How to Build a Hop Trellis
- 1). Dig post holes. Use a post-hole digger and dig two holes 1½ feet deep and 4 feet apart.
- 2). Put up main support poles. Cut one 12-foot length of PVC in half. Make a mark 18 inches from one end of each 6-foot piece of pipe. Insert one 6-foot piece into each hole to the 18-inch marked depth. Position the poles so they are 4 feet apart and then backfill the post holes.
- 3). Put a tee connector at the top of each pole. Place the tee connectors so the bottom of the tee points toward the other pole.
- 4). Extend main support poles. Cut another 12-foot length of PVC in half. Insert each 6-foot length into the tee connector you applied in Step 3, extending the length of the main upright support poles to 12 feet each. The final opening in the tee connector should be aimed in the direction of the other pole.
- 5). Put another tee connector at the top of each pole. This time, insert the bottom of the tee into the top of the pole, so that the other two openings will connect pieces of pipe that are parallel to the ground.
- 6). Cut the final 12-foot length of PVC as follows: cut into two 4-foot lengths, and two 16-inch lengths. Discard the rest.
- 7). Insert one 4-foot length in the tee connectors at the top of the poles, and the other in the lower tee connectors. These will connect the upright poles in two places, providing stability for the hops trellis.
- 8). Insert one 16-inch length of PVC into the final opening of the tee connectors on top of each of the poles, extending the top cross support by 16 inches on each side.
- 9). Plant hops. Plant one hop plant on the outside of each upright pole, and evenly space three hop plants between the two upright poles.
- 10
Pound in a 1½ foot wooden stake a few inches away from each hop plant. - 11
Run a piece of twine from the top of each stake to its corresponding point on the top cross support bar. Tie at each end or insert metal "eyes" into the stake and cross support bar and loop twine through the eyes.