Practical Viticulture Take Two..correctly tying the vines to the trellis

Tying down a cane to the fruiting wire...with the use of lightweight plastic tape dispensed from a "Tapener" hand held device (shown below and no endorsement implied or intended) that staples the tape in place. It is loose enough to provide expansion and growth by the cane. 

Another option to properly secure canes is this wire twist tie, similar to that found on bread wrappers. the device and various grades of tying material used with it are pictured below...some are designed to bio degrade readily and others will last longer.  The pictured tying material does not biodegrade very readily and one must be careful when applying it as they will be in place for an extended period.







  Go to the following link to check out some more tips on tying vines properly
 Michigan State vine tying tips

What is going on here? This vine is presenting Crown Gall...caused by the bacterium, Agrobacterium vitis...The likely reason crown gall is showing up is winter cold injury. Grafted vines are especially susceptible to this condition.