My husband and i bought 9.5 acres at the end of last summer. The previous owners were allowing the property to "naturalize," which you can translate into our 9.5 acres being a cockleburr farm. We have been working to clear everything and are doing pretty well considering we only have a small, garden tractor (lawn mower) that someone gave us and a heavy duty weed whacker. This month i realized that we have an extremely overgrown, unsupported grapevine in a spot where i would rather it wasn't. it's been twisting back around on itself for sometime which is why i thought it was a bush until now. After reading through the posts here i've decided i'm going to go ahead and try to do green cuttings started inside, but leave the original grapevine where it is until i know i can get some more plants out of it. What i want is a nice, neat row of grapevines behind my line of small plum trees. What i don't know is how to build an appropriate support that will last a long time and look reasonably attractive without breaking the bank. i have no idea what kind of grapes they are, i'm simply interested in preserving and propagating as much of the "history" of the property as possible. Sorry if this is more information than you need to help me with my questions! Laura
Personally i would'nt see anything wrong with post and wire, just like the vineyards, well pruned plants look neat and tidy.......posts and wire is cheap, easily replaced.
Just a heavy guaged wire strung between posts? i see the vineyards from the highway but couldn't ever tell exactly how the support were constructed.
To be honest with you, i have not actually seen close up, like yourself, i have seen from a distance :D saying that, for our tree lines, we just use pencil posts and wire, you will need a hefty guage wire (the stuff thats not easy to cut) too thin and it will snap........farmers and growers dont do anything fancy, cheap, quick and easy in the picture attached you can see the thickness of the wire we use, you will need at least that guage :) wait and see if anyone else has any suggestions ;)
A trellis has a lot in common with a fence: posts to hold it up, proper ends (or corners) so it doesn't sag, materials that won't rot away in a couple of years,... I've attached a link to a useful article from the U. of Iowa, but don't be alarmed; lots of variations are possible using available materials. Steel "T" posts work well for the line posts, but not for the ends. If you wish to stay organic and avoid pressure treated (wood make the ends easy), you can use steel pipe as used in chain-link fencing. Locust posts may be available in your area, but check carefully as there are bugs in some areas that will eat these as well. If you look up "trellis" you will find a gazillion different styles, but you are most likely dealing with "American" vines (as opposed to "vinifera" or the traditional european wine grape varieties) which do well with a high catch wire for the growing canes and 1 or 2 lower wires to support the drooping growth habit. The cordon (that's the main trunk) goes to the top wire. We use 12 gauge high tensile wire, 9 gauge regular wire is also popular. An all wood support structure is also possible, but they are a major pain to prune to. http://www.orchardvalleysupply.com/domototrellis.pdf domototrellis.pdf (application/pdf Object) Ralph
