How to Make a Cable Trellis

A cable trellis is a vertical structure attached to a masonry wall with hooks that supports climbing vines and encourages them to grow upwards. The functional yet decorative trellis acts as a green wall that covers unsightly masonry walls with foliage and attractive blooms, clears space below for growing other plants, prevents pest and rodent damage and purifies the surrounding air. Secured to the selected masonry wall properly, a cable trellis serves as a long-lasting support for garden favorites.

• 1

  Measure and mark a midpoint 2 feet above the ground with a marker on the selected masonry wall. Measure 3 feet on each side from the midpoint and mark the area with chalk or marker. The two points demarcate the ends of the fan-shaped cable trellis.

• 2

  Measure a distance of 5 feet directly above the midpoint and mark the spot with a marker or chalk. Check the distance between this point and the midpoint below with a carpenter's level to make sure the imaginary line is straight. This line is the upper midpoint of the trellis.

• 3

  Measure 5 feet on each side of the upper midpoint and mark the spots on the wall with chalk. Measure 2 feet to the left and right of the upper midpoint and mark the spots with chalk. The masonry wall now has five marked spots on the top that are the upper ends of the trellis.

• 4

  Connect the five upper points to one another with a straight horizontal chalk line. Draw it carefully with a level to make sure it is straight.

• 5

  Drill holes into the lower midpoint and upper marks of the trellis. Insert a masonry anchor and eye screw into each hole.

• 6

  Measure and cut the length of cable into four 7-foot long lengths with wire cutters. Also cut a fifth length of cable that measures 6 feet. Make a 2-inch wide loop at an end of each cable length with a ferrule (a circular clamp that attaches wires without splitting them). Crimp each ferrule to compress it and secure it to the cable.

• 7

  Push a snap hook through each loop. Snap the 6-foot cable's hook into the upper midpoint eye-bolt, and those of the 7-foot cables into the remaining upper eye-bolts located to the left and right.

• 8

  Extend the turnbuckle to make it longer by unscrewing its ends. Secure the lower screw eye to the lower turnbuckle eye using the remaining snap hook. Push a ferrule into the end of each cable. Thread the cable ends through the upper turnbuckle eye, and then back through the ferrules forming 2- to 3-inch loops. Pull the cable until taut before crimping the ferrule and cutting excess off with wire cutters.