every spring I do a gardening inventory on items I need to replace or replenish before the coming season. I inspect hoes, rakes and other garden tools to see if they need replaced or if they can be repaired. I check my supply of garden stakes, gloves and yard bags. One thing I always need is plant ties. It seems like every couple of years, manufacturers come out with new, inventive ways to prop up garden plants, and I am always looking for the latest and greatest in any type of garden tool or gadget.

Twine
When I was a child, I remember my grandmother using cloth strips from old clothing to tie her tomato plants to the tomato stakes. I thought this looked funny and even a little embarrassing, but the cloth strips got the job done. My father used twine to tie up his garden plants, because back then there was really nothing else one could use to tie up plants, except of course the cloth strips.

As I grew older and I had my own garden, plants ties evolved from cloth strips into new items, guaranteed to hold up plants while not damaging them. Like my father, I used garden twine, but also experimented with other plant ties. The first new plant ties I tried were made from plastic. These worked fairly well, but were costly and not eco-friendly. I then tried making my own plastic ties from reels of trimmer line. Although the plastic was sturdy, the knots would not hold.

Plastic

Realizing plastic was not a good choice I tried chenille strips (pipe cleaners). These held the plants to the stakes, but did not tolerate wet weather well. The chenille would come off, leaving the wire underneath exposed to the elements, which caused them to rust. No gardener wants his or her garden plants exposed to rust. The bare wire would also cut into the plant stems.

Velcro

With the emergence of Velcro, came the Velcro plant ties. Although pricey, I purchased a few to try in my garden. One of the pluses to using Velcro is its adjustability, which enables you to get a sturdy grip around the plant and stake in beginning and then allows you to loosen that grip as the plant grows. A downside to using Velcro plant ties besides the cost is that everything sticks to the Velcro such as plant fibers, leaves, bugs, and animal hair.

Tape
Not having much luck with Velcro plant ties, I moved on to plant tape. While helping a friend in her garden, I noticed her using this to tie her plants to stakes, and asked her how well it worked. She said she would not use anything else. I purchased a roll for less than five dollars and tried it this year. It worked great when my plants were young, but as they grew, becoming heavier, the tape would stretch, thus the plants would fall over. Adding new tape did not help.

Unless another new plant tie comes out, I will be using the tried and true twine to tie up my plants next year.

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Sources: Lowes, Home Depot