How to String Wire on Wooden Posts for Grape Vines

Choosing a trellis construction method for new grapes is a weighty decision. It should be based on the type of grapes you intend to grow and how much space you have to allot to grape production. For American grapes, the most common types of trellising are the double-curtain trellis, the two-wire vertical trellis and the single-wire high trellis. The double curtain trellis is the preferred method in most situations because it allows ample sunlight to penetrate the vines and increases yields. A simplified double-curtain trellis can be made using T-shape wooden posts with wires running through each one, similar to a clothes line.

7- to 8-foot-tall, T-shape posts with 4- to 5-foot-long cross bar
Post hole digger
Quick set concrete mix
Power drill
1/4-inch drill bit
Number 9 wire
Wire cutters

Instructions

- 1
  Dig an 18-inch-deep hole for each T-shaped post using a post hole digger. Position each hole so the T-shaped posts are 5 feet apart in a straight line. Mix the quick set concrete according to package directions. Put the post in the hole with the cross bar perpendicular to the line of holes. Fill the hole with cement. Allow the cement to dry for at least 24 hours before proceeding.
- 2
  Drill through both ends of each T-shaped post, approximately 1/2 inch from the edge. Drill the hole just big enough to send wire through the hole, or approximately 1/4 inch in diameter.
- 3
  String a length of number 9 wire so that it passes through each hole on the left side of each T-shaped post, in a straight line. Repeat for the right side of each post, so that there are two runs of wire (one on each side of the upright of the post) running from the first T-shaped post to the second T-shaped post. Leave 12 inches of extra wire hanging out of the hole at the end of each run; there should be a loose end hanging from both the right and left sides of both posts.
- 4
  Loop the hanging wire on the right side of the first T-shaped post over the top of the cross bar and back on itself, as if you were going to tie a knot around the cross bar. Wrap the end of the wire tightly around itself several times, until the wire holds its own tension and does not unravel. Repeat for the left.
- 5
  Remove the slack from the right wire by pulling the right hanging wire on the second T-shaped post until the wire is tight. Loop the wire over the crossbar as in Step 4 and tie it off around itself. Trim the excess wire with wire-cutters, or simply wrap it more than once around the T-post to tie up the extra. Repeat for the left.

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