Summer

The vines are doing better this year due to a regular spray schedule. Mancozeb and sulfur sprays for fungacide, and Sevin insecticide.

Below is a 101-14 Millardet et de Grasset that ended up growing outside of the merlot graft. Next year, this will be regrafted with Merlot scions.

Below that is a healthy Merlot vine grafted onto 101-14 rootstock. You can see the difference in vigor between the vinifera and its rootstock.

One change that's been made to the vineyard was to fill the rows in with clover and native grasses. Rainfall started to create too much erosion.

With continued growth this year, the follow year should begin to produce grapes on some of the vines.

Winter

Winter comes and the leaves have fallen. The vines go dormant, green shoots turn woody, and buds remain to grow in the next year. Most of these vines have grown well, but to create a strong root system for the next year, they will be pruned back to two buds per trunk. The roots will put all of their energy into these buds and create cordons for the following year.

 

A few vines grew well enough that vines could be tied to the wire as cordons. For most that did, there was only enough vigor to leave one. For a few, there was enough growth to leave two, which will be the final shape of each vine as it continues to grow and mature.

Fall.

Leaves have fallen for the year. Any near the rows are raked and burned to kill any mildew that could remain.

Disease

Almost all of the vines suffered from what looks to be like downy mildew. The vines weren't sprayed after heavy rainfall and the issue went unchecked. Most of the old growth leaves were damaged. I purchased a biofungacide from southern ag which seems to be preventing any spread of the disease. A more rigorous spray schedule will be put together for the next season.

August Pruning

Some of the growth is pruned off vines that were vigorous, and trunks are tied to establish cordons.

Cover crops between rows (white clover, this year) is filling in. This will provide nitrogen after tills.

Vine Training

 

Additional wires are being added to create a new training system called vertical shoot positioning. This system is being used more predominantly for vinifera in growing regions in the state such as Yadkin Valley

The trellis was originally designed as a mid wire cordon, since it's simplier and less costly, but it is not as suitable for the varieties being grown. VSP maximizes sunlight exposure, creating more of a hedge than a canopy as the foliage is tucked between sets of wires.

July 2016

Several trunks have already become vigorous enough to begin training on the 30 inch wires. They are tied to the wire to establish a trunk for the following season.

 We planted roses on the ends of the rows. Roses and grape vines are suspect to the same diseases, and roses act as an early warning for fungal disease, but for a vineyard this small, they're mostly cosmetic.