Maine vineyard

[bilbo-in-maine]

Heh-heh, I appreciate the levity Rich

. If I can somehow keep the critters off the berries, then yes, I might very well be able to fill several 187's. So, how long 'til next season?

Farmer, thanks for your success story. It helps with the decision.

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Hi all, the vineyard made it through the winter quite well and the vines put on the most flower clusters I've ever seen here. I pruned to allow a few varieties to establish top wire cordons this summer in order to emulate Rich's 4-arm Kniffen conversions. Did this with Frontenacs, St. Croix, Foch and St. Pepin.
The growing season has been off to a slow start due to a cool, rainy spring. All varieties are at various stages of blooming but three days in a row of quite cool, wet weather has temporarily halted the development of blossoms. I'm getting nervous about the possibility of delicate flowers damping off or not properly self-pollinating since it is so wet. While other varieties have at least started flowering, the St. Pepin hasn't. I'm hoping that something is still in bloom by the time St. Pepin finally flowers since it needs another variety to pollinate. I'm also hoping for a long, hot summer to make up for the miserable spring start and current slowdown here in coastal Maine. There's no getting around the fact, farmers and hobbyists alike are always at the mercy of the weather gods.

 

[Waldo]

bilbo...come here boy...look, you have been on here long enough to know that we like pictures...It's ok..awwwww crap..don't start crying now. Just get your butt out there and get them pictures and get em posted....I know, I know, but that no excuse..Just Get er done !!!

 

[grapeman]

Thanks for gving us an update . We appreciate it. It has indeed been a wet spring. Just yesterday another grower and I wee exchanging e-mails. He too is concerned about the wet weather affecting bllom and set and he saw quite a few htat hadn't seemed to set. I observed another stange phenomenon this year. Some of the St Pepin had perfect flowers meaning they had both parts which they normally don't have. They had some anthers on them and not just the pistils.


Good luck with them bilbo and I hope for a long warm summer for you.

 

[Wade E]

Hope your grapes do well this year Bilbo. Its sure a very wet one here in New England this year. This is the first year my lawn isnt burnt to a crisp already by this time.

 

[lieu]

hey bilbo,
I was in Maine this am and boy was it pouring. Got back to RI around mid afternoon and was sunny out. Hopefully the sun came out up your way also.

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Is anyone else in northern New England seeing a really slow start to veraison? I'd like to know if it is common and a result of growing conditions this summer, or if it is just my vineyard that is unusual. Only Marquette is showing any color, while Frontenac Gris has begun to soften and blush up a bit.

 

[grapeman]

We are at about the same point as last year here inNorthern NY. Most varieties are showing at least some color with even a few berries turning on Steuben,Catawaba and Concord. The Marquette, Leon Millow and Frontenac are mostly colored. Brix is around 15 or so.

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Thanks Rich, it sounds like your area is on a faster track in general. I've often thought that the tempering effect of the nearby ocean may play a role in vine development here.

 

[OilnH2O]

Bill, go back and look at Waldo's post -- or I'm blind!

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

I think it was the hurricane...



Several days before Irene was due, our state extension service sent out a
general advisory to growers of curcurbit type crops recommending that
the growers spray immediately for fungal diseases that would be blown
into the region from areas to the south. I now wish I had taken the
advisory more seriously and had anticipated that grapes could be
affected in a similar way.



My vines have been very healthy all summer with several general sprays,
the last occurring early in August. They were still in great shape the
weekend of the hurricane, a few vines even still showed spray residue here
and there. Now, a little more than a week later I have a raging
infection of downy mildew in the St. Pepin and St. Croix. No signs of PM
(yet) on anything, nothing else funny going on, but on several St.
Pepin vines well over half of the leaves are infested and it has moved
at amazing speed. Unfortunately I've had to wait out a day of rain to
get some spray on it.



I'm spraying with chlorothalomil, the main ingredient in Bravo
fungicide. It is called a broad spectrum fungicide so I'm hoping it will
knock out the DM, just have to wait and see now. I wanted to let others
know that the next time a major storm visits your area from other
parts, it might be good insurance to spray your grapes in advance.

I know, I know, everyone likes to see photos.

I'll have to try harder...

 

[AlFulchino]

interesting...i had not seen any down mildew in my vineyard in four yrs...today during our initial half ton of harvest i noted some downy on one vine that has a particularly dense canopy.....of course i wont be spraying now until harvest is over....but this too may have been part of the aftermath of Irene...good luck to you!

 

[grapeman]

If you spray phosporous acid - Rampart, Starphyt,Prohyt- it will kill downy on contact. It doesn't have much of a residual effect, but killing it is important. It has no PHI and re-entry time is merely a few hours. It is a form of liquid fertilizer.

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Al, nor had I for those same four years. This is the first experience with it. Usually I can expect a little PM on certain vines and the chlorothalonil seems to have handled that so far. Good luck with the rest of the harvest.

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Thanks for that info Rich. I'm calling around but having no luck so far with the local greenhouse supply or garden center type places. Do you know where you would go for one of those products?

 

[grapeman]

Crop Production Services in Vt should be able to help. Call Peg at 866-827-2777. If they cant serve you, they should be able to give you the local office number.

 

[AlFulchino]

and since you are in maine...look for randy drown right in Maine...he is w crop production..if you cant locate him or them, send me a message and i will get you his number

 

[Wade E]

Sorry to hear about your crops taking hits like this. Hopefully you can nip it in the bud before it gets any worse.

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Thank you Wade. Like you, our area is getting much more rain than is needed or wanted. The soggy ground lets the posts loosen up with the breezes, just like Rich was describing at his place.

Rich and Al, I managed to find a phosphorous acid based product called Phostrol, just picked it up this morning from Paris Farmers Union up in Oxford, in case any other Maine growers have noticed this thread and also need some help with downy mildew all of a sudden.

I'd be spraying but I just have to wait now for the rain to stop...

 

[grapeman]

Bill unless it is raining steady, you can spray it on. Get full coverage- rain will actually help spread it and this will kill the infection. I would use the high rate. If the rain comes steady after applying, wait another day or so until it stops and then spray again for better control. It works on contact, so it doesn't need to dry on to work. Downside is if it washes off, no protective properties.