About

ECO TRELLIS® offers a complete vineyard trellising solution composed of steel vineyard posts, clips and strainer systems tailored to site conditions. It is designed for both new vineyard developments and the replacement of damaged or ageing wooden posts.

Part of an extensive range of stainless steel and carbon steel products manufactured by the privately owned, Wellington-based company NZ Tube Mills, ECO TRELLIS® is increasingly used across the horticulture and viticulture industries as a reliable, long-term trellis solution.

ECO TRELLIS ® – meeting the needs of a changing market

New vineyard developments continue across New Zealand and Australia as the wine industry evolves and adapts to changing conditions.

Environmental pressures

There is growing recognition that treated wooden vineyard posts pose environmental challenges. A 2004 survey by Hort Research in Marlborough, New Zealand, testing copper, chromium and arsenic (CCA) concentrations around vineyard posts in different soil types, found evidence of leaching from treated timber posts.

Ongoing research continues to highlight concerns around the long-term sustainability of wooden vineyard posts. In addition, the disposal of an estimated six million damaged wooden posts each year across New Zealand and Australia presents a significant issue. The volatility of arsenic prevents burning, while the presence of chrome in ash complicates disposal further.

Potential trade barriers

International attention is increasing, particularly in Europe and the United States. There is potential for CCA-treated vineyard posts to become a non-tariff trade issue, which could impact wine exports from Australasia on environmental grounds.

Organic winegrowing

For organic winegrowers, the use of new or replacement treated timber posts is not an option, further driving demand for alternative vineyard post systems.

Did you know?

  • Eco Trellis is the most cost effective & carbon friendly of all the vineyard posts to freight in NZ

 

  • A full truck load of Eco Trellis covers approx 10.47 hectares of development. Whereas a full load of Plastic or Timber posts typically only covers 2.55 & 2.45 hectares respectively. That’s almost 4 times as many trucks to deliver the same amount of one truck load of Eco Trellis.

 

  • In terms of Carbon emissions, for every 100 km of load travelled, Eco Trellis impact is calculated at only 26.2 kgs of CO2 per hectare. Whereas Timber & Plastic are a whopping 108.4 & 111.6 kgs!

 

In simple terms, Eco Trellis can deliver more hectares per delivery, with much less carbon impact – good for your Vineyard, good for the Planet.

ECO TRELLIS ® Product Development

Since 2009, NZ Tube Mills product development engineers have worked closely with winegrowers and viticulturists to develop ECO TRELLIS® steel vineyard posts and trellis systems.

This work has included extensive testing of steel posts in New Zealand vineyard conditions, analysing performance, durability, and failure rates under extreme weather and operational loads.

Research and development focused on:

  • Strength and stability in high winds
  • Load-bearing capacity for full vine canopies
  • Performance under machine harvesting — where steel posts can flex and maintain strength, unlike timber
  • Suitability for coastal vineyards and saline soil conditions
  • Ease of installation and long-term maintenance
  • Development of a patented footing at the base of the strainer and use of intermediate posts to provide up to four times more ground retention than traditional vineyard posts