5.27.2010
Some Pics
First Bugs
I've noticed a few small caterpillars in the vineyard starting this week. They are small, furry guys at this point. Nothing like the green monsters that I've found later in the season. I bought some sevin though so I can start including that in my future spray mixes to be proactive about the hornworms.
Other than this, just continuing to WPTT. Finished with A 1-7 and now working back upward from A13. Also have continued putting up wire and now have top wires on A 10-14 and B1.
Other than this, just continuing to WPTT. Finished with A 1-7 and now working back upward from A13. Also have continued putting up wire and now have top wires on A 10-14 and B1.
5.21.2010
05/20 2010
Lots of rain lately - noticed some wilting/blackness on a few leaves and ends of growing shoots.
Sprayed on 5/20
Full 25 Gallon tank
Rally: 1 4 oz water soluble packet
Captan - 4 cups - 32 oz.
1 1/2 cup of sulphur (24 tbpspns) as deer repellant only.
This time, tank ran out of mix with 6 rows remaining. Mixed another 1/4 tank (8 gallons) with:
Rally - had to cut open one packet and poured in about 1/4 (1 oz).
Captan: 1/1/2 cups
Sulphur: 2/3 cup
Have noticed two vines with deer damage at far end of row 1, so I reapplied deer repellant to all perimeter posts and plants.
Most of the cuttings we planted seem to be leafing out, so this appears to have been successful.
Also, we seem to have hit shatter and are now into fruit set on most of the vines.
Sprayed on 5/20
Full 25 Gallon tank
Rally: 1 4 oz water soluble packet
Captan - 4 cups - 32 oz.
1 1/2 cup of sulphur (24 tbpspns) as deer repellant only.
This time, tank ran out of mix with 6 rows remaining. Mixed another 1/4 tank (8 gallons) with:
Rally - had to cut open one packet and poured in about 1/4 (1 oz).
Captan: 1/1/2 cups
Sulphur: 2/3 cup
Have noticed two vines with deer damage at far end of row 1, so I reapplied deer repellant to all perimeter posts and plants.
Most of the cuttings we planted seem to be leafing out, so this appears to have been successful.
Also, we seem to have hit shatter and are now into fruit set on most of the vines.
5.10.2010
05/09 2010
Continuing to rotate through the vineyard doing the WPTT (weed, prune, tie, thin) routine with each vine. I noticed when I was outside on Sunday that some of the Cabernet Franc vines are hitting bloom:
When I noticed this, I decided I better focus exclusively on thinning the cab for a while so I don't hit veraison with too many clusters still on. Managed to get 16 vines in A14 thinned, taking off 176 clusters. I hate pulling the fruit off, but I know it's necessary to make sure I get the sugar levels we want in the end:
Also, being the complete noob I am, I finally realized the purpose of the double catch wire system for the VSP trellis - so that you can simply tuck shoots between the wires for easy canopy management. Putting cross bars up will be cost prohibitive at over $3 apiece times over a hundred posts in the vineyard, so I'm experimentally trying a workaround. I added a second wire several inches below the first catch wire so I can tuck shoots between them vertically. I think this will work okay, but time will tell.
Cab Franc clusters are starting to bloom
When I noticed this, I decided I better focus exclusively on thinning the cab for a while so I don't hit veraison with too many clusters still on. Managed to get 16 vines in A14 thinned, taking off 176 clusters. I hate pulling the fruit off, but I know it's necessary to make sure I get the sugar levels we want in the end:
Pains me to pull clusters off the vines, but necessary...
Also, being the complete noob I am, I finally realized the purpose of the double catch wire system for the VSP trellis - so that you can simply tuck shoots between the wires for easy canopy management. Putting cross bars up will be cost prohibitive at over $3 apiece times over a hundred posts in the vineyard, so I'm experimentally trying a workaround. I added a second wire several inches below the first catch wire so I can tuck shoots between them vertically. I think this will work okay, but time will tell.
Experimental vertical catch wire pair on A14
5.06.2010
05/05 2010
Spent last night from 6:30 - 9:15 spraying. This time I rotated in Rally and Captan as follows:
Full 25 Gallon tank
Rally: 1 4 oz water soluble packet
Captan - 2 cups - 16 oz. (Should have done 4 cups for 32 oz, but miscalculated)
Also, I put in 1 cup of sulphur (16 tbpspns) as a possible deer repellant only.
Having learned that many agents are sensitive to PH, I got a PH test kit and found the water to be very high - 7.6 ph. I'll need to look into food grade citric acid or something similar before the next spray to correct for this.
Continuing to WCTT (Weed Cut Tie Thin). Because of time limitations, I've started getting up an hour early to to this in the mornings before leaving for work.
Full 25 Gallon tank
Rally: 1 4 oz water soluble packet
Captan - 2 cups - 16 oz. (Should have done 4 cups for 32 oz, but miscalculated)
Also, I put in 1 cup of sulphur (16 tbpspns) as a possible deer repellant only.
Having learned that many agents are sensitive to PH, I got a PH test kit and found the water to be very high - 7.6 ph. I'll need to look into food grade citric acid or something similar before the next spray to correct for this.
Continuing to WCTT (Weed Cut Tie Thin). Because of time limitations, I've started getting up an hour early to to this in the mornings before leaving for work.
5.03.2010
05/02 2010
Applied roundup to section b last night. The roundup I put on section A is just now starting to show effects, but the mix concentration of 1 oz per gallon seems to work.
Apart from this, I have started a slow, general maintenance routine, going row by row. At each vine I:
As for thinning, I'm currently thinning down to one cluster per shoot up to 12 " below the cordon and removing everything lower than that. I'm sure I'll need another thinning pass before veraison. I've come to see what "they" mean about Cab Franc overcropping. Way too much fruit starting on them right now:
Apart from this, I have started a slow, general maintenance routine, going row by row. At each vine I:
- Weed
- Prune
- Tie
- Thin
As for thinning, I'm currently thinning down to one cluster per shoot up to 12 " below the cordon and removing everything lower than that. I'm sure I'll need another thinning pass before veraison. I've come to see what "they" mean about Cab Franc overcropping. Way too much fruit starting on them right now:
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