oregondabbler
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2014
- Messages
- 101
- Reaction score
- 31
Catching up at the end of 2015 winter/spring nexus
Just a few more days will mark the beginning of spring. Its been a busy winter, big barn got a new roof and an electrical service panel. Digging that trench during the winter months was not my favorite chore
. After that, the campaign to prune the vineyard took my attention. I don't know about the other growers but for me, pruning even my piddly 280 vines is a test of will and endurance. Granted, the vineyard needed extra work after the long period of neglect, but really, pruning is not a new age activity. Towards the end of the campaign, I went down with a sore back and had to rehab before going back out there.
Anyway, 40-50 hours of quiet time tending the vines, listening to the hawks cry as they defended their territory (I decided that the vineyard is their territory and I'm just tending it so that the voles will have something to feed on and get fat for the hawks.) and its done! I can re-join the 21st century.
Last year, the grapes were just barely ripe enough in time. Brix came in OK but low and pH/acidity indicated that they were just barely ripe enough. This is not new to me and I gave lots of thought to why. There are a lot of variables, of course but the one I'm focusing on this year is pruning method. This year, I cut the vines back to the minimum. I think I was leaving too many buds for vines that aren't vigorous enough to handle the growth. Maybe this I overcropped but maybe there wasn't a balance between vine growth and grapes. This was one of the reasons my pruning campaign took so long...I cut the vines back pretty hard this year.
It's just a beginning but one that I can at least say is off to a good start. I have a few projects in the works for the year and I'll share them with you as they develop. Pictures are forthcoming. Now where is that glass of wine?
Just a few more days will mark the beginning of spring. Its been a busy winter, big barn got a new roof and an electrical service panel. Digging that trench during the winter months was not my favorite chore
. After that, the campaign to prune the vineyard took my attention. I don't know about the other growers but for me, pruning even my piddly 280 vines is a test of will and endurance. Granted, the vineyard needed extra work after the long period of neglect, but really, pruning is not a new age activity. Towards the end of the campaign, I went down with a sore back and had to rehab before going back out there. Anyway, 40-50 hours of quiet time tending the vines, listening to the hawks cry as they defended their territory (I decided that the vineyard is their territory and I'm just tending it so that the voles will have something to feed on and get fat for the hawks.) and its done! I can re-join the 21st century.
Last year, the grapes were just barely ripe enough in time. Brix came in OK but low and pH/acidity indicated that they were just barely ripe enough. This is not new to me and I gave lots of thought to why. There are a lot of variables, of course but the one I'm focusing on this year is pruning method. This year, I cut the vines back to the minimum. I think I was leaving too many buds for vines that aren't vigorous enough to handle the growth. Maybe this I overcropped but maybe there wasn't a balance between vine growth and grapes. This was one of the reasons my pruning campaign took so long...I cut the vines back pretty hard this year.
It's just a beginning but one that I can at least say is off to a good start. I have a few projects in the works for the year and I'll share them with you as they develop. Pictures are forthcoming. Now where is that glass of wine?
