Hi - can anyone suggest a good mail-order (preferably internet) source
for heavy-duty garden stakes, wall brakets, plant supports, etc?

I have old & heavy grape vines I need to support from the walls of our
house, but I can't find anything much bigger or stronger than shelf
brackets! I believe the vine should be supported about 18-24" from
the wall, and this is a problem too.

I also have a line of espalier apple trees that are gradually leaning
over and veering off in all directions. To pull them staright, I need
something better than bamboo canes and the flimsy stuff you get from
garden centres.

Can anyone help, please?

Happy gardening, Mark

http://www.gonegardening.com/xq/ASP/..._shop/dept.htm

http://www.gripple.com/

http://www.gripple.com/gardening/index.cfm

http://www.lbsgardendirect.co.uk/pro...RMOJRB8VJG8BN8

http://cnb-host1.clickandbuild.com/c...CategoryID=111
see the above Garden wire 100mtrs £4-99 no nail plant fixers 6 pack
£2-99 and no nail vine eyes 10 pack £2-99 I dont think you will do better
than that for the grape vine

Hope this is of some help to you
regards
Cineman


"Mark" wrote in message
...
Hi - can anyone suggest a good mail-order (preferably internet) source
for heavy-duty garden stakes, wall brakets, plant supports, etc?

I have old & heavy grape vines I need to support from the walls of our
house, but I can't find anything much bigger or stronger than shelf
brackets! I believe the vine should be supported about 18-24" from
the wall, and this is a problem too.

I also have a line of espalier apple trees that are gradually leaning
over and veering off in all directions. To pull them staright, I need
something better than bamboo canes and the flimsy stuff you get from
garden centres.

Can anyone help, please?

Happy gardening, Mark

In message , Mark
writes
Hi - can anyone suggest a good mail-order (preferably internet) source
for heavy-duty garden stakes, wall brakets, plant supports, etc?

I have old & heavy grape vines I need to support from the walls of our
house, but I can't find anything much bigger or stronger than shelf
brackets! I believe the vine should be supported about 18-24" from
the wall, and this is a problem too.

I've not heard that before - if it was that far then free-standing
support would be easier. I would just look to have the vine - say maybe
4-6 inches away from the wall. The way to go from the beginning is to
run wires along the wall, with eyebolts/vine eyes supporting the wire
midway, and straining bolts at the end to tension wire. The end bolts
may need fixing to timbers fixed to the wall for secureness. The vine
would be trained against the wires

For an old vine you may need to get creative to support it in areas with
brackets, loops of rope etc.


I also have a line of espalier apple trees that are gradually leaning
over and veering off in all directions. To pull them staright, I need
something better than bamboo canes and the flimsy stuff you get from
garden centres.

Frees standing or trained against a wall? How are they currently
trained/ supported? They need horizontal wires run between sturdy posts
(if freestanding) To support them and to train the trees against.

If the trunkls of some are now leaning over bit the you may need to put
a stake near each one and then try gradually o pull it more upright

N A Kays are cheap for al sorts of gardening products

http://www.kayshorticulture.com/

Though for sturdy stakes etc. then treated timber form a local timber
yard/fencing supplier should do the job.
--
Chris French

On Fri, 16 Sep 2005 10:09:21 +0100, chris French
wrote:

In message , Mark
writes
Hi - can anyone suggest a good mail-order (preferably internet) source
for heavy-duty garden stakes, wall brakets, plant supports, etc?

I have old & heavy grape vines I need to support from the walls of our
house, but I can't find anything much bigger or stronger than shelf
brackets! I believe the vine should be supported about 18-24" from
the wall, and this is a problem too.

I've not heard that before - if it was that far then free-standing
support would be easier. I would just look to have the vine - say maybe
4-6 inches away from the wall. The way to go from the beginning is to
run wires along the wall, with eyebolts/vine eyes supporting the wire
midway, and straining bolts at the end to tension wire. The end bolts
may need fixing to timbers fixed to the wall for secureness. The vine
would be trained against the wires

For an old vine you may need to get creative to support it in areas with
brackets, loops of rope etc.


I also have a line of espalier apple trees that are gradually leaning
over and veering off in all directions. To pull them staright, I need
something better than bamboo canes and the flimsy stuff you get from
garden centres.

Frees standing or trained against a wall? How are they currently
trained/ supported? They need horizontal wires run between sturdy posts
(if freestanding) To support them and to train the trees against.

If the trunkls of some are now leaning over bit the you may need to put
a stake near each one and then try gradually o pull it more upright

N A Kays are cheap for al sorts of gardening products

http://www.kayshorticulture.com/

Though for sturdy stakes etc. then treated timber form a local timber
yard/fencing supplier should do the job.


Thanks, both, for your advice.

I want to space the grapevine away from the wall as I have found from
experience that they suffer less mildew and produce better crops when
the air can circulate all around them. After all, commercially they
are grown in a very open layout, but without the advantage of a wall
behind to reflect heat. My (personal & humble) view is that being
grown NEAR, not ON a wall gives the best results.

But you have given me food for thought with the comment about "loops
of rope". As it will tend to fall away from the wall, maybe I do not
need to support it too rigidly, and can allow gravity and a rope
restraint to keep it in place.

FYI, I am talking about a 25 year old red (Pinot Noir ??) grape which
runs along the side of our house at two levels, and give a few gallons
of a very dark red wine each year (if we can keep the blackbirds
away!)

Regards, Mark