Plant Nutrients: Getting the Basics Right
Plant Supports Explained: How to Support Your Plants for Stronger, Healthier Growth
As plants grow taller, produce more foliage and begin carrying flowers, fruit or vegetables, their stems can come under a surprising amount of pressure. Add wind, heavy rain or the weight of a good crop, and even healthy plants can start leaning, sprawling or snapping.
That’s where plant supports come in.
Giving plants the right support doesn’t just keep your greenhouse or garden looking tidy. It can help protect stems, train growth in the right direction and give climbing and high-yielding plants the structure they need as they develop.
At GHEDirect, we stock several different types of plant support, each suited to slightly different jobs. Here’s how to choose the right one for your plants.
Pea Netting – for Climbing Plants and Heavy Crops
Despite the name, pea netting is useful for much more than peas.
Used vertically, plant support netting gives climbing plants and vegetables a structure to grow against. It’s particularly useful for crops such as peas, beans and cucumbers, where developing plants can quickly become heavy.
Netting can also be installed horizontally to support flowering plants such as chrysanthemums and carnations. As plants grow through the openings, the netting helps hold stems upright and reduces the chance of them falling or becoming damaged.
For taller plants, additional horizontal layers can be added as they grow, providing extra support throughout the season.
Best for: peas, beans, cucumbers, climbing plants and heavy flowering plants.
Plant Poles – Straightforward Support for Taller Plants
Sometimes a plant simply needs something sturdy to lean on.
Plastic-coated plant poles provide strong, simple support for taller plants and plants carrying a lot of foliage. They can be positioned alongside the main stem and used with suitable ties or supports to keep growth upright.
They’re particularly useful when a plant starts becoming top-heavy and you want to provide additional support without taking up lots of growing space.
The plastic coating also makes them a practical, reusable option for the greenhouse or garden.
Best for: tall plants, top-heavy plants and plants that need additional upright support.
Garden Canes – a Gardening Essential
Few plant supports are as versatile as the traditional garden cane.
Garden canes can be used individually to support stems or combined to create simple growing structures for climbing plants and vegetables.
They’re an inexpensive and adaptable option to have around the greenhouse, allotment or garden, particularly when plants suddenly put on a growth spurt and need a little extra help.
Best for: general plant support, climbing crops and creating simple growing structures.
Yo-Yo Plant Supports – Targeted Support from Above
Some plants need more targeted support, particularly when individual stems or branches become heavy.
Yo-Yo plant supports provide support from above and can help take some of the strain from developing stems and branches. They’re especially useful for vigorous plants carrying lots of foliage, flowers or fruit.
They can also be used alongside a plant pole where additional support is required.
Best for: individual branches and stems, vigorous plants and top-heavy growth.
Plant Support Frames – for High-Yielding Plants
For plants that need support across a wider growing area, plant support frames can provide a simple solution.
The frame is pushed into the growing medium and the plant is allowed to grow through it. As growth develops, stems can be trained through and around the frame to create a more supported structure.
This makes support frames particularly useful for high-yielding plants and crops such as green beans, where a single stake may not provide enough support.
Best for: high-yielding plants, bushier growth and plants that benefit from support across multiple stems.
When Should You Support Your Plants?
One of the most useful gardening tips is to add support before a plant desperately needs it.
It’s much easier to train new growth gradually than it is to rescue stems once they’ve already bent, sprawled or snapped.
Keep an eye on plants as they mature, particularly when they are:
- Producing lots of flowers or fruit
- Becoming tall or top-heavy
- Growing quickly
- Beginning to lean or spread
- Exposed to wind or heavy rain
- Carrying increasingly heavy crops
Supporting plants early also means foliage can naturally grow around the support, making it much less noticeable later in the season.
Choosing the Right Plant Support
There isn’t one support that’s right for every plant.
Climbing vegetables may benefit most from pea netting, while a tall individual plant might only need a plant pole or garden cane. Heavy branches can benefit from Yo-Yo supports, while vigorous, high-yielding plants may be better suited to a plant support frame.
The important thing is to consider how the plant naturally grows and where the extra weight will develop.
With the right support in place, your plants can concentrate on what you really want them doing – growing, flowering and producing a great crop.
Find the Right Support for Your Plants
Whether you’re supporting climbing vegetables, training vigorous growth or simply trying to keep a top-heavy plant upright, GHEDirect has practical plant support options for the greenhouse and garden.
Explore the GHEDirect plant support range and give your plants the structure they need to keep growing strong.
