How would you stake these plants?

[Ellis]

Hi everyone! For the first time ever, I've grown a very small(but mostly successful) garden in grow bags but I've made a some errors. One, I think I put too many plants together and two, I didn't stake them. I'm looking for suggestions on how to move forward. Would staking them now harm the root system?

The first bag contains 2 golden cherry tomato plants, the second 4 bell pepper plants() and the last is a golden jubilee and a purple Cherokee heirloom.

Any suggestions?

 

[Xraycer]

I would tie tall bamboo to the 4 corners of each chair. Then tie short bamboo crosswise(horizontal) to the vertical bamboo to form a cage. Adding more horizontal bamboo, as needed.

 

[Sluggy]

As above or if you have long bamboo canes you can make a wig wam construction and tie at the top and wind string round the structure from top to bottom. With watering be careful as the top can look soaking wet but the bottom is bone dry and the opposite can happen with water gathering at the bottom if you have no drainage holes. If no drainage holes try and make some then you can stop watering when the water starts to drip out. You could hurkle doon under the chair with someone holding the containers and drill holes.

 

[Ellis]

I would tie tall bamboo to the 4 corners of each chair. Then tie short bamboo crosswise(horizontal) to the vertical bamboo to form a cage. Adding more horizontal bamboo, as needed.

That's a great idea. The chairs were just temporary to get the bags off the deck during a couple days of heavy rain, but there's no reason they can't stay there. I'm looking at bamboo local to me and I'm finding 4' x 1/2. Will that do the job?

 

[Sluggy]

There are cane supports in the picture in the article below yours In similar pots to yours.

 

[Ellis]

As above or if you have long bamboo canes you can make a wig wam construction and tie at the top and wind string round the structure from top to bottom. With watering be careful as the top can look soaking wet but the bottom is bone dry and the opposite can happen with water gathering at the bottom if you have no drainage holes. If no drainage holes try and make some then you can stop watering when the water starts to drip out. You could hurkle doon under the chair with someone holding the containers and drill holes.

The containers are just fabric bags and they drain fairly well. We've had lots of rain lately but after one 80 to 90 degree day in the sun they get pretty dry. I'm watering them every day to every other but to be honest, I have no idea what I'm doing lol. Just looking for signs of distress daily but so far so good.

I'm curious about the string, I've seen it done but they typically put it on the root ball before planting so I thought it was too late for that. I have a lot of leftover wood from a recent project and thought about building up from the deck rails and running a line that way, but that was an idea for next year bc I didn't realize I could do it now. Interesting!

 

[Xraycer]

That's a great idea. The chairs were just temporary to get the bags off the deck during a couple days of heavy rain, but there's no reason they can't stay there. I'm looking at bamboo local to me and I'm finding 4' x 1/2. Will that do the job?

I don't know the potential height of your plants so don't know if 4' will be tall enough. If the plants are left on the chairs, then the 4' bamboo would only be providing about a 2' high "cage". If the planters were on the floor, then you would get about 3'.
My local Lowes and Hone Depot usually have 6' bamboo stakes.

 

[Xraycer]

Are those 10 or 15 gallon grow bags?

 

[nao57]

When you go to greenhouses they purposely cluster them together to let them share shade and prolong moisture.

I'm curious how this will turn out and wish you luck.

You could also... get a laser thermometer or temperature device and check the heat on the deck in the time between 12 PM and 4 PM. If its too hot you might have to have higher watering frequency. Or you could put the bags in a safer spot? Its up to you and not trying to change it. But You want to identify vulnerabilities early to strengthen your defense.