Tips for Staking Tomatoes With Bamboo

Sometimes I think I must have an obsession with tomatoes. Although it is important to give the tomatoes the right necessities like light and water,  they also require some type of support. Staking and lifting the tomato plants will not only help keep them clean but staking also provides a distance from pests.

Staking also helps to prevent plant diseases by giving the plant airflow and makes it quite easy to harvest the plant. There are many types of tomato support stakes, bamboo stakes, in particular, are dependable and true to structure and are made readily available to keep your garden looking beautiful and tidy.

Benefits of Staking Tomatoes With Bamboo:

For one thing, if you would like to have healthy and bigger tomato plants earlier than expected and you don’t mind putting in the extra steps of pinching and tying indeterminate tomatoes, then you should consider bamboo supports.

  • Bamboo is sturdy and easy to construct. Staking at an angle provides partial shade for the tomatoes, by allowing the tomato to hang under the plant foliage.
  • Its and attractive type of stake, a tomato spiral emits an attractive appeal to the bamboo stake.
  • The Bamboo stake makes the staking process easy, quick and affordable, and works well with the Florida weave staking technique.
  • Bamboo helps the garden to saves space and keeps the tomatoes off the ground.

How to Support Tomatoes With Bamboo

Supporting tomatoes with bamboo stakes may call soft cloth or nylon. It is best to choose one material that will not cut into the stem or vine of the tomato plant.

You would want to tie the tomato plant stem loosely to the bamboo stake alongside the strips of soft cloth or nylon. Before tying the material, loop it around the stem as this will help to hold the plant in place as the tomato gets riper and heavier.

Tip: If you find the tie loosening and vines sliding down, put a small nail into the bamboo stake to hold the ties in place.

Using Bamboo to Stake Determinate and Indeterminate Tomatoes

Tomato varieties are grouped by having determinate or indeterminate growing traits. These growing traits define the most suitable staking technique for the plant. Although, supporting determinate tomatoes is less time consuming than supporting an indeterminate type of tomato plant.

Because of its predetermined size, “Determinate”  tomato plants usually have little to no further vegetative growth; staking is not necessarily needed. However, a determinate tomato can still be staked using a Florida weave (sometimes called ‘Basket Weave’) or tripod staking technique.

Tripod is a staking technique in which its structure is used to support a single vine or the tomato plant at the base. It’s an ideal option for both determinate or indeterminate tomatoes.

Florida Weave is a staking technique that works well when producing a lot of tomato plants. The vine is woven around the bamboo stakes to support the tomato plants as they continue to grow. Steel T-posts placed at the ends of the rows to build the structure.

When using the Florida Weave System (sometimes called ‘Basket Weave’)

  • Plant the tomato plants in rows.
  • Add steel T-posts at the end of each row and place it into the ground at an inclined angle.
  • Water to soften the soil,
  • Between the tomato plants, place an 8ft tall bamboo stakes into soil.
  • Make the first line 12 inches up from soil level and weave untreated twine from one plant to the other until it reaches the end to the T-post.
  • Add 6-8 inches spacing from the first line, as the plant grows.