# rebar bent for grapevines



## pg55 (May 20, 2012)

I got this idea after looking at how I grow my trumpet vine looking like a tree. I bet some one did this before but here goes my idea. I am thinking of growing "grape trees" for landscaping purposes. I plan on taking a 20' length of 1/2 rebar, cut it in half, bend a 90 on each piece with about 3.5 to 4 foot section for the top giving a 5 to 6 foot length bottom. Then I would tack weld the 2 pieces together forming a T. I would bury a 3 to 4 inch plastic pipe about 2.5 feet down and place the rebar into the plastic pipe about a foot in with ready mix. Do a good paint job on rebar to what ever color you like. The T tree should be about 4.5 feet tall. Plant a grape vine to grow up the tree. I can bend the rebar with some tubing benders made for 1/2" stainless steel tubing and if that don't work I know my 1/2 conduit benders will do the trick but will give me a longer radius. I may use the budwizer blue beer bottles for the ends so people won't poke their eyes out. What do you think?


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## TxBrew (May 21, 2012)

Sounds like an awesome project, would love to see how it turns out.


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## Brent2489 (May 21, 2012)

Just make sure to post pictures. It never happened if there were no pix!!!


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## BobF (May 21, 2012)

Interesting. I have a trumpet vine I'm training the old fashioned way ...


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## Runningwolf (May 21, 2012)

I also made trees out of Trumpet vines. I put a 1 1/2"pole in the ground that stuck out about eight feet. I wrapped it with a piece of chain link fence so it had something to climb on. Last fall I trimmed them way back becuse the dang thing drops seeds like crazy and I have garden fulls of orphans coming up. They are spectacular in the summer. I even added a Wisteria to one of the trees.


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## Runningwolf (May 21, 2012)

I think the 4.5 ft is too short. What about making various heights if your making several. If I were to make one I would want it at least 6' tall so I could get under it either with a chair or to pick the grapes.


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## pg55 (May 25, 2012)

Trumpet vine tree






Just got to bend the 1/2 rebar. Might get time to weld it up this weekend. Then i got to decide if I want to paint it a neutral color like a brown or go to contrast color like a blue or red.

Running wolf: good idea about making diffrent heights. This one will end up being about 7.5 feet across and about 5.5 feet high.


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## Runningwolf (May 25, 2012)

You're a lot further ahead then we are in the season but here are some pictures I just took of the two I have. Thanks for sharing those and I think the grapevines would be fun.


This first one has Trumpet vine and Wisteria growing on it.


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## Deezil (May 25, 2012)

What if you were to straighten the bends out to say...135 degrees, still angled up, instead of 90 degrees and pointing straight at your face?... Might save the eyes you were worrying about. And would make it easier to sit under, but wouldnt offer as much shade..

But it would look like a wine glass, if you used 4 in N E S W configuration!


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## garymc (May 29, 2012)

What does a 20' piece of rebate COST?


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## pg55 (May 31, 2012)

garymc said:


> What does a 20' piece of rebate COST?



1/2rebar I paid $7.50 give or take 40cents. This is from a lumber yard not a Homedepot. Homedepot wanted about $7 for 10 feet.


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## pg55 (Jan 25, 2013)

Today I got around to finish building the tree.
Just got to top coat it and get some grape vines.
Plan on making about 3 trees.


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## rezod11 (Jan 25, 2013)

I love this idea! I wish I had done something like this with my Sweet Autumn clematis.


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## Winehaus (Jan 27, 2013)

This looks awesome! I will be borrowing(stealing) this idea soon. What cultivar do you think you will go with? Something that droops or something that wants to grow up? I'm thinking chardonel for myself cuz it seems to be in the middle


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## pg55 (Jan 30, 2013)

Winehaus said:


> This looks awesome! I will be borrowing(stealing) this idea soon. What cultivar do you think you will go with? Something that droops or something that wants to grow up? I'm thinking chardonel for myself cuz it seems to be in the middle



What ever grows the easiest bunch grape in south La. I plan on maybe trying these three. Champanel grape, black spanish and blanc du bois. 
Now I did make a second one but made it a little diffrent. I found the first one I made which is 6' tall and the arms are almost straight out to be a little more flexible than what I like. May not be a problem. The second one I made is 5'6'' tall with the arms at a more up angle.Still a little more flexable than what I like. I have them 9' apart but I wished i would have spaced it around the corner from the first one. You can see that they are made diffrent from each other.
The third one I will use 3/4" ridgid conduit for the trunk and weld the 4 arms to the conduit. If this works out good it may be my stander tree. I may even attach a single light fixture to the center. 
I will post pics after I finish a little dirt work and brick bolder around the 2 trees.
Then I will make the 3rd one and post pics when finished.
I only get to work on this on weekends only 2 to 3 hrs at a time.


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## pg55 (Jan 30, 2013)

One more thing is my wife said I will polk my eye out with that thing. I went to homedepot and got these orange end caps made for rebar. can't miss it once installed. Cost was a 25ct bag for $6 and change. If the grapes vines cover up the end of the arms I want to remove the orange end caps.


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## pg55 (Feb 2, 2013)

Here it is got 2 cemented into ground painted a gloss brown. i figure the brown color will better hide any rust.
Got one coat end rust, then a grey primer and top with a gloss brown.
You can see the end caps to keep from poking my eyes out. My plans are to border the bricks with french marigolds
and mulch the whole area with shredded pine needles. I will post pics when the grapes and marigolds are planted.
I need to make one more tree using conduit and rebar.


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## grapeman (Feb 3, 2013)

Very nice job. That will look really cool when the vines grow onto them.


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## garymc (Feb 4, 2013)

Does anybody have an opinion as to whether this will provide enough area for a muscadine vine?


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## pg55 (Feb 4, 2013)

garymc said:


> Does anybody have an opinion as to whether this will provide enough area for a muscadine vine?



I have muscadines planted on a 2 top wire system spaced 20' apart which gives 10' each way total 20' and my vines do grow the full lenght. 
The tree set up gives a good 3.5' per branch with a total of a good 7' end to end which I feel would be a little short. I guess you can keep it trim to fit but it seems you would be losing a lot of production then. I would try just one to see what happens before investing in too many. I did limit myself to 3, the cost of haking then is not that much, and if it does not work out I will convert over to a traditional wire system. I hope I have enough room for bunch grapes.


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## btom2004 (Feb 6, 2013)

I really like this idea. I was wondering would it be ok to put several types of grape vines together on one tree? I really don't have the space to put a lot of trees, but would love to grow more than one variety of grapes at the same time. Also how are you holding those rebars together?

I would love to do that and kill three or four birds with one stone. Speaking of birds these trees may make easy netting, to keep them away.


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## pg55 (Feb 6, 2013)

I welded the rebar together. As far as growing the grape vines together I never grew bunch grapes before.


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## btom2004 (Feb 6, 2013)

Forgive my inexperience, but when you say welded; you mean...like an arc welder of some sort? If so I don't have one of those. Is there no other way to do it?


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## novalou (Feb 6, 2013)

btom2004 said:


> Forgive my inexperience, but when you say welded; you mean...like an arc welder of some sort? If so I don't have one of those. Is there no other way to do it?



I suppose you can use SS hose clamps to hold them together.


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## pg55 (Feb 6, 2013)

Arc welded. I guess you can tie wire it together. Don't know how strong it would be. On the show Victory Garden they did a "tree" made of rebar and it was tie wired together. So maybe it would work.


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## btom2004 (Feb 7, 2013)

pg55 said:


> Arc welded. I guess you can tie wire it together. Don't know how strong it would be. On the show Victory Garden they did a "tree" made of rebar and it was tie wired together. So maybe it would work.





novalou said:


> I suppose you can use SS hose clamps to hold them together.



Thanks guys that's sounds like it could work. I'll find some way to get her done. I think once I get the rebars seated in cement foundations, it should stand sturdy...correct? Then I could tie or clamp away from there. 

I ordered a few vines and was wondering where and how to place them, so that my wife would not kill them; if shes not happy with them anywhere I could think of putting them. These trees would be pleasing to the eye and she shouldn't complain.

I would really like to get more than one kind on one tree. I've seen how vines will take over and kill any plant they cross. Can grape vines cohabitate? Or will one smother the others?


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## pg55 (Feb 24, 2013)

I made a tree with rebar on top and 1" rigid conduit for trunk. If I were to make 
any more this will be my design. Much more sturdier. I took a 20' piece of rebar 
and cut it into 4 5' pieces. Made my bends all the same. Welded 2 pieces laying 
flat. Then took the other 2 pieces cut 8" off. Then I welded these pieces to the first 2. 
This gives me an 8" stem that fits into the 1" conduit.







I painted the top green and painted the trunck primer grey. I made a second one and painted the whole tree a gloss brown which i like better.
If I was to do a small vineyard it will be post and wire trelles.


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## garymc (Feb 24, 2013)

Hey, pg55, what do you think about instead of welding onto an 8" stem inserted into the conduit, just having an 8 foot or so piece of rebar and sliding the conduit over it up it to the base of the welded section. Like using the conduit as a sleeve over the upright rebar. I'm not optimistic about the conduit having the strength by itself and I know using galvanized pipe would add $20 or more to the cost. Not to say it wouldn't support the weight of a muscadine vine, but I'm thinking windstorm time. The conduit could even be tack welded at the top and bottom to the rebar running through it to give more rigidity. I was also thinking of the idea of running a trellis wire from tip to tip around the outer perimeter of the structure. I know a muscadine is going to need a lot of room to run.

edit for clarity: The arms would extend at least 4, maybe 5 feet, sloped upward, and welded onto the 8 foot upright rebar sticking out of the conduit. I'd have the bent part at the center 5 or 5 and a half feet off the ground and sloped up toward the ends to a height of a little over 6 feet.


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## garymc (Feb 24, 2013)

OOPS, I just looked at the price of rigid conduit. Back to the drawing board. Or the scrap yard. This makes galvanized steel pipe feasible.


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## pg55 (Feb 24, 2013)

Garymc, the 1"rigid conduit would be stout enough(1" emt would not be). I am using this because this is old conduit that I savage. If I had to buy it new I won't do it. The way I am making them is I cut the 1" conduit in half which gives you 2 5' pieces. I weld my top on which makes it a lenght of total of 5'10" to the top of bend. then I cut a piece of 3/4" conduit 18" long and insert it to the bottom of 1" conduit adjusting the 3/4 in for a total length of 7' welding the 3/4 into the 1", tack on a 4" piece of rebar about 9" from bottom. I use a post hole digger and go down 18" and about 40# of bag concrete mix. I end up with a trunk 5'6" and the tips of the rebar at 6'.


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## pg55 (May 27, 2013)

I thought I give a lttle update on a Mars grape I have planted. The way it is growing I may reach the top this year.
I did let it do one bunch of grapes just for taste since it is not a wine grape. I wish my grapes planted on the north shore was doing this good.


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## grapeman (May 28, 2013)

It should make it to the top easily this year. If it was mine, I would cut off the crooked right hand shoot and leave the single larger one on the left. It will force more energy into that shoot and give a straighter trunk for the future. Looks nice.


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## pg55 (May 28, 2013)

I see what you mean. Man I will have a hard time cutting the right side. Heck I had a hard time cutting all those baby grape bunches(I did leave one). I got a couple "trees" planted on the north shore and I could try doing a single up.


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## GreginND (May 28, 2013)

It's tough love. But it must be done!


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## pg55 (Jun 16, 2013)

Pic of the two trees with french margolds. Wish the grape plants were growing as good. 
Next year I will repeat and by then you may see some grape vines. Need another plant idea for the center.


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## btom2004 (Sep 18, 2013)

pg55 said:


> Pic of the two trees with french margolds. Wish the grape plants were growing as good.
> Next year I will repeat and by then you may see some grape vines. Need another plant idea for the center.



Is there a reason you planted the marigolds?


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## pg55 (Sep 18, 2013)

btom2004 said:


> Is there a reason you planted the margolds?



Yes. Marigolds help keep some pest away. Also the roots I have been told keep some soil pest away. I plan on just cutting the tops off and leaving the roots. I grew them from seeds. Very easy and cheap to do.


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## pg55 (Sep 18, 2013)

Here is the pic of the rebar tree in my back yard. It sure did grow a lot for being the first year. I do not know if that is good or bad. I plan on covering the rebar with a lightweight green fence this winter and let the vines take over the top. I hope the grapes will hang down under the fence canopy.


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## btom2004 (Sep 19, 2013)

pg55 said:


> Yes. Marigolds help keep some pest away. Also the roots I have been told keep some soil pest away. I plan on just cutting the tops off and leaving the roots. I grew them from seeds. Very easy and cheap to do.




Thanks that's good to know. I've read, that planting a rose bush near by is good for the vines. Do you know anything about that?


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## pg55 (Sep 19, 2013)

The idea behind the rose bush is that in very large vineyards looking at a rosebush planted at the end of the rows gives them an idea of the health of the rows.


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## btom2004 (Sep 19, 2013)

pg55 said:


> The idea behind the rose bush is that in very large vineyards looking at a rosebush planted at the end of the rows gives them an idea of the health of the rows.


Thanks in that case I won't need that. I'll only have 6 vines.


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## Logwerx (Sep 20, 2013)

My row must be healthy as hell, my roses have never looked so good.


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