Spring has definitely sprung around here now. A couple days ago it was windy and mid 50's. Today it was 86 and sunny again. I've got the spot ready for some of the little vines I planted in a little nursery last year to root better. I marked out the locations for the Niagara and Buffalo vines. I dug the Niagara vines tonight and put in a tub of water for rehydrating the roots well. They aren't as big as the bareroot from Double A Nurseries, but they are well rooted. I will get some pictures tomorrow night before I plant them. Here is a picture from last year first.
Finally I can post the picture before planting these above vines-remember the picture above is from last year, the following is as budbreak arrived. I had computer problems the camera was tied to, thus the delay.
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<TD =msgableRow vAlign=top>Posted: 15 May 2007 at 4:18pm</TD></TR>
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<DIV =msg style=": left; OVERFLOW: auto">Well I feel like a kid in a candy store! The lady in the brown shorts just left a big box at my place!
Contents
25- Noiret
25-Sabrevois
25-GR-7
25 Steuben
25-Traminette
25-Corot Noir
25-St Croix
25-Cabernet Franc on 3309
My latest babies from Double A Vineyards
We are getting a few showers today. I'm planting the Frontenac I dug up last night and soaked overnight and will plant these newest additions ASAP in the next few days.
Here's what they look like when they arrive. More later. For reference the box is about 4 feet long.
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<TD =msgOddTableRow vAlign=top>Posted: 15 May 2007 at 8:17pm</TD></TR>
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<DIV =msg style=": left; OVERFLOW: auto">The vines that came today are 1 year bare root plants. I got all the 1yr-1 vines I could this year instead of the 1yr-X since they are so big they require a 2-3 foot hole and I'm digging them in by hand this year.
The Frontenac were the ones I started last yearas rooted cuttings and it was too dry by the time they got big enough to set out. I got the Frontenacall planted this evening -48 of them with 2 extra small ones I'm going to replant in the nursery. It was sprinkling the whole time I was planting, so they enjoyed that. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain 1-2 inches. We can use it with only a quarter inch of rain so far this month. If it doesn't rain too much tomorrow evening, I will start on planting those 200 vines that came today.</TD></TR></T></TABLE>
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<TD =msgableRow vAlign=top>Posted: 16 May 2007 at 8:45pm</TD></TR>
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<DIV =msg style=": left; OVERFLOW: auto">Well I managed to get in the 25 Cabernet Franc vines this evening in a drizzling rain. I was too wet to start another variety, plus the 100 foot tape measure was getting pretty muddy. I left a five gallon bucket empty outside where I planted the Frontenac last evening. There was 3 inches of rain in that bucket tonight. The spot where I got it ready to plant the new vines is downright muddy this evening. I put the Cab Francs on the drier side for better winter drainage since they may - butprobably won't live and ripen around here.
So NW , rain- yes we were lucky. Now if it doesn't pull another season like last year and rain for two months in excess. Sorry no pictures tonight- too rainy outside.
Oh- I checked on the nesting turkey. They are even harder to spot when wet. Even though I knew she was there, I had a hard time picking her out from 10 feet away!</TD></TR></T></TABLE>
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<TD =msgOddTableRow vAlign=top>Posted: 20 May 2007 at 5:57pm</TD></TR>
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<DIV =msg style=": left; OVERFLOW: auto">I'm done planting grapes for this year in the vineyard! Hurayyyy! It went a lot easier last year with the little skid steer post auger. I dug the holes by hand this year- all 300 or so of them. The Irish Banjo is effective, but hard on an old-timer. It went pretty good in the sandy ground, but 200 of them went in a heavier soil with some gravely spots. The rain came just about perfect this year so far. It was getting pretty dry, but just as I started planting we got the 3 inches of rain. After a days delay planting resumed. As I finished up this afternoon, it started raining again and we will have showers overnight and then start warming up.
Growth so far on last years vines has been a little sluggish. The Lacrosse are making good progress and the leaves are opening. The rest are from buds pushing to 1 inch buds. As they grow more I will post some pictures. I will also get some of the newer vines. Next up- trellising........... after I get the garden planted.</TD></TR></T></TABLE>
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<TD =msgableRow vAlign=top>Posted: 28 May 2007 at 4:59pm</TD></TR>
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<DIV =msg style=": left; OVERFLOW: auto">Well I spent the day cleaning out the weeds from the vineyard today. I ran through the rows of last years vines and hoed out all the weeds in the row strip - 9 rows 250 feet long. 6 of them I had to do completely with the hoe, but the rest I use the Troy-bilt tiller to do figure 8s in. That gets 90 percent of the weeds in the row. I also had to do another 8 row I had planted this year with the tiller. The ragweed sure liked the rain and warm weather of this week and came up pretty thick. Best to get it while it's small. 6 hours later I was pretty well done with the hoeing and tilling. I then run the tractor with small harrow through between the rows to knock out the rest of the weeds and grass coming up. It sure looked nice when I finished up, but alas it started to rain again. I want to get some pictures to show everybody what its looking like. The vines are growing well, even the newly planted ones are starting to leaf out after only a week in the ground.
A lot of the vines from last year are putting out a lot of growth down low and the buds on the vine higher got eaten badly by the Flea bettles. I will have to prune back some more and thin out some of the bottom growth.
Next on the agenda- Trellising for the vines planted last year from cuttings. By the way, the vines I left in the little nursery (and planted this spring)are almost the same size now as the ones I was able to get big enough early enough last year to plant out in the vineyard. Sorry for no pics- maybe tomorrow after work.</TD></TR></T></TABLE>
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<TD =msgOddTableRow vAlign=top>Posted: 29 May 2007 at 9:14am</TD></TR>
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<DIV =msg style=": left; OVERFLOW: auto">I got some pictures this AM but the sun was bright so they aren't great. The flea beetles really did a lot of damage to the late buds of the American varieties. I will wait and see if they make up growth.
Here are the black currents. I will add the trellis this coming week.
Here is a lower bud showing the damage after growing out. The upper buds were tighter at the time so more damage done to them.
One of the expansion areas wher I added vines this year. The yellow flags mark the vines until I get the stakes in.
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<TD =msgOddTableRow vAlign=top>Posted: 29 May 2007 at 8:56pm</TD></TR>
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<DIV =msg style=": left; OVERFLOW: auto">Most currants don't need staking as they don't get that tall. I planted mine at the end of a row of vines so I will continue the trellis on in them. That will allow them to be supported somewhat, especially the Titania- which get quite tall.
I'm trying to track certain characteristics of the varieties I'm growing and am beginning to see a couple varieties standing out as vigorous. I am waiting to be able to make more wine from several varieties.</TD></TR></T></TABLE>
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<TD =msgableRow vAlign=top>Posted: 04 June 2007 at 1:03pm</TD></TR>
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<DIV =msg style=": left; OVERFLOW: auto">I got the Blue-X grow tubes on over the weekend. I used them this year and hopefully can keep them disease free with them on- if not off they come. I'm using them so I can spray Roundup between the vines since there is quackgrass in the spot I planted. It will alow me to spray right up to the vine without damage. Below are some pictures of the process.
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<TD =msgableRow vAlign=top>Posted: 04 June 2007 at 2:38pm</TD></TR>
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<DIV =msg style=": left; OVERFLOW: auto">The grow tubes are a multi-purpose contraption that everybody asks what they are for. Let's see....
1: Protect vine from rodents chewing- including big 4 legged ones(deer).
2: Act as a little greenhouse to warm the plant and make it grow faster.
3: Make training easier- vine grows straight up without need for tying
4: Protect from spray - my main reason for using this time.
5: Looks pretty.
6: Makes people ask what the heck all the little blue things are- I'm telling people it's the latest in Blue-Tube Technology
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<TD =msgableRow vAlign=top> Posted: 11 June 2007 at 8:00am</TD></TR>
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<DIV =msg style=": left; OVERFLOW: auto">I continue work with training my humble little vineyard. I did the St. Pepin and Frontenac Saturday and the Buffalo yesterday. The St Pepin was less unruly than the Frontenac. The Frontenac relly was growing like a bush with lots of grape flower clusters. Not wanting them all in year 2 I pruned out to basically the largest stem. That got rid of most flowers, but now they can be trained better and easier. The first one I did had to main shoots and twisted around each other. I cut the first one off(smaller diameter) I then had the main shoot that had a small one growing off it lower on the backside, so I put the shears lower to clip it off - and it stayed. I looked closer and the main shoot had dropped down- OH NO I CUT OFF THE WHOLE VINE!
The first vine now will begin growing all over again from 1 leaf. </TD></TR></T></TABLE>
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<TD =msgOddTableRow vAlign=top>Posted: 11 June 2007 at 8:10am</TD></TR>
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<DIV =msg style=": left; OVERFLOW: auto">I also designed and assembled a vineyard sprayer over the weekend. It is intended to be driven between rows and sprays each side of the tractor as you drive. It consists of a 3 pt hitch carry-all with a wood platform to carry the sprayer. I used a cheap $169 FIMCO spot sprayer with hand wand. I ordered a control assembly with guage for $20 and fitted it to the sprayer. I then went to my local steel shop and picked up material to make the boom. That is the metal rectangular thing in the pictures. I welded it all up and painted the whole thing red(except the sprayer and platform).
I got the needed nozzles and hoses and fittings and put the whole thing together yesterday and gave it a test spray. Don't worry in the pictures it is only water spraying out to check. At first the wires weren't long enough so I hooked it up to the lawnmower to test it. I then ran a longer wire with switch(works with a 12V pump). After testing I drove it through a couple rows to test coverage. It seems to work good at this point.
I felt I needed this sprayer for use in the vines instead of just the orchard air blast sprayer. When I spray with that I have to get at least a row away from the vines and let the spray drift down into the vines- which I don't like doing. To be continued..........
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<TD =msgableRow vAlign=top>Posted: 11 June 2007 at 1:22pm</TD></TR>
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<DIV =msg style=": left; OVERFLOW: auto">So far only spraying for insects- mostly steely beetles. They just won't go away. It's been fairly dry this year- that's when they seem to be worse.
I feel sorry for the vine but 1 out of 600 isn't too bad. It looks empty ther, but I expect it to make a full recovery- just a little smaller this year.
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<TD =msgOddTableRow vAlign=top>Posted: 12 June 2007 at 9:04pm</TD></TR>
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<DIV =msg style=": left; OVERFLOW: auto">I am noting early bloom in the wine grapes here now. Most varieties have at least soom blooms open, some mostly open and some just an occasional one. The American varieties like Concord, Niagara, Buffalo and Catawba are a week away from bloom.How about you other guys- are yours blloming yet, at least what clusters you left there? </TD></TR></T></TABLE>
The Japanese Beetles have arrived at the vineyard. I was walking the rows this evening and found the first ugly critter of the year. I need to spray in a few days so I will keep an eye on them and make sure they don't get too bad before then.
Yesterday there were a few vines planted this year almost to the top of the 30" grow tubes and today there are a couple dozen above the top. The winner of the speed trial is - Corot Noir, one of the Cornell named varieties from last year(planted less than 4 weeks ago).</TD></TR></T></TABLE>
