Reusable Cable Ties 29cm 50 Pack Strong Garden and Home Ties

The tie you can undo

Every allotment shed has a jam jar of snipped cable ties somewhere. Each one did its job for a few months, then met the secateurs in October. It's a small waste, but it adds up over a season, and it always seems to happen just when you need one more tie for the last cane in the row. The Smart Garden 29cm Re-Usable Cable Ties are the answer to that jar. They grip like an ordinary cable tie, but you can release them, loosen them and use them again rather than cutting them off. That one difference changes how you can use them. You can give a tomato stem more room as it thickens, move netting when you shift a crop, and take a structure down in autumn without a bin bag of plastic offcuts.

What are the Smart Garden 29cm Re-Usable Cable Ties?

They're releasable cable ties, 29cm long and made from polypropylene (PP), sold in a pack of 50. They work like standard cable ties. You feed the tail through the head and pull it tight, and a ratchet catch holds it in place. The difference is that the catch can be released, so the tie can be loosened, slid off and refitted as many times as you need. Smart Garden describes them as strong, rot-proof and re-usable. They’re part of Smart Garden’s range of garden ties, which sit alongside its twine, wire and soft plant ties.

Who makes them?

Smart Garden Products is a British garden products supplier based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Its range covers garden sundries, plant supports, growhouses, lighting and wildlife care. The ties and fixings sit in its "tying" range of everyday garden essentials.

How do re-usable cable ties work?

A standard cable tie has a small toothed catch inside the head. Once the tail is pulled through, the teeth only let it travel one way, so the only way off is with a knife or snips. A re-usable or releasable tie has the same ratchet, but with a release on the head. Press it and the catch lets go, so you can pull the tail back out. To use one, wrap the tie around whatever you’re fixing and feed the pointed tail through the head. Pull it to the tension you want. To loosen or remove it, press the release and draw the tail back. Then fit it somewhere else.

What can I use them for in the garden?

Almost anywhere you'd reach for string, wire or an ordinary cable tie. On the allotment and in the garden, they're especially useful for: Tying tall plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines and peppers to canes or stakes. Securing bean and pea canes into wigwams and A-frames, where they hold better than twine and don’t rot. Fixing insect mesh, bird netting or butterfly netting to fruit cages, brassica frames and hoops. Attaching windbreak mesh, shade netting or plastic trellis to fences and posts. Holding fleece or polythene to hoops on low tunnels and cloches. Joining canes and stakes where two pieces cross, to make supports for climbers or a simple frame for netting. Bundling canes, stakes, hoses and tools for tidy storage at the end of the season. Labelling. Thread a plant label onto a tie and fix it to a cane or the edge of a raised bed so it doesn’t get lost or blown away.

Why choose re-usable ties over standard cable ties?

Gardens change through the season. A cane that holds a 30cm tomato seedling in May is holding a 1.5m plant laden with trusses by August, and the stem will have thickened considerably. A standard cable tie fitted in spring has to be cut off and replaced as the plant grows, or it can start to bite into the stem. A re-usable tie can simply be released and loosened a notch or two. The same goes for netting and mesh. Crops get lifted, rows are rotated and frames are moved. Re-usable ties let you take a structure apart and rebuild it elsewhere without starting again with new fixings. Then there’s waste. Ordinary cable ties are single-use by design. A pack of 50 ties you can release and refit, kept in a tin in the shed, will see you through many seasons of the same jobs, with far fewer offcuts heading to the bin.

Why choose cable ties over twine or wire?

Each has its place, and most growers keep all three. Twine is soft, cheap and kind to stems, but natural twine weakens and rots over a season outdoors, and knots can be fiddly with cold or muddy fingers. Wire is strong and long-lasting, but it can cut into stems if it's too tight and it's awkward to adjust neatly. Polypropylene cable ties are rot-proof, quick to fit with one hand while the other holds the plant, and easy to tension precisely. The re-usable version adds the one thing ordinary cable ties lack, which is a second chance.

Are cable ties safe to use on plant stems?

Yes, as long as you leave room for growth. The commonest mistake is pulling a tie tight around a stem, which can pinch or eventually cut into the plant as it thickens. The better approach is to make a loose loop around the stem and a tight one around the cane. A simple method is to fasten the tie firmly around the cane first. Then pass a second tie through it around the stem as a loose loop with a finger’s width of space. Alternatively, use a single tie in a loose figure of eight, crossing between the stem and the cane, so the stem isn’t pressed directly against the support. Check ties every few weeks during the growing season, and loosen them as stems fatten. This is where re-usable ties really pay their way, since loosening one takes a couple of seconds. For young trees and established shrubs, use purpose-made tree ties with a buffer. Cable ties aren’t designed to stay on a trunk for years.

How do I tie tomatoes to canes with cable ties?

Push a sturdy cane into the soil or pot close to the plant when you plant out, before roots spread. Fit the first tie about 15 to 20cm above soil level, fastening it snugly around the cane and loosely around the stem, just below a leaf joint for extra grip. Add another tie every 20 to 30cm as the plant grows, and always place ties below a truss rather than through it, so the weight of the fruit is supported. At the end of the season, release the ties, lift them off the canes and store them for next year.

How do I fix netting to a frame with cable ties?

Lay or drape the netting over your frame, whether it's a fruit cage, a brassica tunnel or hoops over a bed. Start at the corners and work along each side, fixing a tie every 30 to 50cm so the netting is taut without being strained. Pull the ties firm but not hard enough to tear the mesh. Make sure the netting reaches the ground or is pegged down at the base, since gaps along the bottom are how pigeons, butterflies and the occasional determined blackbird get in. When the crop is harvested, release the ties, fold the netting away dry, and keep the ties with it so everything is ready for the next sowing.

Is 29cm long enough?

For most garden jobs, yes. A 29cm tie comfortably goes around a cane and a tomato or cucumber stem, two crossed canes, a fence post rail and mesh, or a bundle of several canes. For much thicker items, such as a post and a thick bundle of netting, you can link two ties by feeding the tail of one through the head of another to make a longer loop. If you mostly need short ties for small jobs, such as fixing labels or securing small seedlings to split canes, Smart Garden also makes a shorter 20cm version.

Can I use them indoors and around the house?

Of course. They're handy for tidying cables behind a desk or TV, bundling extension leads and hose, organising the shed and garage, hanging lightweight items from hooks, and holding things together for quick fixes. Because they release, you can adjust them as your set-up changes rather than having to cut them off. For houseplants, they’re useful for training climbers such as pothos, philodendrons and hoyas onto moss poles, trellis or hoops, using the same loose-loop method as for tomatoes.

How long will re-usable cable ties last?

Polypropylene is rot-proof, so the ties won't break down in damp the way natural twine does. How long they last depends on how they're used and stored. Like most plastics, they can become stiffer and more brittle over time with long exposure to strong sunlight and frost. To get the most from them, remove ties from structures that are coming down for winter, and store them somewhere dry and out of direct light. Don’t force the release with a tool, and replace any tie that has become brittle, cracked or no longer locks firmly. Looked after this way, a pack will stretch across many seasons.

Tips for using re-usable cable ties

Keep a few in your pocket or trug when you're on the plot. You'll use them more often than you expect. Fit the tie with the head facing outwards from the plant so the release is easy to reach later. Leave a short tail rather than trimming it, so you’ve got something to grip when you loosen it. On canes, fit the tie just above a node or join, where it’s less likely to slip down. Use a loose figure-of-eight around stems to stop the plant rubbing against the support. At the end of the season, collect ties as you dismantle structures and store them in one container, ready for spring.

Frequently asked questions

How many cable ties are in the pack? There are 50 ties in each pack. How long is each tie? Each tie is 29cm long. What are they made of? Polypropylene (PP). Can they be used again? Yes. They’re releasable, so you can loosen them, take them off and refit them as many times as needed. Will they rot outdoors? No. Polypropylene is rot-proof, so the ties won’t decay in wet weather the way natural twine can. Can I use them on trees? They’re fine for canes, stakes, netting and young plant stems. For tree trunks, use a purpose-made tree tie with a buffer.

50 x Smart Garden 29cm Re-Usable Cable Ties

Key Features:

Dimensions:

Height: 8cm
Width: 29cm
Depth: 1.1cm
Weight: 3g