VINEYARD POSTS - HOLDING UP THE WINE INDUSTRY

Vineyard Posts, what are they?

Vineyard post are critical to our South African, and indeed the wine industry worldwide, as they enable the vines to be strung along wires encouraging them to climb towards the sun, and thus exposing the plant to the sun 7 moisture that is requires. In this article, the major reasons are put forward concerning the dominance of wooden poles, and specifically vineyard posts in the wine industry since the 1900's.

Disadvantage of non wood

The disadvantages of using non-wood posts such as steel, concrete and composite trellising systems vary from damage to mechanical harvesters and lower load bearing capacity and failures such as bending due to prolonged high temperatures.

Pressure treatment extends life-time

Importantly, from an environmental perspective, wood has a low carbon footprint. Carbon dioxide is stored throughout the life of a wood product, ensuring the gas is sequestered from the atmosphere. Forests are thus highly efficient 'carbon sinks' while also being producers of oxygen. The most sound treatment method for preserving timber to extend the life-time of the wood is still the pressure treatment of wood in a pressure vessel. During this procedure a vacuum is drawn to remove as much air as possible from the timber cells and then pressure is applied to ensure that the preservative is pushed as deep as possible into the cell's lumen. At the R&B Timber Group, we supply vineyard posts all treated to SABS standards around the globe.