In another thread, I showed a photo of a brug standard of mine. In this one, I thought you all might be interested in seeing the staking system that I've devised for all of my standards. I hire a metal fabricator weld a rod onto a disc which sits in the bottom of the pot before planting. The weight of the soil on the disc keeps the stake straight, always, and because it's metal, it never rots at the base. The disc also has drainage holes drilled into it and nuts are welded to the bottom to create a little air space to ensure good drainage. The post it painted to reduce the heat. I find that an almond color goes well with just about every plant I have in standard forms.
It takes a lot of heartache out of the whole process of training things into standards.
