vincent p. norris wrote:
If you buy stakes taller than 6', who pounds them into the ground?

I'm 5'3" and shrinking.


If you buy "rebar," metal rods about 3/8" in diameter made to
reinforce concrete, you can push them into the earth very easily.

And they will last almost forever.

You can get them at building supply centers. Get 20 foot pieces and
cut them (or have tghem cut) into thirds, or buy pieces about seven
feet long.

vince norris


DO NOT use "rebar" for plant supports. The rust from them
can kill your plants and they look like crap after just a
few weeks. There are MUCH better items to use for plant
support.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

Digital Camera: HP PhotoSmart 850

For pictures of my garden visit http://members.iglou.com/brosen

Remove NO_WEEDS_ in e-mail address to reply by e-mail

rust will not kill the plants, I have been using rebar for years without any
problem.
as for that matter the iron is good for them.

--
Sam
Along the Grand Strand of Myrtle Beach SC
"Bill R" wrote in message
...
vincent p. norris wrote:
If you buy stakes taller than 6', who pounds them into the ground?

I'm 5'3" and shrinking.


If you buy "rebar," metal rods about 3/8" in diameter made to
reinforce concrete, you can push them into the earth very easily.

And they will last almost forever.

You can get them at building supply centers. Get 20 foot pieces and
cut them (or have tghem cut) into thirds, or buy pieces about seven
feet long.

vince norris


DO NOT use "rebar" for plant supports. The rust from them
can kill your plants and they look like crap after just a
few weeks. There are MUCH better items to use for plant
support.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

Digital Camera: HP PhotoSmart 850

For pictures of my garden visit http://members.iglou.com/brosen

Remove NO_WEEDS_ in e-mail address to reply by e-mail

Bill R expounded:

DO NOT use "rebar" for plant supports. The rust from them
can kill your plants and they look like crap after just a
few weeks. There are MUCH better items to use for plant
support.

No, rust won't kill your plants, and your tomatoes should be big
enough in a few weeks that you won't even see the rust! Many people
use rebar, I prefer the plastic coated metal rods (I pay for pretty).

--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
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Ann wrote:
Bill R expounded:


DO NOT use "rebar" for plant supports. The rust from them
can kill your plants and they look like crap after just a
few weeks. There are MUCH better items to use for plant
support.


No, rust won't kill your plants, and your tomatoes should be big
enough in a few weeks that you won't even see the rust! Many people
use rebar, I prefer the plastic coated metal rods (I pay for pretty).


I never mentioned tomato plants but I do know several people
that have lost many Hollyhocks and other tall plants after
using "rebar" to support them. It could be that they were
coated with some other chemical that harmed the plants.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

Digital Camera: HP PhotoSmart 850

For pictures of my garden visit http://members.iglou.com/brosen

Remove NO_WEEDS_ in e-mail address to reply by e-mail

Bill R wrote in news:3F0D75F0.2090508
@iglou.com:

Ann wrote:
Bill R expounded:


DO NOT use "rebar" for plant supports. The rust from them
can kill your plants and they look like crap after just a
few weeks. There are MUCH better items to use for plant support.


No, rust won't kill your plants, and your tomatoes should be big
enough in a few weeks that you won't even see the rust! Many people
use rebar, I prefer the plastic coated metal rods (I pay for pretty).


I never mentioned tomato plants but I do know several people
that have lost many Hollyhocks and other tall plants after
using "rebar" to support them. It could be that they were
coated with some other chemical that harmed the plants.

I think someone posted a link earlier to a site that explained the
history of rebar.

If I recall correctly, even today it is made to match a performance spec
without regard to the source materials. Formerly it was made from such
materials as scrap railroad tracks which might have exposed it to arsenic
at the least. These days it's made with more mundane materials and is
probably safer.

Sorry, I can't find the link.

-- Salty

"Bill R" wrote in message
...
vincent p. norris wrote:
If you buy stakes taller than 6', who pounds them into the ground?

I'm 5'3" and shrinking.


If you buy "rebar," metal rods about 3/8" in diameter made to
reinforce concrete, you can push them into the earth very easily.

And they will last almost forever.

You can get them at building supply centers. Get 20 foot pieces and
cut them (or have tghem cut) into thirds, or buy pieces about seven
feet long.

vince norris


DO NOT use "rebar" for plant supports. The rust from them
can kill your plants and they look like crap after just a
few weeks. There are MUCH better items to use for plant
support.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

Digital Camera: HP PhotoSmart 850

For pictures of my garden visit http://members.iglou.com/brosen

Remove NO_WEEDS_ in e-mail address to reply by e-mail

Rebar does not harm plants. It's just steel, and not a very high grade form
of it at that. It won't heat up enough to fry them in hot weather, and it's
not coated with diddly. (That's why it rusts so fast.) The rust that forms
on the metal has absolutely nothing to do with the fungal disease of rust
which can afflict hollyhocks or other garden plants. Also, the rust
doesn't help with the iron content of your soil, either. It's not water
soluble at all, and thus the plants cannot utilize it. Rebar does last for
a long, long, time in the garden and I've used it for years to make support
structures for clematis, roses, peonies, lilies, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers,
and just about any other thing that flops and you don't want it to.

Sunflower
MS 7b

Salty Thumb wrote in
:

Bill R wrote in news:3F0D75F0.2090508
@iglou.com:

Ann wrote:
Bill R expounded:


DO NOT use "rebar" for plant supports. The rust from them
can kill your plants and they look like crap after just a few
weeks.
There are MUCH better items to use for plant support.


No, rust won't kill your plants, and your tomatoes should be big
enough in a few weeks that you won't even see the rust! Many people
use rebar, I prefer the plastic coated metal rods (I pay for
pretty).


I never mentioned tomato plants but I do know several people
that have lost many Hollyhocks and other tall plants after
using "rebar" to support them. It could be that they were coated
with some other chemical that harmed the plants.

I think someone posted a link earlier to a site that explained the
history of rebar.

If I recall correctly, even today it is made to match a performance
spec without regard to the source materials. Formerly it was made
from such materials as scrap railroad tracks which might have exposed
it to arsenic at the least. These days it's made with more mundane
materials and is probably safer.

Sorry, I can't find the link.

-- Salty

Here it is, no mention of railroad tracks, that was just my interpretion:

http://www.anvilfire.com/FAQs/reb_faq_index.htm