Open Grow Guide

Staking and supporting plants

By Open Grow Guide Updated

Not every plant needs a stake, and the ones that do need the right support put in at the right time. Many new trees do not need staking when they are planted correctly. Tomatoes, tall flowers and some vegetables are different, and a support works best when you install it early, while the young plant has reached only a third of its eventual growth. Staked tomatoes that are upright, well spaced and pruned let air dry their leaves, and that decreases fungal disease. This guide covers trees, tomatoes, flowering plants and vegetables, with the heights, depths and spacings the sources give.

When: Spring (Apr–Jun)

When to do it

Install a plant support early, when the young plant has only reached a third of its eventual growth. Place tomato supports while the plants are still young and small, ideally at planting time. Staking is easiest to start when tomato plants are a foot (30 cm) tall, and you can sucker the plant as you go along. If you plan a Florida weave, begin when the plants are about 12 inches (30 cm) tall, before they fall over. A weak tree, or one planted in a windy site, may need a stake for the first 6 months to a year of its life. After a storm, straighten toppled flowers, young trees and vining vegetables using soft ties or cages. A partially uprooted tree that is still standing upright may recover with staking.

What you need

Wooden stakes for tomatoes should be 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and 1 1/2 or 2 inches (3.8 or 5 cm) wide. For a long row, use a stronger stake, such as a metal T-post, at each end. Bamboo plant stakes can be bought in lengths of generally 2 to 8 feet (0.6-2.4 m), and wire plant stakes are often sold in 2-foot (0.6 m) lengths. For trees, use a wooden stake at least 2 inches by 2 inches by 5 feet (5 cm by 5 cm by 1.5 m) long. A wide strap or a length of hose can fasten the tree to that stake. Heavy twine or strips of cloth hold tomato stems to their stakes. Plastic netting with about 6-inch (15 cm) squares can be stapled to perimeter stakes to support a group of plants. Wire mesh cut at 56 to 60 inches (142-152 cm) makes a homemade tomato cage about 18 inches (46 cm) across. Slings hold melon fruit on a trellis.

Step by step

  1. Step 1

    Decide whether your new tree actually needs a stake

    Most new trees grow fine unstaked when you plant them the right way.

  2. Step 2

    Stake a weak tree or one planted in a windy spot

    Keep that stake in place for the tree's first six months to a year.

  3. Step 3

    Install a plant's support early in its life

    Add it while the plant has reached only about a third of its full size.

  4. Step 4

    Set tomato supports in place while the plants are still small

    Do this ideally right at planting time.

  5. Step 5

    Give determinate tomato plants a support 2 ft (0.6 m) to 3 ft (0.9 m) tall

    That height is all this shorter type of plant needs.

  6. Step 6

    Give indeterminate tomato plants a support around 5 ft (1.5 m) tall

    Plan on that height for indeterminate varieties.

  7. Step 7

    Space tomato plants 18 in (46 cm) to 24 in (61 cm) apart in the row before you stake them

    Keep that spacing in mind as you set out each plant.

  8. Step 8

    For a Florida weave or trellis, set tomato plants 24 in (61 cm) apart on rows 3 ft (0.9 m) apart

    Use this wider layout when you plan to weave twine between stakes.

  9. Step 9

    Use wooden stakes 6 ft (1.8 m) tall and 1.5 in (3.8 cm) to 2 in (5 cm) wide for staking tomatoes

    Pick a stake within that height and width range for sturdy support.

  10. Step 10

    Make sure each tomato stake is strong, at least 1.5 in (3.8 cm) in diameter and 6 ft (1.8 m) tall

    Pound it 12 in (30 cm) into the ground for a firm hold.

  11. Step 11

    Match your tomato stake's length to the plant's growth type

    Use 6 ft (1.8 m) to 7 ft (2.1 m) stakes for indeterminate varieties, or 4 ft (1.2 m) stakes for determinate ones.

  12. Step 12

    Position the tomato stake 3 in (7.6 cm) to 4 in (10 cm) from the base of the plant

    Put it on the side away from the first bloom cluster.

  13. Step 13

    Drive the tomato stake 1 ft (30 cm) into the soil, about 4 in (10 cm) to 6 in (15 cm) from the plant

    Do this soon after you transplant the seedling.

  14. Step 14

    Wrap heavy twine or strips of cloth around the tomato stems as they grow

    Tie each wrap to the stake at every 10 in (25 cm) of height.

  15. Step 15

    Start the basket or Florida weave once plants are about 12 in (30 cm) tall

    Begin before they flop over, with the first weave 8 in (20 cm) to 10 in (25 cm) off the ground.

  16. Step 16

    Space trellis stakes 5 ft (1.5 m) to 6 ft (1.8 m) apart

    Add a third stake if you're building a wider trellis.

  17. Step 17

    Choose a tomato cage with at least 6 in (15 cm) between the wires

    That spacing lets you reach inside to pick the fruit.

  18. Step 18

    Watch for indeterminate tomatoes outgrowing an ordinary cage

    Switch to stakes, spirals, or a sturdier cage once that happens.

  19. Step 19

    Pick a stake for a flowering perennial or annual plant

    Choose one 4 in (10 cm) to 8 in (20 cm) shorter than the plant's mature height.

  20. Step 20

    Make sure a flower stake is long enough to go deep into the ground

    Push it in 8 in (20 cm) to 10 in (25 cm) deep.

  21. Step 21

    Tie the stem tightly to the stake itself

    Then loop the tie loosely around the stem so it can't bind, pinch, or choke it.

  22. Step 22

    Choose a tree stake about as tall as the tree

    Pound it 2 ft (0.6 m) into the ground.

  23. Step 23

    Fasten the tree to its stake loosely

    Use a wide, non-abrasive material, such as a broad strap or a length of hose.

  24. Step 24

    Avoid narrow tree ties like wire or twine

    They can cut into or girdle the bark.

  25. Step 25

    Remove the stake and any guying material within a year

    Leaving them longer risks damaging the tree.

  26. Step 26

    Decide whether your cucumbers or small squash need staking

    Neither cucumbers nor small squash need support.

  27. Step 27

    Use as few tree stakes as possible

    Treat this as your general rule of thumb for staking a tree.

  28. Step 28

    Avoid rigidly supporting a tree with stakes or cables

    Rigid support produces a tall but weak stem.

  29. Step 29

    Skip staking for bush beans

    They mature early and do not need it.

  30. Step 30

    Check whether your snow or English peas need support

    Some types need it and others don't, depending on the variety.

Mistakes to avoid

Narrow tree ties such as wire or twine can cut into or girdle the bark. Do not thread ropes or wires through sections of garden hose to tie a tree. Rigidly supporting a tree with stakes or cables results in a tall but weak stem. If staking allows no movement of the trunk, the tree allocates no wood to the main stem. Leaving a stake and guying materials in place beyond a year risks damaging the tree. Placing a tie directly beneath the first set of branches is another error, and guying anchors should never sit outside the mulched planting bed. Start a Florida weave before tomato plants fall over. Cage openings smaller than 6 inches (15 cm) square leave no room to reach inside and harvest. Indeterminate tomatoes usually grow taller than ordinary cages, so they need stakes, spirals or sturdier cages. Tie a stem tightly to its stake and loosely around the stem itself, so the tie cannot bind, pinch or choke the stem. Larger squash and pumpkins are too heavy to trellis and should be grown on the ground.

How this page was made

  • Written with AI assistance from the sources listed on this page. AI is never the source of a fact.

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