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@vinny Very nice explanations. I learned from them. You have a talent. @Bobbyrohr88 good luck. Let us know how it goes.

Done it 2 times. Once with rhubarb which added some acid. Both were good. Picking wasn’t the problem but removing greens was tedious. Had yellow fingers for a while. Also used Jack K for starting recipe.

I have made a straight mead and infused with fresh ginger slices during aging. Was a nice batch. Was subtle but there.

I have also used Sevin and it controls phylloxera well. Probably just haven’t done the tests to list it.

I assume you mean it had significant foliar phylloxera (leaf galls). This can be controlled with timely applications of insecticide but it will probably still be in the soil and show up again on a replacement vine. I don't worry about it unless it affects more than half the foliage. Most vines...

Welcome. Also from south central MN.

Grapes definitely like 'dry feet' as they say. I have a corner of my vineyard that is wet all summer when there is normal rain fall. It does not do well at all those years. Last year with little rainfall, it did OK but the rest of the vines did much better. This was a row that I did not have dug...

If you really have 18" of black soil over clay, it doesn't seem like this area has been tilled for row crops before, but you may want to dig to 3 x 3 feet and mix the soil/clay when planting to break the hard pack layer between tillage and subsoil. Drainage has been my biggest problem and...

I live in south central Minnesota, and have about 60 vines. I agree that the evergreens probably won't have much effect for acidity as long as they are not right next to the vines. But if they are north of the vines the wind block is a plus although most of MN wind comes from the west (insert...

Just filtered and bottled 12 gallons using the AIO Pump. It works great! I love that the bottles are filled to a consistent level. Hard to do with a siphon. Definitely some of the best equipment I have. And I have to second the savings on the back.

I make wine with Valiant as a blend. As stated above, it is similar to a Concord flavor. I tend to use it in a blend with Frontenac and Frontenac Gris as a port style wine. The Frontenac's can have very high acid and the flavors go together in my opinion. The Valiant vines are VERY hardy...

Just to uphold our Minnesota pride (almost as big as Texas'), Marquette`s were developed in Minnesota. They are a Midwest thing that can be grown on the east coast. And glad to hear the west coast also.;)

This happens regularly with my Marquette vines. So much that I am replacing them this year. A vineyard operator near Carver, MN told me several years ago that he had the same problem and took out all of his Marquette. He told me it is from freeze damage to the trunk. Most of the capillaries(?)...

I would think VSP would be easier to coat than my setup. 60 PSI is substantial. But I don’t have the same varieties as you.

@mbrssmd I have a 30 Gallon spot sprayer I bought at Tractor Supply, County Line brand?. I think that’s a Tractor Supply store brand. It has a pump with a 2.1 GPM rating, 60 PSI pressure switch. It has a manifold with an agitation line back to the tank, a port to the spray wand and another where...

Welcome. Also in Mn near Mankato. Don't sell the UMN and Swenson and Plocher grapes short. I grow a few but many vineyards around here. I also make fruit and honey wines. Plenty of things to choose from around the great north.

In this video from Tom - Pruning Equipment for Manual Pruning, he uses a battery powered Sawzall. Plenty to choose from on Amazon, etc. I'm going to try one this year.

"Tea bags have flavor and color additives in them, so I suggest using natural black tea leaves." seems like a over-reaching statement. Have you researched them all? And I would ask, where in Minnesota can I find tea leaves from Iran which probably have an embargo against imports? If you are in...

Yes, the GPM needs to be adequate but. Sprayer pumps are rated at a 0 PSI (free flow) or 0 head so do not expect to get the label GPM once you attach a hose and wand. The spec I would be most concerned, actually 2, is it a bypass or on demand pump. And what is the pressure rating. The difference...

For Earl Grey, I would probably use at least 20 bags. I like my tea full strength. The recipe I used from Jack used white grape frozen concentrate for yeast food. For Earl Grey I think dark raisins or Concord grape concentrate would be better. I did add some Acacia Gum for mouthfeel.