Blossom Ridge Vineyards

[AlFulchino]

i was going to say the same thing but Rich beat me to it

 

[BonnieJoy]

Thanks Al & Rich for your consistent encouragement. I do love the view from this site. Perhaps one dayI can post pics as spectacular as yours have been. I've learned a lot from our threads.

 

[BonnieJoy]

Ooops. I meant YOUR threads

 

[Chatty Kathy]

Let me introduce myself. My name is Kathy and I assist Bonnie Joywith the 80-vine Blossom Ridge Vineyards. I do the things Bonnie Joy does not like to do…like spraying the vines.
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We have tried to spray with organic compounds and are not having much success this year. We are currently dealing with some black rot and anthracnose. We have, thus far, used GreenCure. I have convinced Bonnie Joy that we must use the “dreaded” chemicals she wants to avoid if we are to have the healthy vines we need to produce the best quality grapes we can for the great wine she hopes to make. We expect to have our first harvest in 2011.
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I have contacted our county extension agent who, because there are very few grapevines in our county, must depend on the information he receives from Dr. Bruce Bordelon of <?amespace prefix = st1 ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficearttags" /><ST1LACE><ST1LACENAME>Purdue</ST1LACENAME> <ST1LACE>University</ST1LACE></ST1LACE>. Responding to another grower with the same issues we are having at Blossom Ridge Vineyards, Dr. Bordelon wrote:
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“It’s too late this season to do anything about the damage. The berries will become resistant to further infection soon if not already. Next year, he needs to follow the guidelines in ID-146 Controlling Pests in the Home Fruit Planting. <ST1LACE><ST1:CITY>Mr.</ST1:CITY> <ST1:STATE>Conn</ST1:STATE></ST1LACE> was correct about the product of choice...it’s Immunox with the active ingredient myclobutanil. It is systemic and much more effective against black rot than the more commonly applied Captan. With all the rain this year, I’ve seen lots of black rot, anthracnose, Phomopsis, and downy mildew.”
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The link to ID-146 is http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/ID-146.pdf and the grape chart is #11.<O></O>
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We had <ST1:METRICCoNVERTER ProductID="3”">3”</ST1:METRICCoNVERTER> of rain in March, <ST1:METRICCoNVERTER ProductID="5”">5”</ST1:METRICCoNVERTER> in April, <ST1:METRICCoNVERTER ProductID="6.6”">6.6”</ST1:METRICCoNVERTER> in May, <ST1:METRICCoNVERTER ProductID="4”">4”</ST1:METRICCoNVERTER> in June. And we have had a typical <ST1LACE>Midwest</ST1LACE> summer of high heat and high humidity.
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Here are my questions:
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1) Has anyone had any success using GreenCure?
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2) Manzate Pro-Stick looks like it would take care of just about anything with a couple of exceptions. I could use it and switch to Immunox when it gets too close to harvest to use the Manzate. The thing I like about Immunox is that it can be used up until two weeks of harvest and has a 12-hour re-entry period. It is also available just about anywhere. Does this seem like a good plan?
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3) There is also a product called Maximum that contains both mancozeb and myclobutanil. Anyone familiar with that product?
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I will be spraying this year as Al suggested in another threadand then will follow a strictspraying schedule next year. I will also have a soil analysis done.
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Comments appreciated.<O></O>

 

[grapeman]

Welcome Chatty Kathy. I'm glad you are helping Bonnie Joy out. I have never met a person yet who has had much sucess going strictly organic. It seems to be the goal and desire of all beginning growers, but they soon realize if they ever want a crop, they must use a regular spray schedule. That doesn't mean spraying nasty stuff. You can get by with less toxic products, but they need to be sprayed more often.


Here in NY we use a slightly different spray routine than there, but the principals are the same.


I use Manzate Pro Stick regularly and have used it in the past as the basis of my spray program for 20,000 tomato plants. It is very effective against many diseases, but you need to throw in something to cover powdery mildew when conditions warrant it. I typically use Manzate along with either Rally or Elite- in rotation. That lessens the liklihood of developing resistance to the products. As I need to control insects, I begin to add that. Generally Sevin works well. In the past I have used Imidan as it gives longer control, but it has a two week re-entry time making it hard to do the vineyard work in a timely manner.


About now the grapes become imeune to the black rot as stated by the extension agent, but you need to continue spraying for other things. I have applied 5 sprays so far this season and have had good control of most things. I am seeing a bit of damage from Grape Berry Moths, so I will need to be more timely with Sevin applications in the future. I think they are worse than normal because of all the heat we have had this year. We have had 40 percent more growing degree days so far this year over last year and 20 percent more than in a typical year.


Good luck with the vines and say hi to Bonnie for me!

 

[AlFulchino]

i have not used Green Cure nor Immunox, though i have heard good things about Immunox, my regimen contains the aresenal of Manzate prostick , Pristine, ELite, JMS Stylet Oil ( the organic version, but i dont hink there is any more diference than cost)...and i have some captan though i have never used,...in four yrs i have yet to use an insectictide....good luck i am sure but i will take it

by the way..chemicals can be a mit of a misnomer..i am no expert but when an active ingredient for an insecticise is things like zinc, magnesium and hort. oil....i dont get to up in arms about it....the first two are trace elements we feed our plants any ways

 

[Wade E]

As someone who does not have a vineyard I still love to read these posts and the help given to others in these posts. You guys are the best and the reason I love some places on the net!

 

[Chatty Kathy]

Thanks so much for the input. Along with the research I have done, I now have the information I need for what I need to do (as far as spraying goes) for the rest of this growing season and next year. We WILL have healthy, productive vines!

 

[Waldo]

Welcome Kathy..Glad to have you onboard.

 

[Chatty Kathy]

Re. Manzate or Immunox: is it really necessary to wear full-body armour when applying; i.e., gloves, goggles, mask? I will be using a 2 1/2 gal. pressure tank which I will carry or pull in a cart up and down the rows. Do the MSDS err on the side of caution or must they always be followed to the letter? The strongest chemical I have ever used was Sevin and I went sans all the aforementioned items and had no issues. This is an ongoing debate here at the farm and needs to be resolved. Thnx!

 

[AlFulchino]

well, what you are willing to do and what the legal responsibility of the land owners are can be two different things....i am assuming someone is licensed to apply products..if the harvest is going to be available to the public then get licensed


if i was to go without equipment, it would be w a fungicide and NOT an insecticide..i am not making a blanket statement to not use protective gear...so many factors influence the danger level...wind among them

even if you are willing to go w/o protective gear i know someone would feel bad if you got sick/poisoned.......if i was applying the chemicals in the same manner as you then you gotta make sure things are down wind from you

since the risks are so high ...why not just get some rain gear and a mask...they dont cost much

 

[xanxer82]

Highly recommend a respirator and a rain slicker at the least and some good gloves.

 

[AlFulchino]

and a pesticide app license

 

[Chatty Kathy]

Thnx for the input and recommendations!

 

[BonnieJoy]

Thought I'd post an update on the doins here in NE Indiana. Now in progress is the upgrade to a climate controlled room in the back of my pole barn. Using 1.5" Tuff-R foam sheeting between studs, dropped a ceiling under the roof trusses. Having a closed cell foam contractor spray 1" over the walls + 2" between ceiling rafters over the Tuff-R foam board. He also sprayed the metal roof + gable w/ 2" of foam. That room faces SW and used to get hotter than heck. Hoping all this effort pays off. I figure the walls to be R-17 + combined ceilings R-33. I'll try to post some pics later. Does anyone have suggestions for how to treat the concrete floor? I want to avoid any off-gassing from materials in this room so my wines to pick up any off-odors. I was gonna use something pre-finished on the walls/ceiling. Open to other's ideas here too. Oh yes, in case you wondered, the room is 8' x 24'. Obviously, vertical storage is gonna be needed to allow floor space. The vineyard is only 76 vines + sized for about 80 - 100 gallons under full maturity.

 

[grapeman]

Sounds great Bonnie. I can't wait for the pictures!

 

[AlFulchino]

yep..pics......if the floor can have a drain installed...it helps in cleaning

 

[BonnieJoy]

OK - here's a pic of the blanket of spray foam on the barn ceiling &amp; gable before I finished installing all of theTuff-R on the walls &amp; dropped ceiling.


Al - I had a floor drain installed in that room before the concrete slab was poured.


Still need to work with a plumber to get running water run out there. Until then, I can use a camper hose from the back of the house to my location.


Also in the pic is a heavy dutymetal shelving unit on casters that I can move about in the room as needed. It will likely hold bottling equipment.

 

[AlFulchino]

watch all your roof vents and soffits real good......bees smell whats going on inside as do other things....i had some bees set up shop real fast and found them this spring and got them out

keep the pics coming

 

[BonnieJoy]

Updated pics on the future winery's insulation project.