grow questions

[shrewsbury]

as always, thanks for your time.

As planting season gets closer and closer I have been trying to plan things out as detailed as possible. As a result I have a few questions.

Grow tubes:

I plan on using the blue grow tubes. After doing some research it seems that it is recommended to not use grow tubes in the winter. It seems it has to do with moisture, which I understand, but I would think it would provide an nice added layer of protection from some possible cold, windy, snowy, Lake Erie winters.

Should I remove the grow tubes before winter comes? If so, should I remove them when the temps fall or when the snow falls?

I have also read that certain beetles love to gather inside the tubes. Is there anything I can do to prevent this? What should I do if I find beetles in my grow tubes?

Thanks again,

Jay

 

[TonyR]

I would remove the grow tubes in July, that gives the vines plenty of time to harden off before winter and it will keep the mildew down. As far as bugs, i find that seven works just fine. Hope for a lot of snow it will help the young vines as it will act as an insulator.

 

[dorfie]

To my memory the reason for removing the grow tubes may be two fold. First you would want to remove them when temps first start to drop, in order to give your vines time to harden off before the cold comes. if you don't the plants may get more damaged by the cold since they are used to a nice warm and protected environment.
Second is that it has been shown that leaving the tubes on can cause cold injury to the trunk. I would think that this is mostly due to the first reason, but they could also keep the vine warmer, so that the tissues may not go as dormant. Then the cold could damage the plant more then if the vine is deeply dormant.
Not sure on how to avoid bugs. i have seen it, but never heard how to fight it.
Just my thoughts! what all are you planting?

 

[shrewsbury]

Vidal Blanc, 116 in total.

 

[CTDrew]

I would think too about trying some vines with the tubes and some without to see if you really get a benefit from them at your site. I find I learn a lot by being able to compare different techniques in my hobby vineyards. For me here in Connecticut I find that the grow tubes give me good protection from the deer but make the vine a bit weaker going into winter - more green growth so I don't bother. You may find the opposite to be true at your site, who knows.