How to attach espalier hooks to a Colorbond fence?

[PorridgeBeans]

Hi there,

I have recently planted five fruit trees along a colourbond fence which I plan to espalier.

I plan to use turnbuckles and 1-1.6mm wire tensioned at the verticals at either end of the fence.

What would be the best method to attach the hooks directly to the vertical posts?

Thanks!

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @PorridgeBeans. It's sensational to have you join us and many thanks for your question on attaching wire to a Colourbond fence.

There aren’t any hooks I'm aware of that can be directly screwed into Colorbond steel posts. A common approach is to attach a small piece of timber to the upright post using metal tek screws, and then screw your hooks into the timber. Alternatively, you could use other fixings like wire eye straps and metal screws. It’s important to use screws designed to bite into metal, rather than standard timber screws.

If you’re using galvanised solid-core wire, another option is to screw in a tek screw and wrap the wire a couple of times around the head before tightening it fully. This creates a solid mounting point for the wire without the need for a separate hook.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[PorridgeBeans]

Hi Mitchell,

Thank you for your response, it is super helpful. I think I will go for the eye strap option.

Do you have any advice on the span of the wire? I have a 10m fence, and thought about spanning either the whole length, with loops for the wire to pass through every 2.5m, or splitting into two 5m sections.

Thanks again.

Erin

[MitchellMc]

I'd go with the two 5m sections as it will be tough to establish tension of the lines over 10m, Erin (@PorridgeBeans).

Mitchell