Any frost damage?

[bilbo-in-maine]

California has been hammered this spring, with huge crop losses apparently. Has anyone on the forum also had frost damage (yet)? None here in Maine so far. Three of my six northern varieties are at bud swell - now I start holding my breath. Good luck to everyone!

 

[grapeman]

I took bud development survey ratings this week twice down at Willsboro- including today. All but 2 out of 25 varieties are well into budswell and about 5 varieties have started budburst. At home my most developed variety is Frontenac and they are a bit behind at Willsboro. The most developed there are the Baco Noir with being well into budburst- more like one-inch growth. No signs of frost damage yet and keeping my fingers crossed also. These last 2 days have really advanced their development.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Wish I had some buds to worry about.....

Last year fruit trees and bushes were blooming now....bees were pretty scare, but fruit got pollinated thanks to Bumble Bees and other insects.

This year a whole other story....No leaves, no buds and fewer insects...

Nature is taking it's course.....Mother Nature Rules!!!

 

[Waldo]

I can remember having some really good "buds" one year but they were not on grape vines

 

[NorthernWinos]

Waldo...How can you remember that????
I can't recall much about the past.....

 

[Waldo]

They wuz "sticky" NW almost like they were coated in honey. Made you see music and hear colors

Edited by: Waldo

 

[NorthernWinos]

Some drink to remember....
Some drink to forget.

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Well, back on topic... (it is good to hear that others can remember the dim past - I sure can't)

My Frontenac look to be about the last variety to break bud. They aren't even showing much swelling yet. The St. Pepin, St. Croix and Foch are all just about to break. In the table grapes, the Canadice, Vanessa and Interlaken all have leaves unfurled and are ahead of the wine varieties. Several days of HEAT would do the trick, but that is something pretty scarce here. At least there is no frost in the near future.

 

[grapeman]

It is definitely strange how Frontenac varies so much from site to site. At Willsboro the Frontenac Gris are about 2 days ahead of the Frontenac. At home the Frontenac are ahead of everything. There are some shoots over an inch long-closer to two. At Willsboro the Baco Noir are really ahead of everything, and yet the Landot isn't even hardly swelling any. Even my Chardonel which are late, are swelling nicely. I'm not sure the Alden will make it another year without me replacing them. Not very many buds and there was very vigorous growth last year on them. I have 12 of them at the end of a row of Leon Millot and may just replace them with more Leon Millot.



I got my Marquette planted last week and staked with growtubes. I put them on the edge of my driveway where the grass dries up every year.

 

[moto-girl]

Aww, Waldo!

 

[OilnH2O]

Bill, two of the L. Millot cuttings you sent me have buds, so they survived the winter. The remainder, including the M. Foch are looking... well, let's just say "nothing yet!"

But I have 25 bare root Pinot noir vines that just arrived and are waiting for holes!

 

[grapeman]

25 holes over there is going to be work with the pick and shovel. Better employ the services of a couple stout lads- don't you have one or two there? Hope all goes well for you. A lot of this country has had a hard time with their grapes freezing this year.

 

[OilnH2O]

BOY HOWDY!

You are not far wrong on the "pick and shovel" bit. To dig the holes here it is a couple of hits on the post-hole digger, 3-4 minutes with the pry bar, then get out the rocks/dirt with the phd, then the pry bar again, then the phd -- and repeat!

(Even on our hillside, the whole area was once a huge, glacial lake, and the ground is cobbles and dirt -- waaaay down!

When I dug the holes for the posts (2 feet +) if I got one hole completed in 30 minutes of that dig/pry/dig/pry, etc, I was happy!