Simplifying Trellis Install

[justinb]

I need to install trellis wires on the posts that I set last year for TWC. I have 4 rows that are approximately 50' long. I've read a lot of posts, and a few grape growing books on the subject, but I don't have any experience with it. Can I simplify the wire install since my rows are short?

Instead of wire strainers, gripplers, etc...can I just secure one end of the wire to an end post with a wire vice? I could attach the opposite end post to another wire vise, and increase tension by using the claw end of a hammer and "pull" it through. I would still use a wire strainer for my earth anchors. Is this something I would regret?

 

[BigH]

How did you setup your end posts? What are winters like where you are? One advantage of the strainer is the ability to loosen the wire before winter. This may not be necessary in a 50' row, and it may not be important if you have mild winters.

You could make the trellis wire snug with vises, and then use the wire strainers on the earth anchor to pull the end posts out a bit to tighten the trellis wire. Loosening the anchor strainer would relax the system and ease the tension off the trellis wire before winter. Another option is to use a turnbuckle on one end of your trellis wire, and a wire vise on the other.

I used wire strainers on my 150' rows, and I'm happy with the result.

H

 

[user 36973]

The strainers are only a few bucks and allow you to tension up your trellis quite well. I've used them to tension the top wire only on my 400+ ft rows. You may end up not needing them because your trellis remains tight but they make it easy to adjust if anything shifts as the ground settles around the anchor posts.

 

[justinb]

Ok, thanks. Sounds like I should use wire strainers, and some sort of crimping tool. My winters are very cold. Are strainers the best way to secure end posts to earth anchors. Ive seen where some vineyards put some sort of twist in them instead.

 

[BigH]

For the end post wire, it depends on the type of wire you run from the anchor to the post. High tensile wire should not be twisted. You would want to use a vise, turnbuckle or strainer to tighten if that is the wire that you run to the anchor. Use low carbon wire on your anchor if you want to tighten by twisting.

You might find this PDF on trellis construction handy. It shows different end post design and some of the tools you need. Look at the page that is titled "End Post System with a Tie-back Post". They run the trells wire right down to the anchor and tighten with a wire strainer. That might not be a bad way to go.

One last comment: a 50 foot trellis is essentially a glorified clothes line. You might be able to get away with just angling out your end posts and not having an anchor at all. Consider a wider diameter end post if you go this route. The holding force goes up exponentially with the diameter of the post.

Good luck.
H

 

[BigH]

Here is an example of using a twist on an H-brace end post. I would personally not use this approach in your system. It forces you to buy another type of wire, and you won't have the horizontal brace to hold the twitch stick in place (ie the hockey stick)

H

 

[justinb]

Is the bottom wire on TWC system just to give the trunk support? Do I need it?

 

[BigH]

Is the bottom wire on TWC system just to give the trunk support? Do I need it?

I used the lower wire to support the trunk in early seasons. That pic is from my first growing season. Most of my vines wanted to grow skyward. That wire helped keep the shoot from snapping in windy and stormy conditions. You can live without that wire, but some form of support is a good idea when you are trying to reach the top wire.. Bamboo and bio-degradable twine are options.

The lower wire doesn't do a whole lot now that I am in year 5. Half my trellises are GDC. I grew those trunks up to the lower wire and then over and up to the top wire. I will also occasionally grow a "kicker" cane out on the low wire to devigor my vines a bit. Sometimes I tie shoots down to the low wire to hold them in place.

H