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Name: Phyllis Stengl Sequim, WA Deer are beautiful if they don't e
We didn't buy enough of that rebar to replace the really aged bamboo stakes this year. Next year, I may replace some of them with this, and use them for my earliest dahlias for a test. I have some old tomato cages that I don't use!
As to protection from too much rain.. isn't it really the fact that the ground gets too wet though, not rain hitting the plant itself? I can imagine this helping only a little bit in keeping the ground dry, unless my logic is flawed.
Name: Phyllis Stengl Sequim, WA Deer are beautiful if they don't e
I should mention that I have raised beds. I've got about 5 unused tomato cages to test with! I will probably use a carryover plant with multiple tubers in my stash so if it doesn't work, it won't be painful. You have to test some of these things just to see what does and doesn't work!
I have seen this a couple of years ago, but forgot about it. Thanks for bringing it back up, Phyllis. I have tomato cages with rusted bottom legs. I will have to cut off those rusted legs, invert the cage, and make holding pegs out of some other wires. I also have too many plants and not enough stakes.
Name: Annie Western WA Zone USDA 7b Relax. It's only a small setback.
Yes, they work for even 4' dahlias. You need to cut off the legs and bend those wires to act s 'tent stakes' to secure the inverted stand. They work very well but take up much more room to store, for me, than a single stake of some kind.
Occasionally, I've had to tether up a stray branch that escaped the tomato cage with a tie, but it's a good system.
Has anyone tried this or use this currently? After heartbreak the last few days at losing HUGE parts of plants, I need to do something differently next year. I am wondering if this works even on the big guys?
Name: Annie Luck Apex, North Carolina BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN TH
Darcy, I am using this system when I have some cages. For the most part, it works well. I would be thrilled if I happened upon a huge stash of cages for next season. I'll figure out where to store all of those cages later
I have an overflow bed that has low growing reseeding snaps and moss rose, with lilies and iris that I put my leftover dahlias in. I use regular tomato cages, always intending to cut and flip but never doing it. The ground is rocky, as it used to be the end of a gravel driveway, and the posts don't go in very well. A few cages always topple with the weight at the end of the season, and I suspect would do so even if they were turned over because the stakes don't hold well.
I'd be tempted to use tent stakes instead of the cut off wire, as they will probably do a better job anchoring them.
Name: Annie Luck Apex, North Carolina BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN TH
Most of my cages are flipped, but not cut. Yes, they are a risk for random eye pokes, but it hasn't happened yet. My caged dahlias are scattered among the others that are staked and tied. I run the string through the cages for stability and have only had a few leaning cages. I don't have tall dahlias in general, so I don't know how they'd do for the big ones. My guess is--the bigger the dahlia, the bigger the cage should be.
hmm. I was just thinking this morning about looping twine around the cages to catch up the errant branches. Didn't think about interlocking the cages with twine for added support, though. I'll try to do that soon.
