Support for peonies: 3 easy ways to make your own hands and how to tie up
If you decide to do supports to support peonies, then you should know what kind of stand you can make and how to tie it up so that it looks beautiful. Despite their merits, flowers have one serious problem. Peonies are very sensitive to the wind, they can suffer even under the weight of their own buds. The exit is simple. Creation of additional support, protection. It is not necessary to buy a finished product. You can make it yourself.
Why make props
Nature endowed peonies with bright, lush buds. Therefore, many flower growers, summer residents are willing to breed these flowers.In addition, the flowering period is long. Allows you to enjoy open caps of peonies from late spring to mid-summer. One problem: the stems of the plants are too weak to bear the weight of the flowers.
Under the gusts of wind, rain often bends them to the ground. And then all the beauty will be lost. Experienced gardeners have long discovered a way to "fight gravity." These are props. They are sold in specialized stores. However, for sure, many will find the strength to make supports for peonies with their own hands. Literally on the knee, from improvised materials. Remaining after repair, found in the pantry.
How to make them
Making poles is not as difficult as it seems. They can be built by every gardener. Not necessarily experienced. Next, several options will be considered:
- From an old basket.
- Segments of wicker.
- Plastic pipes.
- Armature.
- Peg with rope.
- Grids.
Using an old, unwanted trash can is one of the budget options. Now they are rarely seen on the farm, but many still use them. One has only to look into the pantry, the shed. Nothing needs to be redone. It will be enough to cut the bottom. After that, the basket is ready for use.
Practice shows that most often the handles of this household item become unusable. The top may fray. But the walls themselves wear out a little. Peonies look quite presentable in the basket.
To secure the support with the ground, so that the basket is not blown away by the wind, it is permissible to use pegs. They are driven into the ground, and then a basket is tied with a rope and wire. And the support is ready.
The next method is to use wicker. Yes, the very ones from which we used to weave household utensils. It is necessary to select several segments of equal length. It is allowed to create arcs from the vine by sticking them into the ground, tying them together. As shown in the photo below.
The support is ready, the peonies are securely protected. An even easier way is to use a combination of rods + pegs. The latter must be cut so that a horn is obtained. The number of used "columns" - from 3 to 6. Depends on the size of the flower bed with peonies.
At the final stage, the pegs are tied together, laying a ring around the perimeter. It can be from the same rods, wire. For reliability, you can tie the ring to the pegs.
Next, consider more modern solutions.
Under plastic pipe peonies
The greatest interest among gardeners as a material for supporting peonies is a plastic (PVC) plumbing pipe. It is durable, does not rot, is not subject to destruction under the influence of heat, cold. It is quite possible to build a suitable support for peonies from scraps of plastic.One that will last more than one season. Will last a long time.
You can watch the video here:
You don't need a lot of pipes. The material is easily bent even by hands, cut, processed. All that is required is to bend the ring, and then tie it with vertical (straight) segments. The finished support does not rust, does not require maintenance, painting. Dressed on a bush from above. The manufacturing steps will be described below.
For plastic pipe peonies
Making a stand from a polymer (metal-plastic) pipe will not complicate the gardener. Especially with hints. It is best to take pipes of small diameter. 1/2" (16mm), 3/4" (20mm). Thicker ones are harder to bend at home.
The flow rate of a pipe is determined simply by the well-known formula for the circumference.It is 2πR. For those who find it too difficult, they can find an online calculator on the Internet. The finished stand should surround the bush. This determines its diameter. Suppose your bush is about 1 meter across. We take this size as a basis. This will be the diameter (or double the radius), multiply by the number "pi" . We get 3 meters 14 centimeters. Since there will be 2 rings, upper and lower, the indicator will be doubled.
It remains to determine the number of racks, their height. Add a trim allowance, determine the need for a pipe. You need at least 3 racks. Let's say that they are 1 meter long. In total, it turns out that about 9.3 meters of PVC pipe will go to the stand, excluding trimming. For a smaller support, the indicators are adjusted. What you need from the materials:
- Pipe 1/2, 3/4 inches (about 9-9.5 meters).
- Barrel (plastic, metal).
- Tree trimmings.
- A piece of hose with a diameter of 20-25 millimeters.
- Several self-tapping screws, screws.
The barrel is needed as a basis for bending the circle. If aesthetics are not critical, you can do without it. At the first stage, we measure, cut off the desired piece of pipe to create rings. Plastic is easily bent by hand, on the mandrel it is even easier to give it the desired shape.
The ends of the pipe are connected together with hose cuts. Its size depends on the diameter of the pipe. The plastic must fit snugly into the hose.
It is permissible to replace the hose with a piece of wood, driving it tightly into the pipe. Done with the rings. Next, the racks are cut. We decided that there would be 3 of them, each 1 meter long. We measure, we cut. Do not forget that the racks should be evenly spaced around the circumference. Who has forgotten the geometry, dividing the circle into 3 parts, can mark the rings “by eye”.It is very important that the markings on the top and bottom match. Otherwise, the racks will noticeably “mow”.
When the markup is finished, start attaching the racks. It is best to do this with screws, self-tapping screws of a suitable size. Using a screwdriver, pull the racks to the rings. A screwdriver will speed up the process.
The appearance of the future support of peonies depends on the "sleight of hand" , the accuracy of movements. It is desirable to bend the circles as carefully as possible. Do this on a flat, level surface. Hint: a piece of wood (chop) hammered into the end of the rack will make the connection more reliable.
That's it. Support is ready. It can be used multiple times. A more complex, costly option involves the use of transitional connections, tees.
In it, at the junction of the ring with the rack, this node is installed. No screws needed. But markup accuracy is important.
From reinforcement
Unnecessary reinforcing bars with a diameter of 10-12 millimeters will serve perfectly as a support. Thicker rods are more difficult to shape without special tools. The reinforcement is bent in the form of arcs - squares, semicircles. It all depends on the imagination and creativity of the gardener. The ends of the rods are buried in the ground. The disadvantage is that the reinforcement is prone to the destructive effect of corrosion. Which does not stop recommending her for pion support.
In addition to creating, installing supports, gardeners use a garter of peonies. How to do this will be described later.
Garter instructions
The process itself is quite simple. All you need is a rope (twine), wooden pegs. Of the tools, a tape measure, a hammer will not interfere. This alternative does not require the manufacture of a support. And it also helps to save peonies. 2 options are used:
- On pegs.
- Using a grid.
The old fashioned way
The first way is the easiest. One might even say budget. Does not require special knowledge or skills. Especially the presence of sophisticated equipment, tools, expensive materials. All you need is a coil of rope and a few wooden pegs.
Size is not critical.It is only important that the top of the pegs is at the level of the transition of the pion stem to the inflorescence. It is permissible to build a support when the peonies have not yet grown. Make it easy. You need to hammer the pegs around the perimeter of the landing, and then wrap it with a rope. You should get a "trap" that will support the stems.
Pegs are driven into the ground with a hammer (pressed by hand), wrapped with a rope. The length of the columns is measured with a tape measure (depending on the height of the bush). Cut pegs with a margin. Given that approximately 10 centimeters will be in the ground.
Newer ways
A large mesh polymer mesh is an effective way to tie up peonies. There are 2 main options. With a mesh wrapping of an already finished (non-flowering peony bush) and fixing the mesh on recently planted peonies. In the first case, a piece of canvas is cut off (dimensions depend on the height of the bush, planting area).
The mesh is rolled up. Fastened with staples, wire. Also, the finished "pipe" should be attached to the racks driven into the ground. Such a garter looks aesthetically pleasing. And does not require maintenance.
According to the 2nd method, a cut out piece of mesh with volumetric cells (10, 15 centimeters) is placed on top of the bush. Attach the "roof" from 4 sides. Peonies will take place in the cells, they will grow evenly. It is only important to periodically raise the grid higher.
