Raggedyman
Res ipsa loquitur
Last week I mentioned on ReneeT's weekly prep thread that I'd planned to redo two of our three grape arbors this week. Toosh and several others expressed an interest in seeing pictures of the project – Prep Genrl - Weekly Prep Thread: March 13~19, 2022 so here they are, together with a bit of tutorial on the project and some of my (admittedly small) knowledge of "all things grape".
my knowledge of grapes dates from what I observed my grandfathers doing in my childhood. They both made home made wine every fall and used Niagra varieties grown on two tier wire arbors. It was my intent to duplicate that system. I tried the Scupernog varieties initially - but they didn't do well as we are too high and just a bit north of their preferred zone. I went with the Niagras – both red and white – because although we don't make any wine, we DO make jelly and jam.
the existing arbors were several years old and had been hastily installed using T post and bottom (tension) wire sometime in '07. as I said above the initial plantings of Scuppernog varieties didn't do well, producing LOTS of canes but no fruit amounting to anything. They were pulled and replaced with the red and white varieties of Niagra sometime about '12. I wanted to replace the old T post system with 4" X 8' PT fence posts. Plan was to set these 2-3 feet deep in concrete, replace the wire and add a wire tensioning system.
The technique is fairly straight forward – and – aside from digging the holes (tractor and 8" auger is a HUGE plus) and setting the posts themselves, it was an enjoyable project and not at all difficult
TOOLS REQUIRED:
PT posts; 5/16 long shank drill bit; tension wire and bolt cutters; ratchet style fence tensioning system and 9/16 or adjustable wrench; 3" X 1/4 lag eye screws and S hooks (nickle plated is OK and cheaper than SS); fencing pliers or large set of channel locks; long handled flat blade screw driver. Add a pair of safety glasses – tension wire that's been coiled can be unruly. you'll want some scrap pieces of PT to use as spacers to hold the ratchet tensioners clear of the posts after they've been anchored. I chose 5/4 PT scraps cut at 1". if you have tender pinkies, you may want some gloves.
insert one end of the S hook and crimp it with a vise.
DO NOT crimp the other side on your tensioner device
The existing beasts prior to taming
small arbor up near the house - I did it first becasue the the larger one near the pasture . . .
is still too wet to work. notice fence posts; these have been set and plumbed up for 2 weeks.
vines were pruned very aggressively in late fall in anticipation they would be re worked this spring
basically the arbors consist of 4" diameter PT fence posts sunk two and a half feet in the ground at 20' apart, anchored with concrete. I use a two tier system of tension wire (like bottom wire for chain link fence) and the ratchet type wire fence tensioners (check Tractor Supply) which are about $5 ea.
locate (height wise) your wire level. you'll do that twice - one high (holes for my top wire is 11" down from the top of the post) and one somewhere about half way up (for the bottom wire mine was at 28"). using a long shank 5/16 bit drill your hole through the post(s). pull your wire and take a couple of turns around the first post; twist it tight at the post and anchor it well with staples. pull the rest of your run at that level and cut being sure to leave enough of a tag end to insert into the ratchet tensioner. Pull it tight (a fence stretcher helps here) and take a small bit of wrap to prevent loosing what tension you've gained.
locating and preparing to attach tensioners
Locate your tensioners - you'll need TWO - one high and one low - on ONE end post of each arbor. The height at which you'll anchor your tensioner (mine were about 4" above the hole for the wire), will vary somewhat depending the particulat hardware you've chosen (trensioners, lag eye screws and S hooks). You'll want to be sure that the spring for the ratchet mechanism is ON TOP and that you do NOT forget your insert the wire tag end into the hole in your tensioner and tighten to your satisfaction. Its easier to pull the TOP wire first and complete that, so you're not working around the bottom wire and "in your own way".
end part one
my knowledge of grapes dates from what I observed my grandfathers doing in my childhood. They both made home made wine every fall and used Niagra varieties grown on two tier wire arbors. It was my intent to duplicate that system. I tried the Scupernog varieties initially - but they didn't do well as we are too high and just a bit north of their preferred zone. I went with the Niagras – both red and white – because although we don't make any wine, we DO make jelly and jam.
the existing arbors were several years old and had been hastily installed using T post and bottom (tension) wire sometime in '07. as I said above the initial plantings of Scuppernog varieties didn't do well, producing LOTS of canes but no fruit amounting to anything. They were pulled and replaced with the red and white varieties of Niagra sometime about '12. I wanted to replace the old T post system with 4" X 8' PT fence posts. Plan was to set these 2-3 feet deep in concrete, replace the wire and add a wire tensioning system.
The technique is fairly straight forward – and – aside from digging the holes (tractor and 8" auger is a HUGE plus) and setting the posts themselves, it was an enjoyable project and not at all difficult
TOOLS REQUIRED:
PT posts; 5/16 long shank drill bit; tension wire and bolt cutters; ratchet style fence tensioning system and 9/16 or adjustable wrench; 3" X 1/4 lag eye screws and S hooks (nickle plated is OK and cheaper than SS); fencing pliers or large set of channel locks; long handled flat blade screw driver. Add a pair of safety glasses – tension wire that's been coiled can be unruly. you'll want some scrap pieces of PT to use as spacers to hold the ratchet tensioners clear of the posts after they've been anchored. I chose 5/4 PT scraps cut at 1". if you have tender pinkies, you may want some gloves.
insert one end of the S hook and crimp it with a vise.
DO NOT crimp the other side on your tensioner device
The existing beasts prior to taming
small arbor up near the house - I did it first becasue the the larger one near the pasture . . .
is still too wet to work. notice fence posts; these have been set and plumbed up for 2 weeks.
vines were pruned very aggressively in late fall in anticipation they would be re worked this spring
locate (height wise) your wire level. you'll do that twice - one high (holes for my top wire is 11" down from the top of the post) and one somewhere about half way up (for the bottom wire mine was at 28"). using a long shank 5/16 bit drill your hole through the post(s). pull your wire and take a couple of turns around the first post; twist it tight at the post and anchor it well with staples. pull the rest of your run at that level and cut being sure to leave enough of a tag end to insert into the ratchet tensioner. Pull it tight (a fence stretcher helps here) and take a small bit of wrap to prevent loosing what tension you've gained.
locating and preparing to attach tensioners
Locate your tensioners - you'll need TWO - one high and one low - on ONE end post of each arbor. The height at which you'll anchor your tensioner (mine were about 4" above the hole for the wire), will vary somewhat depending the particulat hardware you've chosen (trensioners, lag eye screws and S hooks). You'll want to be sure that the spring for the ratchet mechanism is ON TOP and that you do NOT forget your insert the wire tag end into the hole in your tensioner and tighten to your satisfaction. Its easier to pull the TOP wire first and complete that, so you're not working around the bottom wire and "in your own way".
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