Attaching wire to fence for fruit trees

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Hi all, looking for some advice on how to fix wire and eyes to a fence so i can train some pear cordons .

Here’s a picture of the fence I will be growing the cordons against:

unnamed-2.jpg


And here’s a picture showing the structure behind the feather board. I intend to cut some more 4x2 where the red arrows are, before re-attaching the feather board.

unnamed-3.jpg


The issue I see is when connecting the vine eyes to the posts, (yellow in the second photo) and then putting in the wire under tension, the vine eyes will be pulled towards each other over time. As the fixings really need to stay in place for many years i need a robust and permanent way of fixing the wire in place.

Heres a few images from across the internet of what i am roughly aiming for, but i am putting them against the featherboard fence and hopefully without having to add more posts.

cordon_complete_800.jpg
obliquecordon.jpg
859240e15706a0391d032b0ae5b926f4.jpg
 
For cordon training, you don't need much tension on the wires - they're there to train the young, flexible wood against rather than to drag older, stiffer branches into line.
Maybe some blocks screwed to the half way points of the 4x2 to get a deeper hold. Wouldn't bother with filling in the other bits.
 
As above, the wires do not need to be under tension - there's simply no need. You could use string.
 
Hi both. I intend to plant the cordons at a 45 angle (apparently this produces more fruit and imho looks better). Would this change your advice?
Ps there will be 6 pear cordons along the fence.

edit
I plan to attaché bamboo canes to the wires and then tie the cordons to the bamboo.
 
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Rapscallion said:
Hi both. I I tend to plant the cordons at a 45 angle (apparently this produces more fruit and imho looks better). Would this change he your advice?
Ps there will be 6 pear cordons along the fence.

edit
I plan to attaché bamboo canes to the wires and then tie the cordons to the bamboo.
Click to expand...


Work out where the eyes will screw into the fence and put the extra blocks in there. Make sure you know exactly where the screws are so you don't end up trying to screw the eyes into the same spot...
 
If you screw the proper eyes in the go far enough into the would not to pull together. Even with strainers you would be hard pressed to bend the eyes or pull them together unless the posts are extrememly rotted. With cordons as mentioned above you are using the wire for training the vertical not supporting weight. the tree itself will do that. Usually you would use 2 posts with a brace to stop the posts pulling towards each other. Given you have the fence with the cross beams then the featherboard that structure is not going to sag or warp.
 
As above but I would get hold of stainless steel vine eyes rather than plated ones.
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
Talk about making things difficult. :LOL:
Get extra long vine eyes and screw them through the featherbed into the rails....
www.screwfix.com

Easyfix Zinc-Plated Vine Eyes 4.3mm x 75mm 10 Pack - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. Zinc-plated. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.
www.screwfix.com www.screwfix.com
Click to expand...
!
The fruit orchard where i bought the pear trees from said i needed to concrete some extra posts in front of the featherboard fence as there would be quite a bit of weight on the wires as the cordons are grown at a 45° angle.
Hence me not wanting to use long vine eyes as they would be pretty weak. Bear in mind that this will need to be in place for many years.

Ps, those vine eyes would be at least 50mm too short, there is a 50mm gap between the feather board and the posts, plus there needs to be a gap of around 75mm between the feather board and the wires.
 
Rapscallion said:
!
The fruit orchard where i bought the pear trees from said i needed to concrete some extra posts in front of the featherboard fence as there would be quite a bit of weight on the wires as the cordons are grown at a 45° angle.
Hence me not wanting to use long vine eyes as they would be pretty weak. Bear in mind that this will need to be in place for many years.

Ps, those vine eyes would be at least 50mm too short, there is a 50mm gap between the feather board and the posts, plus there needs to be a gap of around 75mm between the feather board and the wires.
Click to expand...
Can't you screw some blocks of wood to the fence, then screw the vine eyes into the blocks?
If the fence is well supported and the rails/featherboard well attached it should be sturdy enough....

This may be useful...
www.rhs.org.uk

Apples and pears: starting a cordon | RHS Advice

Learn how to start and train apple and pear cordons for small-space fruit growing.
www.rhs.org.uk www.rhs.org.uk
 
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Have a read of THIS and see how the cordons are supported there.
 
im too knackered from flogging dead trees and the better side of a nice bottle of white to draw pictures. Standard way to grow cordons is to bang 2 stakes/posts into the ground and strain 2 wires between the posts. a brace is placed at 45 degrees to the posts on the side the wire is attached. This stops the posts from pulling together under tension.

You have a fence with 3 posts in the ground, these have 2 cross members between each post and then the feathered edge attached. Your posts are not going to converage at the tops and the weight of the cordons will be verticle paralell to the fence. The weigh of the cordons will not be enough to pull the fence down wards and the sheer force against the vine screw eyes will not be enough to bend them more than you can apply tension through the wire. I have 2 wires strung over 5m at work undertension supporting a 100kg tree trunk. If you lean against a wall only a small amount of force ( your weight) is applied to the wall. the majority is taken through your feet or in the case of a cordon the roots
 
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