Does anyone know where to get bamboo hoops? I know Carol has them, but I'd rather not have to send to Hawaii for something like that :)....anyone know of someone on the mainland that has them? Thanks...
Shelley
source for bamboo hoops?
Ebay has it some times.
I got mine at Menard's.
Thanks guys---I've been searching ebay for awhile now, no luck....what's Menard's?
Shelley
I think Carol sells them too. But she is away now, so you might have to wait a couple of weeks before it gets to you. I've gotten them from Ebay in the past, but I guess nobody is selling them now.
Gabi
Along this same line, has anyone tried to take fresh bamboo, strip it and form it into hoops and let it dry? There is a stand of small (maybe pinkie size by 10' or so high) bamboo in a vacant lot in town and it calls to me every time I pass. It says, "C'mon.... grab a few branches and give it a shot!" So.... anybody with experience?
Barb
Barb, I've read some where some one tried, it didn't work too well but you can make a teepi with it using 3 pieces of sticks.
There is a bamboo patch in the yard behind me. The bamboo is travelling into my yard and I tried to make the hoops. Was not successful. The bamboo breaks at the curve. I've even tried soaking in hot water. No good either. In the end I just make a teepee, or just put two sticks in the pot and wind the stems around.
I think they do something with long hot water soaks and steam....Still, I'm very jealous that you can find bamboo growing in vacant lots where you live....Although, it does inspire me to maybe try to make hoops out of some thinner, sappier branches of local trees....hmmmmm....could work...
Shelley
Shelley, I was thinking about that, too. Especially using Willow, which exudes some type of chemical into the water or soil to induce root formation. I'll try to find out who owns the lot and see if they mind my cutting some of the bamboo.
In a search of the web, I saw a notation on GW where someone had used bamboo stakes and made a triangle. They drilled small holes in the tops to secure them, then drilled another set of holes down farther on the stakes to use coated wire for the plants to climb on. If I did that at three or four inch intervals, I bet that would make a good solid base for the plants to grow on. Hmmmmm.... I feel a project coming on!
Thanks for sharing all your input and experiences.
Shelley - Menard's is another version of Home Depot or Lowe's - do you have one of those near you?
Oh, okay...no, no Menard's here in Pittsburgh...I have checked Home Depot with no luck, but maybe Lowe's....also, maybe they'll both start carrying more house plant-y stuff now that the outdoor growing season is over...
I have heard that about Willow---pretty interesting...I would have some concerns that the Willow would actually root in the pot though...I know if you just stick a green willow branch in the dirt outside it will usually root and grow....but it would have the right texture to easily bend into a hoop...hmmmm...I'll have to see what's available outside this weekend...if you do the Willow thing let me know how it works...
Shelley
Will do. :)
Actually the bamboo is heated over fire and then bent...with the burnt side 'down'. It may be steamed before hand. some sturdy wire would work too.....
I get aluminum clothes line wire at a local hardware store. A 50' coil of the wire runs a little less than $10.00. This wire is coated with a very light blue, clear plastic coating. the wire is very easy to cut and form, but also very strong. The wire will not break down over time like the bamboo will. I have used this wire for my hoyas for years and it works great! I have not ever looked at any of the big box stores for this wire, but they may have it.
Good luck,
Mike
tl³
TL3: Photo's, we'd love to see some photo's! Do you just cut the wire to certain lengths to use as stakes or do you bend it to form hoops? Sounds like it would be perfect for hoya hoops and I wonder if it could be formed and wired into a teepee shape like trellis?
Hi Lin,
I'll see if I can take a couple of photos this weekend - of the coil of wire and of the hoops both in a pot and out of a pot.
Yes, I just cut the wire to the length I need for the size hoop I want to make (based on the size of the pot I am going to use.) For smaller-growing hoyas I don't make the hoops very large, but for some of the larger-growing hoyas, I make the hoops a fairly good size.
Mike
Looking forward to seeing that, Mike. Thanks!
Barb
That sounds like an excellent idea! What do you use to cut the wire with?
SR
Just a normal side wire cutter. If you have a long-nose pliers, that has a wire cutter at the base and that would work fine, too.
Here is a pic of a wire cutter similar to the one I use. This isn't a very good pic, but wire cutters like this are available everywhere. I think I paid between $5.00 to $8.00 for the wire cutters I use.
http://www.uxcell.com/heavy-duty-side-wire-cutter-plier-inch-115-yellow-p-1864.html
Mike
Here is a not-so-good photo of a similar vinyl coated aluminum wire. The wire I use is not this blue. This listing also does not say how long the coil of wire is.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0014CJS2O?smid=A25DVOZOPBFMAN&tag=yahoo-kitchen-mp-20&linkCode=asn
Mike
Thanks very much....oh, and if you scroll down on the wire ad it says it's 50' long...that's a lot of hoya hoops! :)
SR
Hi SR,
OK, thanks, I didn't see that. Actually, you would be surprised at how fast 50' of wire goes. I purchased 2 - 50' coils when I bought the wire a couple of weeks ago and I have almost used an entire 50' coil. I have made a lot of hoops, though. Now that it is geting too cold to have plants shipped, I don't have to worry about buying any more plants until next spring, but I do have a bunch of hoya cuttings that are rooted that need to be potted and hooped.
Mike
I bought some plastic coated wire from Ace Hardware. It also comes in a 50 ft roll. Here's a picture of my cinimomifolia when I first got it. It's in a 4" pot. The leaves are red from being in the sun.
Eileen, how to you get it to stand upright in the pot? I can never get hoops, or trellises for that matter, to stand straight. :(
Barb
I bend the ends of the wire and then tape them to small sticks (I use chopsticks cut in half) to hold them straight. They want to curl back in a round shape. You could also wire them to plastic pots by making two small holes on each side of pot and use wire or baggie ties to hold in place. I find it easy to use the chopsticks. We eat out at an chinese buffet once a week and I always ask for the chopsticks. Don't have a clue how to eat with them, but they come in handy in my plants. ^_^
lol! Me either. I'd wear more food than I ate if I had to use chopsticks. I use those wooden skewers you buy in the kitchen department at wallyworld in my orchids and with small cuttings. Do you know what gauge wire that is? I'm thinking something around 12 or 14 ga might be good. Thanks for the info, btw.
Barb
Barb, the package of green wire doesn't say what the guage is, but it is stiffer than the blue closeline. I had that one first and didn't like it. It wasn't stiff enough for my larger hoya. I cut it 36" long for the larger hoya and 16" long for the smaller ones. It works well for me. It's about the same price as the blue one.
Thanks! :)
A while back (one year? 2 years?) I followed the suggestion someone posted and took one of those wire 'folding' gate-like trellises, cut them apart and used each unit in a large pot to grow the large hoyas. They work very well...tho' I did have to bend the bottom part into a 'c' shape to fit into the pot.
Carol
I was going to try those folding 'thingys', but most of my hoya are in 4" pots. I didn't think I would be able to bend it to fit. I never thought to cut the apart. They sell them at Walmart and Big lots here in Florida. They are less than $5. You can get quite a few from one package.
I took pictures of my hoops both in and out of plants, but didn't have the time to load them on my computer. I will do that tonight and then post the pics (maybe in a new thread.)
Mike
Oooh, I love the suggestion of willow! My parents have a massive one in their back garden... might attack it when I get home and see whether I can dry it out into a good position... will report back if I get good success! Good time of year to do it as well, as the leaves will have dropped...
Let us know if you do, Hills. How about a comparison study rooting two cuttings - one with a willow branch as a hoop and another cutting of the same plant using a different hoop but same potting material? Anyone up for this? I've only seen one willow in the area since I moved here and don't think the folks it belongs to would be willing to see it chopped up... it's only about 3' tall!!
Looking forward to seeing your pics tonight, Mike.
The only problem with using an organic material (Bamboo/wood, etc.) for hoops is that an organic material will rot in the soil, over time. And the bad thing is, that just about the time your plant is starting to get nice and big, is when the material will fail. While an organic material looks much better, in the long run, I think it's better to stick with something that will last and stand the test of time. Just my .02
Mike
I have heard of soaking and bending bamboo, willow, grape vine and even jasmine branches to form shapes for topiaries and such. I know I've purchased those grape vine wreaths many times over the years and the wood does dry out and crack after awhile if it isn't kept moist. I remember once receiving a gift topiary that was a grapevine wreath wired with stakes into the soil and ivy growing around the circle of the wreath.
I didn't read through this article but I bet the willow branches could easily be bent to form hoops for hoyas and other plants!
http://www.projo.com/home/content/lh_wattlefence_05-25-08_ET5AI8A_v19.13205e5.html
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/weekender/stories/2008/10/02/9_WART02.ART_ART_10-02-08_T9_4RBFFT1.html
Often I put my 4" pots inside a larger one that 'bent' trellises will work in. When I get back to HI will take a photo....
Oooh ... Carol must be traveling again! I hope you are having a grand time and that you will share photo's of your travel's (photo's of beautiful scenery but also of any hoya's you might just have come across.) ^_^
Haven't eve SEEN a hoya and it is almost 1.5 weeks!!! Major withdrawal...but tons of other plants!!!
LOL, 1 1/2 weeks not seeing even one? I bet you are having major hoya withdrawal! What other interesting plants are you seeing?