6 Best Strong Twine For Tying Up Grape Vines That Old-Timers Swear By
Discover the time-tested twines old-timers use to secure grape vines. We review 6 durable options, from natural jute to long-lasting synthetics.
You walk out to your vineyard after a windy night and see it: a long, promising cane, heavy with young grape clusters, has snapped off the trellis wire. The weight was too much for the cheap string you used, and now a whole section of your crop is lying on the ground. This is the moment every grape grower dreads, and it’s a sharp reminder that the smallest details, like your choice of twine, can make or break a season. Choosing the right twine isn’t just about holding things in place; it’s about protecting your investment of time and effort.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you!
Why Your Grape Vine Twine Choice Matters
The twine you use is the critical link between your vine and its support structure. Its primary job is to secure canes to the trellis wires, training them to grow in a way that maximizes sun exposure and air circulation. This simple task directly impacts fruit quality and helps prevent common fungal diseases like powdery mildew.
But it’s not just about support. The wrong twine can cause serious, long-term damage. A thin, hard plastic line can slice into a tender green shoot, while a non-stretchy material tied too tightly can girdle a woody cane as it thickens, choking off the flow of water and nutrients. You’re constantly balancing durability against gentleness.
Think of it as a seasonal contract with your plant. A biodegradable twine might be perfect for training a temporary shoot you plan to prune off anyway, as it will rot away on its own. For a permanent cordon or trunk, however, you need something that will withstand sun, rain, and the increasing weight of the vine for years without failing or harming the plant.
SGT KNOTS Tarred Bank Line: The Rot-Proof Pick
When you need a tie to last for years, this is the stuff old-timers reach for. Tarred bank line is a nylon twine coated in a black tar treatment, making it virtually impervious to moisture, UV degradation, and rot. You can tie a main trunk to a trellis post with this, and it will likely outlast the post itself.
Its strength is legendary. It doesn’t stretch or sag, providing a rigid hold that’s perfect for securing the main, structural parts of your vine. The tarred coating also gives it a slightly "grippy" texture, so knots lock in tight and don’t slip. This is the "tie it once and forget it" solution for your vineyard’s backbone.
The major trade-off is environmental. This twine will not break down. Ever. When it’s time to remove or adjust it, you have to cut it off and throw it away. You also have to be extremely careful not to tie it too tightly, as its unforgiving nature means it will absolutely girdle a growing cane if you don’t leave ample room for expansion.
Tytan Poly Baling Twine: The Farmer’s Standby
If you’ve spent any time on a farm, you’ve seen this bright blue or orange plastic twine. It’s everywhere for a reason: it’s cheap, strong, and comes in massive rolls that last forever. For the hobby farmer on a budget, a single roll of poly baling twine can handle all your vineyard and garden tying needs for a decade.
It’s completely weather-resistant and won’t rot, so it will easily last a full season or more holding up heavy, fruit-laden canes. The bright color is also a practical advantage, making it easy to spot when you’re pruning in the winter and need to remove last year’s ties.
However, it has its downsides. Being a plastic, it’s another non-biodegradable option that adds to your farm’s waste stream. It can also be quite slick, requiring a good, solid knot to prevent slipping, and it has a tendency to stretch slightly over the season. Its thin, hard profile means it can easily cut into tender green shoots if you’re not careful.
Ever-Bilt Jute Twine: Gentle & Biodegradable
This 600-foot jute twine is perfect for crafting, gardening, and gift wrapping. Made from natural jute fibers, it's strong, biodegradable, and easy to use for various DIY projects.
Jute is the classic garden twine, and its greatest strength is its softness. For tying delicate, new green shoots that you’re training into position, nothing is gentler. It has a natural feel and a soft texture that won’t bruise or cut into the tender plant tissue.
The other huge benefit is that it’s 100% biodegradable. At the end of the season, you don’t even have to collect the old ties. Just snip them during pruning and let them fall to the ground, where they’ll decompose and return to the soil. This makes it ideal for the temporary ties you use to position shoots for the current growing season only.
But you cannot rely on jute for heavy lifting. In a wet or humid climate, it will start to rot and weaken within a few months. Do not use jute to support a cane you expect to carry a heavy load of grapes. It will almost certainly fail mid-season, right when the fruit is at its heaviest, leading to broken canes and lost crops.
Hemptique Hemp Cord for Heavy, Mature Canes
Think of hemp as jute’s tougher older brother. It’s a natural fiber, but it’s significantly stronger, more durable, and more rot-resistant than jute. This makes it an excellent middle-ground choice for the grower who wants a biodegradable option but needs something that can reliably last a full, tough season.
Hemp cord has a great texture for tying. It’s not slick like poly twine, so it holds knots exceptionally well. It’s strong enough to secure year-old canes that will bear the season’s fruit load, yet it will eventually break down over a year or two, so you’re not leaving permanent waste in your vineyard.
The main consideration here is cost. Hemp is typically more expensive than jute or a giant roll of poly twine. It’s a premium natural fiber, and you pay for its superior strength and durability. It’s a fantastic choice, but you have to decide if the balance of strength and biodegradability is worth the extra expense for your scale.
Luster Leaf Rapiclip: Fast, Reusable Wire Ties
For those who value speed and convenience, these soft wire ties are a game-changer. Instead of fumbling with knots, you simply twist them into place. A Rapiclip is essentially a flexible wire coated in a soft, green rubbery plastic, and it can reduce your tying time dramatically.
Their biggest advantage is reusability. At the end of the season, you can easily untwist them, collect them, and use them again next year. Over several seasons, this can offset their higher initial purchase price. They are also easily adjustable; if you see a tie is getting tight, you can quickly loosen it with a simple untwist.
Be mindful, however, that they’re not a perfect solution. The green color can make them easy to lose among the leaves, and if you forget to remove or loosen one, the inner wire can still damage a cane. They are best for securing smaller canes and shoots, not for anchoring a heavy, woody trunk where the focused pressure of a thin wire could be a problem.
Tytan Sisal Twine: A Stronger Natural Fiber
Sisal twine is another natural fiber, often mistaken for jute, but it comes from the agave plant and is much coarser and stronger. If you’ve ever seen traditional hay bales tied with twine, it was likely sisal. It offers a significant step up in tensile strength from jute while remaining fully biodegradable.
This is your go-to when you need a natural, single-season twine for a heavy-duty job. It can confidently support a fruit-bearing cane through the entire season without the risk of rotting and breaking like jute might. It provides a strong, reliable hold for growers committed to avoiding plastics in their vineyard.
The tradeoff is its rough texture. While not as damaging as hard plastic, it’s not as soft as jute or hemp, so you should still be careful when tying it around very young, tender growth. Like all-natural fibers, its lifespan is finite, and you should plan on replacing all your sisal ties each year during winter pruning.
Tying Techniques to Avoid Damaging Your Vines
Even the best twine can harm your vines if used improperly. The goal is to secure the cane firmly without restricting its future growth. A loose tie is useless, but a tight tie is a slow-motion death sentence for the cane.
The single most important technique to learn is the figure-eight loop. Instead of just wrapping the twine around the cane and the wire together, you make one loop around the wire, cross the twine over, and then make a second loop around the cane before tying the knot. This creates a flexible buffer between the support and the plant, preventing the wire from rubbing against the cane and giving the cane room to expand without being girdled.
Always leave a bit of slack. A good rule is that you should be able to easily slide your pinky finger between the twine and the vine cane. This small gap is crucial for accommodating the cane’s growth throughout the season. And never, ever tie up a vine by the stem of a fruit cluster or a leaf. Always secure the woody or semi-woody cane that is supporting them.
Ultimately, there is no single "best" twine, only the best twine for the specific job at hand. A smart grower keeps two or three different types on hand: a soft, biodegradable twine for training new growth, and a strong, durable option for securing the permanent structure of the vine. Matching the material to the task not only saves you from frustrating mid-season failures but is a fundamental part of stewarding a healthy, productive, and long-lasting vineyard.
