Crown gall?

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I really am interested in the soil drench method, and soaking the vines in Actinovate. I will do this when I plant my new vines this spring.
One thing I noticed is that the gall started with one vine and seemed to spread to the vines next to it. I Have never had a spray program of any sort, as I have never had a mildew problem. I wonder now if spraying for mildew would help.
 
Crown gall can spread but it is also in the soil - everywhere. Spray won't help. Clean practices and protecting vines from damage (cold, animals, weed eaters) are the best preventive measures.
 
I guess the idea is that the Actinovate bacteria colonies in the soil will out compete the gall bacteria, at least that's what I read. And proper hygiene is a must as well. Once upon a time, I would use my dirty hands (after pulling weeds) to rub off sprouts. It dawned on me that I was carries contagion from the soil directly to the wound I was making. Not smart on my part, but wisdom doesn't come from a book, but from a strong desire to not repeat stupid things one has done.
 
I just had an revelation. While out cleaning around vines this morning, I noticed small snails around the base of several vines. So I wondered if there was a connection between them and crown gall. Some investigation shows that there may be. It seems to be a concern for blueberry growers so why not grape vines. I guess since they live in the soil, they could be carriers of the Agrobacterium that causes galling. Any knowledge to share or ideas on this?
 
Well I know I don’t have any snails in the vineyard. I have tons in my flower beds.
I have torn out all my Baco vines. I feel they were prone to frost damage, thus the gall damage.
 
I'm having trouble keeping my Cab Franc vines alive as well. As for the snails, I noticed 2 or 3 on the base of several vines this morning. I think they are working on the bark, which may be allowing the gall bacteria in. Of course the few I found today will no longer bother me, there are probably bunches more I don't see. I'm going to get some cheap beer and set some 'snail traps' out to see what I catch. I'm just not sure about using some of the snail baits on the market, unless someone here has tried it before.
 
Dennis, I am wondering about your Cab Franc. I am 6a also. Most of my cab franc are back to sprouting from the ground at the beginning of year three. I had canes horizontally on the trellis and was expecting a good year. I am about ready to pull mine up. Where are you with yours?
 
Out of the original 11 planted, only 4 have survived. Plus one cane that came up from the 101-14 root stock that I plan on grafting to. None of the surviving vines have done well. I believe the 101-14 root stock is resistant to galling, so I want to graft America to it as a trial. Here is what the current (sad) group of Cab Franc vines look like.

Dead.
IMG_0214.JPG

101-14 stock to be grafted.
IMG_0215.JPG

Only one cane this year.
IMG_0216.JPG

This one budded up this spring, then died. This happened to many of the 11 that I planted, which makes me wonder if they are really suited for this area (Southern Ohio). We get warm days in the spring which can have a few cold nights all the way to the middle of May.
IMG_0218.JPG

SO, bottom line, I don't think the Cab Franc variety is a good fit for my area. If the root stock (101-14) survives, then I'll graft something else onto it and keep the established root system.
 
The Cab Franc issue is interesting. I just planted 8 as a test. I'll keep you posted.

*I rarely see freeze damage
 
The dead vine shown had some signs of galling. But, the others that died were killed (IMO) in a late spring freeze. These vines seemed to be ready for the season and was ready for bud break, after a May freeze (2 years in a row), all activity ceased, leading me to my conclusion. These vines where planted in 2019, and did well the first year. But then it got cold and I lost a few in 2020, and even more this year.
 

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