Muscat Canelli vines growing differently

[texaswinemaker]

Hello all,

I planted Muscat Canelli vines in March of this year (Spring, TX). They all were planted the exact same way. I dug holes approximately 3 feet deep and 3 feet around and mixed high quality organic soil with native soil. They receive the same amount of sunlight and there is nothing particularly abnormal about my area. I understand that Texas is not the ideal muscat region but this region is still acceptable for growing muscat.

Here is my dilemma, The center vine is growing like a weed. It is sooo happy, but the vines on either side of happy vine are growing very slowly comparatively. Any ideas on what could be going wrong?

Also, can anyone help me determine what is chewing on my vine leaves? I don't want to apply anything that could harm the vine in trying to deal with the pests.

If anyone can offer any advice or suggestions for improving my modest set up I would very much appreciate it. No need to be gentle, I can take it!

Thank you.

 

[Sparky]

Difficult to see from the angles. The smaller plants appear healthy. One item to consider, the amount of organic material you added to your soil. With the depth you applied it out, 3'. With just a little too much water, the lower material maybe experiencing an usually high amount of anaerobic bacteria. This isn't a good condition for roots.

You can purchase a garden auger bit that fits on the end of a drill. They are about 18"-30". Just tap a hole, and then smell the soil/mud off the end of the bit. If it stinky, then you have an anaerobic condition occurring. Also, the end mud will tell you if you created a bowl condition and the water can't escape. If the above is occurring, then tapping a few holes with the auger should allow some oxygen to get down into the soil and improve the conditions.

As for the chewing, it looks like beetle damage to me. It doesn't look too bad for me to be concerned with.

What trellising scheme are you going to use.

One thing you need to consider with your setup. Bird protection. Mockingbirds are very crafty creatures.