Trellis Construction

April 10, 2010

The method you use to construct your trellis is obviously based on how you plan your hop garden layout. I was at an obvious advantage when constructing my trellis, as I already had a steel building to offer support and to plenty of space to plant facing the sun. I contemplated creating a free standing trellis away from the building, allowing people to roam and explore the garden more freely, but future construction plans could have potentially forced me to relocate my hop garden, and I settled for the more permanent solution. But everyone who tries growing hops will be faced with a different situation in terms of space, and once you have decided on a location for your plants, you can decide on which form of trellis best suits your area. Here are some quality trellis examples I have found online:

Remember your plant’s needs when constructing your trellis:

Minimum of about 8 feet of height to maximize yield
Your plant will weigh, on average, about 20 to 25lbs at full growth so make sure your trellis can support this weight

Once you have your construction plans put together, gather your materials and get ready to race your hops to completion. You should have your trellis completed by the time your hops are 6″ to 8″ so that they can be properly trained onto the twine. For twine, I would suggest a sisal twine from a hardware store. You can pick up upwards of 2250′ on a spool with 75lbs of test strength for less than $15 (Check it out here).

Remember to stay within your means when constructing your trellis. If you have decided on an elaborate setup, with lots of cutting and building involved make sure you have the means and the know-how to do so. Don’t attempt a huge project that will be costly and time consuming if you do not have the resources or the ability to complete your project within a short period of time. Remember hops must be planted shortly after the ground thaws and will be ready to be trained on a vine within a few weeks of planting, so you are on a timetable when constructing your support structure. There are often easy and inexpensive answers to any project, and you must put your hops needs before your desire for an aesthetically pleasing design. Remember practicality over presentation because remember, your hops will still be the focal point of your garden no matter how much effort goes into the trellis.

Trellis Design Plans: