Climbing Netting for Annual Climbers?

honeybean

I think I read somewhere that you can grow climbers up transparent netting or pea netting up a fence. Has anyone done that? 

I have some Cobaea, Morning Glory, Sweetpea and Black Eyed Susan seedlings and I want grow them up my fence. 

I was hoping to attach something like netting to the fence for them to climb up. I just wondered if anyone has any success of doing this? 

Thanks 

Fairygirl

It's not something I've ever used - mainly because I think it looks horrible, but also because I prefer something a little more substantial for climbers to wrap tendrils around if they're on fences. For those, I used plastic coated wire stretched across, and I tie on stems until they have enough to catch onto themselves. Mine also grow through other shrubs or planting. 
I remember them doing a trial on Beechgrove some years ago using various types of support for a larger area. From memory,  I don't think the netting did very well. Heavier duty plastic mesh did far better. 

Obelixx

I agree.  Netting looks dreadful and isn't a strong support and can trap birds too.

You'd be better off with tensioned wires but if you can't attach vine eyes for some reason there is a clip system called Gripple which you could investigate.

An alternative would be a sheet of builders' mesh - the rusty kind they use for reinforcing concrete - from a builders' merchants.   It can be cut to size if you need to and is cheap, indestructible and almost invisible against a fence, especially when covered in climbers.

honeybean

Obelixx said:

I agree.  Netting looks dreadful and isn't a strong support and can trap birds too.

You'd be better off with tensioned wires but if you can't attach vine eyes for some reason there is a clip system called Gripple which you could investigate.

An alternative would be a sheet of builders' mesh - the rusty kind they use for reinforcing concrete - from a builders' merchants.   It can be cut to size if you need to and is cheap, indestructible and almost invisible against a fence, especially when covered in climbers.

I like the rusty mesh idea, thanks. I do already have tensioned wires on the fence, which are in place for my climbing rose. They are 2ft apart for the rose and I feel the distance apart is too much for climbers. Which is why I was thinking of putting the netting behind them. But I agree with your comments. I think the mesh could be useful to slide behind the wires. 

Obelixx

Or just add extra wires.  12'/30cms is much better.

honeybean

Fairygirl said:

It's not something I've ever used - mainly because I think it looks horrible, but also because I prefer something a little more substantial for climbers to wrap tendrils around if they're on fences. For those, I used plastic coated wire stretched across, and I tie on stems until they have enough to catch onto themselves. Mine also grow through other shrubs or planting. 
I remember them doing a trial on Beechgrove some years ago using various types of support for a larger area. From memory,  I don't think the netting did very well. Heavier duty plastic mesh did far better. 

Love your comment about growing climbers through shrubs. How do you do that? Do they strangle the shrubs? Are there particular types of shrubs you can grow climbers through? I would like to try that.  I have a camellia, lilac, forsythia and shrub roses.

Fairygirl

The camellia, forsythia and lilac will all be fine for things like sweet peas and morning glory. I don't grow roses. Cobeas are quite vigorous once they start, so they'd probably be best growing up a fairly substantial shrub or tree. When you bear in mind that you can grow lots of clematis up and through shrubs and trees, it isn't any different using annuals  
I have them scrambling through Viburnum, Broom and spring Spireas. They've all finished flowering by the time annual climbers are growing well. Just plant them a small distance away from the shrub, angle them towards it with a cane or similar,  and make sure they have sufficient food and water. They'll then catch hold themselves, and use the shrub as a support

raisingirl

Just don't try it with edible peas and beans unless feeding the birds and squirrels is what you meant to do. Breakfast in bed