Image – Horticultural Book
There are a number of plants that, due to their youth, growth rate and / or the amount of fruit they produce, need a guide so as not to end up with broken stems.. We know this support as a tutor, since, like a human tutor guiding a child, these sticks help the vegetables to develop better.
Currently we can also find tutors for plants that not only fulfill their function, but are also decorated with figures of suns or insects such as butterflies at one end to make them look much more beautiful. But, When should guardians be placed?
What plants need a support or guide?
Plant stakes, regardless of their design, are made by and to guide plant beings in need. There are some that are more suitable for placing in pots, which are the plastic ones or the steel ones that are also covered by plastic, usually green in color; and there are others that are designed to be introduced into the earth, such as those made of wood or iron.
As we mentioned, we cannot put them on all of them, but only on those plants that really need it:
- Horticultural plants: tomato plants, peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins.
- Climbers: all of them need a support to be able to climb.
- Trees and palms: if they are planted on land, during the first year it is recommended that they have a tutor so that, in case the wind blows very strong, they do not have problems.
- Plants that have grown looking for light: When grown in this way, their stems etiolate (lengthen) in order to capture more light. In doing so, they become weak and may fall under their own weight. To help these plants, it is necessary to place a tutor on them and put them in an area where they are more exposed to the sun king.
How to place a tutor?
Inserting a tutor correctly is as important as that the material with which it is made supports the wind that may blow in our area. We should not place it too close to the stem since doing so would not leave it enough space to grow. The distance from the tutor to the trunk will depend on the size of the plant itself.
Generally, Those that are going to be tall (trees, palms, climbing plants, etc.), the tutor is placed about 5-10cm from the main stem; On the other hand, if they are horticultural plants, they are placed at a distance of 2-3cm. When the plants have taken firm and do not “grow sideways”, we can remove it as long as they are not horticultural, since they require it throughout the season.
The depth in which we insert it into the ground will also depend on the wind blowing in the area. The more intense it is, the deeper it must be.
Has it been useful to you?
