And so I begin

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I'm not an expert on weed control nor do I play one on T.V but I'm not sure spraying glyphosate right after you've just transplanted is such a great idea. GS is broad spectrum and doesn't discriminate which roots it wants to kill. Even spraying around the vines will introduce some GS into the root area. Just something to think about.


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GS doesn't kill by getting into the root system. It kills by being absorbed through the foliage. Glyphosate's mode of action is to inhibit an enzyme involved in the synthesis of the amino acids. If there are no leaves it should be safe. But I would still use cation if you have small buds.
 
Well I got the triple 16 and dolomite lime put on each plant this week. Today I talked to my "grape consultant" and he told me the name of the weed control again, Devrinol 50-DF. I picked up 4 lbs and mixed it an applied it to my dirt areas, hoping I don't have weed issues.

I see I have a few plants that have sprouted, most have not, but at least 10% have little leaves. I see a couple plants that look like they may not have made it, we will see if they grow something or I need to get a new plant in its location.

A few pics from this morning.





 
GS doesn't kill by getting into the root system. It kills by being absorbed through the foliage. Glyphosate's mode of action is to inhibit an enzyme involved in the synthesis of the amino acids. If there are no leaves it should be safe. But I would still use cation if you have small buds.

Yes and no, order jein. It depends which scientists you believe, industry or activists. Point I was trying to make is it ends up in the soil, add rain, diffusion. One application can take 6 months to two years to break down in the soil. Meaning it *may* (proof that it does, proof that it doesnt) end up in your wine. GS is forbidden in most European A.O.C vineyards. Weeds are natural, as long as the vines are not grass dominated they pose no threat. GS *may* pose a threat.


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Oooooh who doesn't love a good old fashioned conspiracy theory!

I know I do, lol.
Too much of anything is bad, even compost. Everything in moderation.
The one time I used a GS weed killer in my vegetable garden it killed a lot more than just the weeds and I used it conservatively. That was my experience with it, YMMV.

Anyways back to the vineyard ;
Looking great! My new transplants still look like candles. I'm sure seeing them produce leaves is reassuring to know that at least they are not dead. I'm still in that nervous waiting period. A few of my older vines already have a tiny little cluster or two. It's exciting to already see what will hopefully be harvested.


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Picked up my drip irrigation this weekend. 1500ft of 18mm tubing, and 350 1/2 gph drippers, and a handful of fitting to connect it all. Also got a filter and pressure regulator. Total bill was $230, which is going to be a lot better than the time it would take me to hand water the plants this summer.

Uncoiled the tubing Sunday and have it laying down the rows, as the tubing relaxes from its tight coiled stage to being relatively straight.

Rain forecasted all week, once it dries out a bit, I will staple the tubing down and punch in the drippers.
 
When I trans planted my grapes they all looked like sticks. Most of them are doing quite nicely, but some of them show no sign of life. I tied a ribbon around the ones that are not showing any life so I could keep an eye on them. They are either slow starters or have died :i I had about 25 Pinot Gris left over when I ran out of field, and those plants are doing quite nice. So I dug up some of the plants that are doing well and replaced them with the ones that dont look so good. Hopefully I didn't kill those plants with a transplant when they were bopping along so well.

The dead looking ones, had a nice root structure, maybe I just needed to be more patient. But it is hard to have a stick in the field, and a healthy plant you are just going to till under soon, so I swapped them out.

Here is a pic of a plant I dug up, and replaced.


 
your vineyard looks beautiful can't wait to see the trellis up. Bet you can't wait!
 
Its been a while, I have the drip system in complete now, plants are doing fine except for a few that didn't make it. I just put stakes in so I can tie up the plants as they grow. Wish I would have done that before the ground started to get a hard crust on top :slp



 
Looking great. When are you going to put you trellis system in and what type are you thinking about. The longer you wait on installation, the more trouble it is to put opinion and not have the vines in the way. Just some more to consider. Cheers, Gary



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Thanks,

This grape growing business is slow :sl I keep thinking I should have more growth than I do. I have called my buddy who is helping me, he told me to give them a 1/4 lb of 20/10/10 if they are not growing fast enough, so I added that this week. It has been very dry, no rain in a month until today. Warm weather and my ground has been dry on top so I keep running the drippers thinking they are thirsty :slp My buddy loaned me a moisture meter, stick the probe in the ground and it gives me a reading, he told me I should be between 3 and 4, I probed the area around my grapes and I am 8 or 9, maybe I have been over watering them :< thinking if a little bit is good, more is better.

I will put up trellis next spring, my buddy who hasn't lead me wrong yet, told me to never spend any money today you can spend tomorrow :sm I may sell the house and move, my grapes may die, I may want a different crop, don't buy and put up trellis until you need them in the third year. So I will follow that advice. Post and wire to come later.

Took a pic tonight, most plants are growing fairly well, a couple had a leaf then appear to have died :( A few never made the transplant. I think at least 85-90% of them are doing pretty good. I will fill in with more plants when I can harvest cuttings this fall.

 
Time for my monthly update. I am still at it trying to learn the grape growing business.

These grapes are taking a little more time than I thought they would. I keep having to go tie up plants so they go vertical up the stakes. Some grow quite well, some not so much.

I seem to have developed a dwarf variety. ;) I have a dozen or so plants that have grown a single leaf and proceed to think that is all they want to do.



I have plants that have grown to the top of the 4' stake and are looking for something else to grab on to.



For the most part they are doing well. I have some plants that have died, maybe a dozen or so of the 320 didn't make the transplant. I will be collecting additional cuttings this fall to fill in those holes.



Weather has been hot hot hot, I think I will go water them again.
 
If nothing else I have learned plenty on this journey so far.

I wish the vineyard supply had stakes longer than 4' with about 8 inches in the ground I don't have much more than 3 feet above the ground. I plan to top wire these grapes and want my plants in the 4.5 to 5 foot tall zone. When the plants outgrew my stakes, they started flopping over, Tonight took some 4 foot stakes and cut them into 16 inches and added them to the stakes in the ground with some electrical tape. Its not your classic vineyard look :slp but I think it will work for now.



I wish I would have put in the trellis this year, but with the ground as hard as it is now, I will have to wait until this winter to get post in the ground and wire stung.

Spending more time tying up plants than I had imagined. Maybe I am just slow
 
Coming along nicely. Jealous of the wine you will be making in a few years! Too funny on the poles! :)
 
I don't post much on this site, but I do enjoy reading other threads.

I took a couple pics of the vineyard this morning. Plants coming along nicely. I have a few holes to fill in with new plants, but I am pretty happy with my uneducated, inexperienced attempt at making this happen.



 
Well it looks like my growing season is coming to an end. Have not had a freeze yet, and my plants still have new green growth off the top, though they are not reaching for the sky as fast as this summer. It wont be long now....

My end of the year tally is, I transplanted 320 grapes this spring, 34 went on to the big vine in the sky and I will need to replant those. I talked to the winery/vineyard where I got my plants and they said no problem to come get some more cuttings when they prune, and to stick two cuttings in the ground at each location hoping one of them grows.

A little over 200 plants got tall enough I will leave them be to proceed into next year. The balance of the plants will be pruned back to two buds and get to try and be a big boy plant next summer. Hopefully they come out of the gate growing faster than this year, being an established plant, they should grow better next year.

All 34 plants that died were Pinot Noir, every one of my Pinot Gris made it, and only a couple Gris did not get tall enough and will be cut back. I conclude Pinto Noirs are harder to grow than Gris


I need to get some post and wire up soon. I am having a problem with my bamboo stakes breaking off when a storm blows thru, maybe if the leaves would drop they wouldn't blow over so bad. I am waiting for a little more rain so I can drive the post in the ground easier. This clay soil gets pretty hard in the summer. I am not looking forward to driving post and stringing wire, but the time as home.

Shot of my grapes before work yesterday.



In talking to the winery/vineyard I got my plants from, they harvested 500,000 pounds of grapes this year. They put up 20,000 gallons of juice, about 178,000lbs went to California, and the balance were sold locally to other wineries. They machine picked their grapes for the first time I was told. Sounded like an interesting shaking the grapes off the plant process.
 

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