8 minute read
Strainers and stays by the thousands
Marlborough has the reputation of being the biggest wine growing province in New Zealand and is fast running out of land to put grapes.
The big companies are buying all the plants and now there is a shortage of plants in New Zealand. Orders are already being taken for 2024.
Advertisement
This year has been a quiet year compared to others as we normally develop approximately between 200 to 250 Hectares in a season, which starts late August and finishes before Christmas. We can do up to 10,000 strainers and 120,000 intermediates plus around 7,000 stays in one season.
The vineyard fencing trellis rows are different from your normal fencing standard practice. It starts with a digger in “ We do 3 rows at once with the digger straddling the middle row. It takes a couple of days for the crew to get into the groove of it but by the week’s end they can be hitting around 2,000 a day
most cases ripping the GPS line for your Vineyard rows, anywhere between 600mm to 900mm deep depending on plant type and intermediates the client wants to use.
The plants are spaced out evenly 1.8m and are most commonly machine planted. The ones that are hand planted are done earlier in the season and are normally small blocks.
Posts are 7.2m apart down the trellis row and the trellis rows can be as close as 2m apart but normally anywhere from to 2.4m to 3m apart. Intermediate Posts are all types in Marlborough with plastic future posts coming freshly on the scene but the most favoured is the half round wood and eco trellis steel post a close second.
VINEYARD DEVELOPMENT
Renner Fencing comes on the scene first in the vineyard development season, laying outposts with the help of overseas workers. These guys work hard and can layout up to 7000 intermediates in one day, they also lay out the strainers, stays and stay blocks.
The 15 Tonne digger is next on the scene with three men to help us out lifting the posts and putting them in place - which is normally marked out with a popsicle stick or a rip line marking the exact place for intermediate to go.
We do 3 rows at once with the digger straddling the middle row. It takes a couple of days for the crew to get into the groove of it but by the week’s end they can be hitting around 2,000 a day.
STRAINER DRIVING
Next job is the strainer driving at the end of each row. Strainers are survey-marked with a little wooden peg. Wooden strainers are far the most favoured here in Marlborough, the strainers are 2.4m/175 (or number ones as you call them up north). Strainers are driven 1200mm in, 1200mm out.
Strainers and stays complete, Starborough Farm, Seddon “ Our trusty Taege Post Drivers work hard but get a hammering and depending on the ground can do as low as 40 per day if the ground is hard and over 200 if it’s good going
Intermediate crew standing posts up and leveling
Our trusty Taege Post Drivers work hard but get a hammering and depending on the ground can do as low as 40 per day if the ground is hard and over 200 if it’s good going. This takes two men; one on the Post Driver and the other backing into each strainer peg and in between chamfering each strainer with a chainsaw and boring a stay hole with a 65mm boring bit, not mortest square.
Strainer line and stays ready for the digger to put in place, Motukawa Vineyard, near Blenheim The stays have been done for a long time now with a round stay hole and don’t fail if done properly. Stay hole conventional height is the same as a fence - just above kneecap height or just over halfway down the 2.4m strainer - the 2.4m stays point end goes neat and tight into the hole.
Positioning the stay block hard up against the end of the stay on the ground ready for the digger to dig the stay in, the stay block is used to get the exact position of the back wall which allows the placing of the digger bucket gently against the stay block. The stay block goes vertical so when they cultivate in between the rows they don’t hit the stay blocks.
We had a guy that is now retired that could do up to 600 stays in a day, you imagine trying to square mortise stay holes in front of him.
WIRE AND IRRIGATION
Now the vineyard block is ready for the wires and irrigation to be run. There are 7 wires on average: one for the irrigation to fruiting wires and four lifting wires. The wires are run out with a quad bike or sideby-side and a wire trailer towed behind that can run up to 5 wires at a time. Wire tension is around 150 gauge for the fruiting and irrigation wires and the four lifting wires I normally 100 gauge. The reason for this is they get shifted up and down the intermediate depending on the season.
The weight of the wires on a vineyard strainer are all at the top – with only the one wire below the stay, which is the irrigation wire. Fruiting wires are around 900mm to 1m high above the ground and the lifting wires are close to the top of the strainer putting more pressure above the stay.
Triplex strainers are used mainly on the lifting wire so they can change the tension when lifting in place around this time of the year. When development is in full swing, we still have two to three fencing crews going which keeps me extremely busy - organising the development crews and fencing crews, having up to 15 people on the books when normally it is only 7 or 8.
Family affair: Mike Renner with sons Charlie and Lewis laying out eco trellis posts. Father (Terry Renner) driving
Marlborough has definitely changed over the years gone by. Renner Fencing has had to diversify to keep up with the demand of the changing landscape.
Article provided by:
Mike Renner Renner Fencing Contractors Ltd www.rennerfencing.co.nz
Tis the season for giving so this silly-season we’re making it easier for Santa with our handy Perfect Christmas Wish List. With all the fencing goodies you could want to find under the Christmas tree this year, you might need a bigger tree! FCNZ would like to thank our Gold Partners for their continued support of FCNZ and the fencing industry in 2021. Get in touch with them now to get your New Year’s materials in place before the Christmas break.
Fletcher Wire Products™ | Gallagher™ | Steel & Tube | WIREMARK® WIREMARK® Wire
Waratah® Barbed Staples Longlife Blue®
• Barbed staples provide greater holding pressure • Longlife Blue® coating for maximum corrosion protection • An easy way to secure fence wire to timber posts
C T H
Canterbury Timber & Hardware • 95/5 Zinc/Aluminium coating for lifecycle performance • Made in NZ for our tough conditions • Environmental Choice certified
• Manufactured by Pacific Steel for over 50 years
Fletcher Wire Products™ | Gallagher™ | Steel & Tube | WIREMARK®
C T H
Canterbury Timber & Hardware
GallagherTM Staple Gun Attachment
Fletcher Wire Products
• Fast and effective insulator installation
• Designed specifically for Stockade ST400i Staple Guns • Available variants: Wood Post Claw Attachment and
Wood Post Pinlock Attachment • Made from aluminium alloy
Summit X Fence Netting 8 Line 90cm x 30cm x 500m
• Strong, smooth and animal friendly • Premium grade 2.5mm HT wire • Made in New Zealand
PermaPine SelfLok Pole Fencing Hurricane Farm Fence Square Knot
• Great for driveways and entrances • Fences with clean lines and flowing curves • Strong and durable • Multi rail options available C T H Timber & Hardware Canterbury
Fletcher Wire Products™ | Gallagher™ | Steel & Tube | WIREMARK® • Knot configuration creates increased structural strength of the fence • Allows fence to follow contours easily • Fast to erect and fewer posts required • Allows for impact to dissipate over the fence and return to original condition
Stockade ST400i Cordless Fence Post Stapler
• Portable – no need for compressors or airlines Fletcher Wire Products™ | Gallagher™ | Steel & Tube | WIREMARK®• Fast, high output design drives up to 2 staples per second • Adjustable depth of drive for optimum staple placement
Bayonet’s BayoGal Plus Hex Wire Netting 38mm
• Double Strand top and bottom edge wires for strength • Manufactured from 1.4mm BayoGal Plus heavy galvanised wire in the Bay Of Plenty. • 38mm aperture hexagons create a greater obstacle for feral animals such as rabbits & wallabies.
