I completed five rows of trellis installation this past weekend, and I'm pleased to say the planning, research and prototyping paid off handsomely. With absolutely no experience to draw on, I read all I could find on trellis construction. Double A Vineyards has several good articles on the topic, and I gleaned additional product information from the Orchard Valley Supply website before finalizing my design.
It all came together Sunday afternoon when I finished stringing wire on five of my eight rows. Here is how I did it, and what I learned from the exercise:
It all came together Sunday afternoon when I finished stringing wire on five of my eight rows. Here is how I did it, and what I learned from the exercise:
- End Posts—I used 7-in. diameter, 8-ft. treated posts from Tractor Supply for end posts, placed in a 12-in. diameter hole 24 inches deep. The posts lean away from the row about 15-degrees off vertical and are set in tamped dirt and dry concrete. What I Learned: The first four posts were not set in concrete. That was a bad idea, although I am satisfied they will hold with the end anchors. The posts with concrete hold with little tension on the end post anchor wire.
- Line Posts—I used the metal vineyard line posts from Orchard Valley Supply set 18-ft. apart for the vines with 6-ft. spacing and 24 ft. apart for the vines with 8-ft spacing. I drove the posts manually using a standard metal post driver. What I Learned: This was hard. I used a 6-ft. step ladder to put me high enough to easily load the driver, start the post and drive it most of the way into the ground. When I had only four or five inches to go, I stood on a kitchen step stool. The use of a long mason's level kept me true and plumb. I was never able to drive more than 14 posts in a single day. I kept the posts in line using string from the end posts and stakes and strings across the rows. Like I said: this was hard.
- Wire Connections—I drilled 3/8-in. holes through the end posts and reamed the away side of each hole with a 7/16-in. bit to accommodate a nifty little device called a "Wirevise" that holds a 12.5 ga. wire at the end post. This product is awesome. The wire is inserted through the cone and will not pull out or slip. I used an in-line wire tightener on every wire to allow me to adjust tension on the wire. What I Learned: The Wirevise is the secret. It is simple, ingenious and indispensable. I did need to purchase a heavy-duty corded drill because my cordless drill struggled to run the 12-in. long bit through the posts. I drilled one hole with the 18 v. drill then went in the house and ordered a HD corded drill from Amazon. There is an excellent video on the wire-tightener installation.
- Wire—I used 12.5-ga. vineyard wire that was mounted on an inexpensive "Spinning Jenny" to help manage the wire as I pulled it. Each row as four wires, set at 34, 46, 58 and 70 inches high, largely because each of the rows contain vines with different trellis requirements. The hybrids (except for the Arandell) require Top Wire Cordon, the Arandell requires Mid Wire Cordon, and the vinifera requires Vertical Shoot Positioning.What I Learned: Two Words. Spinning Jenny. This makes wire management a cinch. No tangles. No problems. I also could have done a better job planning my rows based on the trellis requirements for each variety, although in the end, this is not a big deal.
- Sequence of Work—One of the books I used for reference at the beginning of this project recommended planting the vines before building the trellis. I followed that advice. Other books recommend otherwise. What I Learned: One regret is not setting the end posts before I planted, The two new rows and the one row I replanted to replace the failed Norton vines were planted after the end posts were set. The rows are neater. The second regret was waiting so long to build the trellis because the vines were vigorous and unruly, making it hard to align the line posts. My recommendation: Set the end posts, plant the vines and immediately set the line posts and string the wire. It will avoid a lot of hassle down the road.
I have three more rows to finish setting line posts and stringing wire. We are expecting a week's worth of rain while I am away at my daughter's college graduation. That should soften up the ground and make post driving a little easier. Fortunately, the remaining three rows were planted only weeks ago so I won't have to deal with abundant growth when lining up the posts.
The trellis system wouldn't be complete without the tradition of roses in the vineyard. I planted 16 rose bushes, one at every end post between the post and the ground anchor. One of the books recommended it because roses are very sensitive to fungus: The arrival of the many fungal enemies first show themselves on the roses. The roses not only add a bit of beauty and elegance to each row, but they provide a disease early warning system, a kind of floral canary in the coal mine.
The trellis system wouldn't be complete without the tradition of roses in the vineyard. I planted 16 rose bushes, one at every end post between the post and the ground anchor. One of the books recommended it because roses are very sensitive to fungus: The arrival of the many fungal enemies first show themselves on the roses. The roses not only add a bit of beauty and elegance to each row, but they provide a disease early warning system, a kind of floral canary in the coal mine.
Comments
Post a Comment