Hoop house

[jjduen]

I am thinking of putting in a small run of reisling plants, say six to twelve plants to start

Has anyone ever build a hoop house over the plants to protect them from harsh winters?

I live very very close to Lake Erie and the air temp and wind speed coming of the lake can be quite dramatic.

Does anyone think this would help protect the plants?

 

[grapezilla]

It's generally easier to overwinter grapes outside as they benefit from the insulating snow cover and the conditions are quite stable. In Early spring the weather outside can be freezing but under a glasshouse like structure the temperature can get quite hottish during daylight sun disturbing dormancy only to go back freezing after sunset.

 

[sour_grapes]

Also, if you live close to the Lake, wouldn't your air temps be moderated (i.e., higher in winter) than inland?

And I don't think the wind speed matters to your plants (short of blowing them out of the ground). I could be wrong about that, but I can't see a mechanism by which wind speed would matter.

 

[jjduen]

Also, if you live close to the Lake, wouldn't your air temps be moderated (i.e., higher in winter) than inland?

And I don't think the wind speed matters to your plants (short of blowing them out of the ground). I could be wrong about that, but I can't see a mechanism by which wind speed would matter.

We stay warmer until lake freezes over than we get colder because of wind chill

 

[Runningwolf]

Heck, you got the nuclear plant there, what else do you need?

 

[sour_grapes]

We stay warmer until lake freezes over than we get colder because of wind chill

My point was that YOU (as a warm-blooded mammal) may FEEL colder in wind, but the actual air temperature (what is what plants care about) will not be any lower. In other words, wind chill does not make things colder.

 

[oregondabbler]

Great question! I dug around and here are some thoughts.

Regarding hoop house and whether or not its a good idea or even necessary. Here is a link to a publication from WA, titled "How cold can you go?", that provides some good information:
http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/43/7/1966.full

In that that publication, Figure 4 shows bud critical temperatures for Reisling. Bottom line is that bud hardiness is a function of time of year. For Reisling during dormancy, bud hardiness is between 0 F in early November to -11 F throughout the winter.

For Perry Ohio, average monthly minimum temperatures are nowhere near the critical temperatures for Reisling. Record lows during the months of December and January are -19F and -11F respectively. So there is some risk of cold damage at the extreme. Is it worth building a hoop house to protect from the worst case condition? I wouldn't think so but that's your decision to make.

In the same publication, they cite growers that bury waterspouts growing near ground level (but above the grafted rootstock) during winter in case of extreme weather. That way, they may lose the main growth but the vine will be able recover.

On your site, a slope will help drain your area of cold air so some thought to prevention of cold air pools might be more effective than a hoop house to prevent damage from cold.

Regarding wind, there are some references that indicate high wind throughout the growing season can result in less vigorous growth. Also the canopy in the summer can cause high load on the trellis due to wind drag. Perhaps think about orienting the trellis to give wind a path down the row rather than across it. Also, some trellis designs are more robust than others. A link to different trellis designs can be found here: http://ucanr.org/sites/intvit/files/24348.pdf

Anyway, thanks for the great question. I hope everything works out for you.

 

[jjduen]

Thanks everyone.

Gives me a lot to think about.

PS. The nuke plant doesn't make me warmer but I hope to get ten pound grapes that glow

 

[ibglowin]

Have you thought about a cold hardy hybrid? They have some excellent ones these days that would fit the bill without fighting each winter to keep them alive.

 

[oregondabbler]

Have you thought about a cold hardy hybrid? They have some excellent ones these days that would fit the bill without fighting each winter to keep them alive.

Second the idea of growing hybrids. When I started out with my vineyard, I had no idea how intensive the spray schedule is for European grapes. If I were starting from scratch, I'd put in hybrids, no question.

The hybrids are not only cold hardy but many are resistant to disease. Vinifera requires spray for powdery mildew every 7-10 days throughout the season or no crop. One can go longer (29 days) if they use a more toxic systemic spray but that's not a good alternative for a backyard grower. Hybrids not so much spraying needed if at all.

Grapes that glow in the dark? That option would allow you to spray a night. Something to think about.