Making your own bean supports

[gardendancer]

I've got some old copper piping lying around from when we redid our bathroom and I was considering making some wigwams out of them to grow beans up them.

I have however heard that copper can be harmful to plants, has anyone used copper piping as plant supports before?

Thanks for any advice

[OllieMartin]

I'd buy some canes and sell the copper pipe!

[Flummery]

One of the classic ways of finding copper, as a geologist, is to find clearings where the plants have died off. They are actually called 'copper clearings' - so I wouldn't risk it.

[gojiberry]

Not sure what state copper has to be in to be harmful (if at all) to plants as copper rings and tape are used as a slug deterrent. Bordeaux mix also has copper sulphate in it which is used on dormant fruit trees, still I think this mixture is now on the banned list. However it may not be wise to actually have plants growing up copper pipes.

Ian

[Snadger]

The scrapmen would think it was there birthday!

[Creemteez]

You could nail it to the top edge of your raised beds - if you have them - as a snail deterent.

[coreopsis]

I'll back up Ollie-sell the copper and buy something else.