Since 1884 Waratah has led the way in fencing innovation for the agricultural industry. Waratah also work with viticulturalists around the world to develop innovative trellising solutions that are best suited to unique Australian and New Zealand conditions.
The Waratah steel trellising system consists of posts, wire & accessories that are designed to work together to give you superior quality steel trellis products. These products are cost effective, versatile and aimed to increase the productivity of your trellis vineyard.
Read on to find out more about Waratah's features and benefits around using a superior steel trellising solution for your trellis system.
Design Considerations
Just like the grapes that are grown on them, there are many varieties of trellis construction in Australian viticulture. But no matter what type of trellis design you select and employ in your location, the loads that have to be carried by trellis structures are broadly of a similar nature. There are three basic types, all of which need to be taken into consideration when selecting your trellis design.
Crop Load
This type of load covers all the things that the trellis structure has to support. It includes not only fruit, shoots and cordons, but also contributing factors such as yield, design of trellis, training methods, pruning and crop management.
Fruit Load
This type of load is defined as the total fruit weight hanging down from the fruiting/foliage wires. This load is eventually transferred to the trellis post. In most instances, the surface area of the post and the friction created by it in the soil will prevent the post from sinking.
Wind Load
This type of load is reasonably self explanatory. It is caused by wind blowing onto the canopy. Leverage resulting from the action of the wind is the most common cause of post failure. There are many factors that can have a bearing on trellis structure performance which is subject to wind loading. Factors that can affect your choice of trellis design include trellis height, expected weight of foliage and application of additional wind loads such as bird netting.
As a general rule, on areas of the trellis that are most susceptible to wind damage, Waratah recommends not joining coils of wire and spacing your trellis posts closer together. This will ensure a stronger trellis and help prevent against wind damage.
Wind exposure data obtained from Meterology Department
Influencing Factors For Wind Load
Waratah Trellis designs
Products to use
Waratah manufactures a specific range of products suited to the viticulture and trellising industry.
Cost Considerations
W hen choosing the material for your trellis it is important to consider all the factors that may have a bearing on costs.
Product Choice
Poor quality materials tend to perform inefficiently and result in significant repair and maintenance costs. The cost difference between ineffective materials and a high-quality steel will quickly outweigh on the cost of breakages, repairs and maintenance.
Using a high-quality trellis wire will lengthen the life of your trellising system. By pairing a Waratah Longlife wire with another Waratah product, such as a Jio, Gripfast or Blue Latch TM trellis post, the wire will outperform wire fixed firmly by staples.
Maintenance
The profile of Waratah posts has been designed to lower the susceptibly of breakages from machinery. If replacement posts are required, a Waratah post is ideal as it can be integrated with various trellisinig layouts, including timber.
Installation
In comparison to timber, steel posts are lighter and have a smaller profile, this means that all Waratah products can be handled by one person and do not require digging or the use of heavy machinery to install. The various wire attachments and post designs, makes installing a Waratah trellis system quick and simple.
Customer solutions
New steel trellising at Tait Wines
Tait Wines is a family owned winery located in the Barossa Valley in South Australia. The Tait name has been involved in the wine industry for more than 100 years. The vineyard continued its family tradition with Bruno Tait managing the winery. Over the past few years he has been faced with problems centred around treated pine posts that were being utilised in the vineyard.
Read moreWhy Waratah?
Waratah is the only Australian manufacturer controlling every step in the process, from mining the ore, smelting the steel, casting the billet, through to rolling the rod and then drawing and galvanizing the wire to Waratah's exacting standards.
Recyclable
All Waratah wire, posts and strainers are 100% recyclable. They can be sold to recyclers after their lifespan. Don't be left with a stockpile of old Copper Chrome Arsenic (CCA) timber posts that are difficult to dipose of.
Organic
Using a combination of Waratah posts, wire, strainers and stays will ensure that your trellis system ticks all the boxes to gain organic certification, unlike treated timber which is prohibited to be used on an organic property.
Versatile
All Waratah products can be used in new trellis designs or can be added to a pre-existing trellis design. The versatility of all Waratah's products means that there is an effective solution available to suit your crop and conditions.