Masonry Ladders for Climbing Plants

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Posted by @Xeramtheum on
I think my all time favorite plants are vines and climbers. My biggest problem has been giving them something to climb on. For years I was using those flimsy arches you get at a Dollar Store which would snap if you looked at them wrong; so last winter I was determined to find something sturdier.

I was considering rebar threaded through chicken wire so I went to Home Depot to check out the rebar and right next to it was something called a masonry ladder. They were 10 feet long and 6 inches wide with cross pieces every foot or so. The ends are free so you can just step on them to get them in the ground. I wasn’t too sure about them because they seemed kind of flimsy but bought 4 (they were less than $3.00 each) to try them out.

They are AWESOME! You need to wire them to a post that’s pounded into the ground to make them sturdier. I wire two together for large arches and use one for small arches. They work perfectly! I used jute twine in between the rungs so plants wouldn’t be stuck with only the sides for climbing. I’ll say it again, they are awesome.

There are so many ways you can use them, including as a temporary row cover frame for getting a jump start on Spring or for shade cloth.

If your Home Depot doesn't carry them, you can find them at masonry supply stores. I've never seen one at Lowes and I've looked.

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This is what they look like.

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Here are two ladders wired together. You can see the posts they are wired to for strength.

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You can see how I wired two together for a larger arch. There is jute twine in between the rungs.

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Ready for climbing

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Plants love these things!

 
Comments and Discussion
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Masonry ladder by ladyluck418 Feb 11, 2015 2:40 PM 3
Very Cool! by vic Jan 31, 2013 12:08 AM 21

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