For you to grow vines on a fence, vine plants would have to be planted very close to the fence. You would also need something for the vines to curl around and climb up. The vines would curl around the fence itself if is a chain-linked fence.

You’ll have to provide wire trellis, so the vines can climb up with them if you are using a flat wooden fence. Growing in any direction of your choice becomes easy if you properly plant the vines.

Method I

Mount a Wire Trellis on a Fence

1. You might need to purchase hooks if you do not want to create holes in your fence with drills. Vinyl fences are not suitable for drilling or screwing, so you might need to buy hangers that hang on top of your fence if you are working with this type of fence.

Search for online tools or gardening hooks that do not require to be screwed in. Buy two hooks from a hardware store or buy them online, and hang them on top of the fence for safekeeping.

  • No-screw hook does not need extra installation
  • Although they are easy to install, hanging hooks are not as secure as hooks that are screwed on top of the fence

2. Determine the measure and spot the locations for the wooden fence. Galvanized wires will be held by cup hooks, so the vines can curl and grow around them. Approach one end of the fence, measure out 4 feet (1.2m) from the foot or bottom of the fence, and mark it. Do the same thing to the other end of the fence.

  • Mark out the places you have measured where you want the vines to grow
  • You do not need to use a wire trellis if you have a chain-linked fence
  • You have only two marks on your fence.

3. Screw-in holes that are 0.32cm in diameter in the places you marked. Only use a 0.32 drill bit that is attached to an electric drill.

  • The hole should entirely go through to the other side of the fence.

4. Put the cups in by screwing. The threaded end of the cup hook should be pushed into the hole and twisted in a clockwise manner. Position the threaded end properly when you’re screwing it in to ensure that it doesn’t appear bent.

  • Screw the cups again if it bends.

5. Coil galvanized wire over the hooks. Put one end of the wire into one of the cup hooks and coil it around the hook properly, so it becomes firm. Then, drag the wire over the fence, and join it to the cup hook on the opposite end of the fence.

  • Drag the wire till it becomes tight when you are joining it to the second hook
  • Quality galvanized wire can be bought from hardware stores.

Method 2

Planting Your Vines

1. Vine plants can be gotten from garden stores or can be purchased online. Garden stores sell potted or regrown vine plants. The height of the vine should fall between 2-4 feet.

Now, you have to choose whether you want to plant perennial vines that bring forth fruits every year, or you want to plant vines that are annual which only bring forth fruits for a year and dies off when it is winter.

  • Annual vines produce fruits faster than the perennial vines, but they die off when the growing season is over
  • Annual and perennial vines can be combined on your fence
  • The most common vine species are English ivy, Virginia creeper, Boston ivy, and Wintercreeper Euonymus.

2. Weeds must be totally removed from the bottom of your fence. It is better to remove the weeds with your hands. Then, a rake can be used to drag the weeds away from your fence. Weeds do not allow vines to flourish well. Remove them to make your yard look better.

  • Dead weeds around your vine should be removed so they don’t grow back
  • Weeds should be used as compost or should be disposed of.

3. Rectify the soil with compost. If the soil around the fence is compacted, then you should till it. Dig up 4 inches of the earth using a shovel. Then put layers of compost that are about 2-4 inches down on the area about the fence.

  • To know which compost is suitable for your fence, you will need to run a soil sample test
  • The most common types of compost are scrapes from food, dried leaves, and dried grass.

4. 6-12 inches holes have to be dug up for vine plants. Vine plants must be organized equally along the fence to help you determine where to dig the holes. Use a shovel for this task.

  • The pot in which the vines are planted must be a little smaller than the hole.

5. The plants should be taken away from their containers. To do this, you will have to turn the pot over while holding on to the bottom part of the plant.

  • You may have to gently shake the vine to remove it from the pot.

6. The vines have to be planted next to the fence. Gently place the roots of the plant inside the hole that was dug. The vine plant must be very close to the fence as much as it can be. The hole has to be filled with soil as soon as you have placed the plant inside the hole.

  • Lay the plant so that it rests on the fence if it is not resting against the fence
  • Remove the plant very carefully so that it leans against the fence if it is already growing on a trellis.

7. The soil has to be watered regularly and must be wet. The roots of the vine need water to pass through its roots. This should be done one more time. The purpose of the first watering is to give the vine the opportunity to grow well.

8. The soil around the vines must be properly mulched. Soil mulching will help aerate the soil, stop weeds from growing, and help the soil hold water. 1-2 inch layer of mulch must be laid over the soil close to your vines. You choose either to use organic or inorganic mulch.

  • Mulching attracts earthworms which help to aerate the soil
  • Organic mulch adds many nutrients to the soil and has to be added every year
  • You don’t need to replace inorganic mulch as frequently as organic mulch, but it does not add nutrients to the soil.

Method 3:

Caring and Training the Vines

1. Vines should be bound around the wire. Vines will eventually develop curly offshoots that are called tendrils. The tendrils will curl around what the vine is growing on. Coil the vine 4-5 times around the wire, and ensure that the tendrils are holding on to the wire.

  • Once the tendrils curl around the wire, they would stay in place
  • The vine wraps firmly around the wire as it grows
  • When dealing with a chain-linked fence, the vines should be wrapped in one of the links on the fence
  • Try very hard not to damage the stems or tendrils of the vine.

2. A yarn with a loose knot has to be tied to the end of the vine. Join the end of the vine to the hooks on the fence. Do not make the knot too tight, because it will stop the vine from growing.

  • The aim of tying a yarn is that the yarn will prevent the vine from growing in the wrong direction

3. Cutaway diseased or dead branches. When you notice that a branch has a sad-looking color, its leaves are dried, or the leaves have spotted; it means that your vines have caught a disease or they are dying. Sheers are perfect too for pruning. Use them to cut away the affected part.

  • Only cut above the nodes or buds on the vine when pruning

4. Vines need to be pruned in the way you would like them to grow. If your vine is growing towards a direction you don’t like, you can prune it to the direction you want.

  • Branches that are already growing in the right direction should be left alone. Only prune them when you want to thin them
  • Do not cut the vine to the stem, only cut away the branches that are growing in the wrong direction.

5. Vine roots would have to be watered well if it hasn’t rained in a week. If there has been a scarcity of rainfall for a week, you would have to soak the soil manually. Soak them well once a week, so roots stay hydrated.

  • Dip your finger into the soil, does it feel wet? If it doesn’t, water its roots. Leave it alone if it feels wet

Conclusion

Now that you know what to do concerning planting vines, you can do it on your own. This article was constructed to help you every step of the way. What is stopping you from growing your own vine? Start planting now. And you can give your vines fertilizers

Hope you enjoy reading these articles if you have any questions or something you want to share about pleasing kindly leave your comments below and I’ll be happy to write back to you.