Fishing line trellis-making--update and question

17 years ago

We have the trellis on the fence almost done! Thank you all for the advice and suggsetions!

I have one last thing I need to do...I did try stringing the fishing line (which is fairly heavy duty!) and clamping it with these little steel split shots (size #5, if you are a fisherman). I thought I could clamp two strands of the fishing wire in this but it does not want to pinch it tight enough to prevent slipping.

Should I get the same item, just in a larger size, or can you recommend some other type of clamp that I can fasten the fishing line with? I am *NOT* a fisher(wo)man and my husband also knows nothing about these things, so speak to me in layman's terms if you have a suggestion, and brand names and/or website links are even better!

Thanks! I can't wait to post pictures for all of you. I used cedar 1x2 boards that are 8 feet long, and dark metal cup hooks, and I think it will be really nice. :) I do hope the cup hooks don't work their way out throughout the year...they were awfully easy to screw into the cedar. Well, we learn as we go, right?

Here is a link that might be useful: Split shots Picture

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Comments (6)

ahimsakid
17 years ago
LindseyRose: Here is a link to an item that might help. Crimp sleeves such as these are available at most big tackle stores. 'Twere it me, I would consider looping the line so that it entered thru the same end of the sleeve twice . . . tho I'm not sure exactly how your setup is set up. Tese gizmos are cheap and hold well . . . experiment to find the right size.

Here is a link that might be useful: sleeves
lindseyrose
Original Author
17 years ago
Ahim--thank you so much! I was looking for something just like these but the name I had read was "ferrules" and the fishing store guy did not really know what I was talking about. I will print this out so that I have pictures as well as a brand name and see if I can find something that will work for me!! Thank you again! I'm *this* close to being done! I hope I planted my seedlings (hyacinth bean vine) close enough to the fence. I want to say they are about 6 inches out, which may be a stretch, so we'll see. :)
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Well, although I did get a few pics of the trellis after it was constructed and just started getting some vines on it, I'm afraid there won't really be anymore... Big word of advice... if you're going to embark on a large scale fishing line or christmas light trellis... talk to the building owners ahead of time and make sure they don't have any major projects scheduled that will affect you, or devise a system that is not connected to the building in any way and can be moved... After hundreds of hours (and dollars) getting the balcony together (I think one of my best years yet) and getting some really nice vines going (trellis was about half full), The Management informs us that they are completely refurbishing the balconies this summer... stripping, patch/repair, painting (including the railing that the trellis was anchored on). So I had the heart-wretching duty of having to rip out huge amounts of vining plants and take down all my hard-worked lights (not to mention my pond, the low-voltage lighting, take up the carpeting, etc). I have to arrange a ballet with maintainence over the rest of the plants, because they think I should be able to just drag everything off the balcony into the apartment (and leave it there for a month or two)... despite the fact that plants need sunshine (and protection from the 3 kitties I share my home with). I'm quite despondent over the whole fiasco and am now considering moving up my house-buying plans, all because no one thought it would be a reasonably good idea to let folks know we were going to have major maintainence on the balconies BEFORE the season started. Sigh. Thanks for letting me vent :0)
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Handsome trellis and I think you've chosen a good spot for it. Your front beds are lovely as well. Will you be widening the back beds so that they have similar depth to them? There are two issues with climbing hydrangea in this setting. One is the enormous size that Mad G referred to. The other is that it holds on via aerial roots that once detached for painting won't readily reattach themselves and will also leave residue on the trellis that's difficult to remove. A summer blooming clematis (or 2 or 3) would look wonderful on the trellis, but won't easily grab onto such large diameter pieces of wood since it's the leaf stems/petioles that wrap to help it climb. You would want to give it some netting or twine or fishing line woven loosely through the slats to give it something to grab onto. Otherwise you'd be spending a lot of time guiding the clematis. The summer blooming clems (type 3) are pruned to about a foot (1 or 2 leaf nodes) during the winter, so you could easily paint before the clematis did too much growing. The type 2 clems bloom on old wood as well as new vines, so if you pruned them hard early in the season, you'd lose the first bloom, but get a good second bloom. I think a noninvasive honeysuckle would climb it since the stems twine and weave, though it might need a bit of help initially to start it weaving through the lattice. I have a relatively young Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler' that has red flowers that are popular with insects and hummingbirds.
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daylilyfanatic - I'll help you all that I can. The only problem with only 12" of the post below ground level is the frost line for your area. If you were to dig a 12" deep hole in the ground, set your post in it - then pour quickrete in the hole, it would work very well.....until next winter. Chances are, you would experience what is called frost heave, in which the actual freezing of the soil tries to push a shallow-buried pole upward. May I suggest positioning each post inside a used tire laid onto the ground, then filled with quickrete? It would work just fine, and could be re-located, if necessary... About the orientation of the trellis....The long side of my box runs NW/SE, and doesn't cause any problems whatsoever - But, where I live, the sun is much higher in the sky than your location. It won't hurt to try, though. I would only use wire mesh for the tendrils to attach themselves to the trellis. As Granny stated in another post, it can be a problem for growing things during cold months - but not for your summer garden. About the sock....it will work, but sure will be quite a balancing act. The great thing about using a knee high, is that it stretches very well ( and believe me, this is a good thing ) A melon vine will set it's first fruit somewhere between the first 2-4 ft of vine ( I know this from experience ), so, I allowed mine to run to the top of the trellis, then coaxed them to run sideways. Little melons were all over the place, and I helped them along the way. Doing so, allowed two of the vines to run a length of 10 ft, on a trellis that was 4ft wide and 6 ft tall. I'll be glad to show you some more pictures, because as ribbit stated in another thread - I've got quite a library! Ha! EG
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I have been using fishing line for years and have only had to replace a couple pieces and that was because the screws pulled out of the fence or I've cut it by mistake. I screw small C-hooks (whatever they are called) into the fence and run the line between them. I've used it for MG's, thunbergias, clematis, Malabar spinach, passifloras, Mexican Flame and canary vine. There's probably others I've forgotten. As long as it's not a heavy woody vine the line holds up well. Just make sure that you buy a strong fishing line. Fluorocarbon lines don't degrade in sunlight or water. Mine has been up for at least 4 years and it's not brittle yet. The only real drawback I've found is that it's a PITA to remove dead vines. It's hard to cut them away without cutting the line.
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rick_mcdaniel
17 years ago
To connect monofilament line, you can do a couple of ways. First you can do a fisherman's knot on them. To do that, find a fisherman or check on how to tie monofilament on-line. Then you simply tie one to the other, or form loops in each piece, and then tie them off, looped together.

Second, you can connect 2 loose ends, with a crimping sleeve, available intackle shops. It is a small stainless steel tube, where you insert the ends, and use a crimping plier, to crimp them tighly together.

To make something of that type, you should probably be using 30 lb. test or heavier, mono. It will provide strength, and resist weathering, for a good while. Nylon will eventually break down in weathering conditions, of course.
angie83
17 years ago
I do mine alittle different I use little screw eyes Here are some pics.
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lindseyrose
Original Author
17 years ago
Angie, how do you fasten the line?

Thanks Rick. I did some Googling, a little intense photo studying, and I went out there and tied two different kinds of knots (both called fisherman's knots, but I think one is also called the Improved Cinch Knot). I hope they hold. I felt pretty good that I accomplished that, and it was nice to do it with no added expense!!
angie83
17 years ago
Wow nice Lindseyrose that looks great I use circle hooks and just weave throw the eyes then tie it off .I love tis fishing line trellis its so easy and very cheap to do in the coller weather I just cut the line and dig my pot up I get to keep all the growth its a wonderful idea someone came up with.

Fishing line trellis-making--update and question

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