Vineyard Update: What have you done?

[blumentopferde]

So I plan on pruning this weekend due to the biodynamic moon calendar. The moon is in Leo and the sun moves from Capricorn to Aquarius on Feb15. Plus a whole host of other planetary events happening this weekend which to be honest I don't completely understand. I just know that since using the calendar I harvest more grapes every year. Last year I almost doubled my harvest from the previous year. The next best dates for pruning grapes or any fruit tree will be April 10th but is not as favorable as Feb 14-16.

Hehe, now that's weird!
But fine, if it works for you!

I'll chose the pruning date by the time I have. But hey, Feb 15 is a saturday, so I might even go biodynamic this year!

 

[TicinoVintner]

Hehe, now that's weird!
But fine, if it works for you!

I'll chose the pruning date by the time I have. But hey, Feb 15 is a saturday, so I might even go biodynamic this year!

I'm not biodynamic at all, I don't have time to be completely biodynamic. But I do use the calendar for the vineyard and the garden because, well, the moon affects the way plants grow. The Italians are fond of saying "the wine is made by the moon".

 

[UBB]

Brrrrr! To cold out to work in the Vineyard!

 

[TicinoVintner]

Brrrrr! To cold out to work in the Vineyard!

There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes
Nice looking vineyard.


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[blumentopferde]

I'm not biodynamic at all, I don't have time to be completely biodynamic. But I do use the calendar for the vineyard and the garden because, well, the moon affects the way plants grow. The Italians are fond of saying "the wine is made by the moon".

There sure is some wisdom in such sayings, they don't come out of nothing, but I still can't think of any physical effect a full moon could have on plants. Besides a brighter night, but only if the sky stays clear..

 

[TicinoVintner]

There sure is some wisdom in such sayings, they don't come out of nothing, but I still can't think of any physical effect a full moon could have on plants. Besides a brighter night, but only if the sky stays clear..

If the moon can control the tides, and make humans and animals act crazy on a full moon then why could the moon not affect the plant kingdom? There has been more than enough scientific evidence to prove the moon does affect the animal/plant kingdom. Why or how exactly is still a mystery.


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[sour_grapes]

There has been more than enough scientific evidence to prove the moon does affect the animal/plant kingdom.

More than enough? Then you could cite some of it.

 

[blumentopferde]

Why or how exactly is still a mystery.

I said: I can't think of any effect a full moon could have. That doesn't mean that there isn't any at all. Maybe it still influences plants in some way, who knows!

If it works out for you, it's perfectly fine for me! I still prefer to stick to the scientific side (and to my tight time schedule )

 

[TicinoVintner]

More than enough? Then you could cite some of it.

Well where do I begin? So much has been studied and written on the subject, we could go back to Goethe, the Romans, the Egyptians, Chinese, Aztecs and Incas. How about something more modern? Check out Maria Thun, she spent almost her whole life to the subject. Check out the book Planetary influences upon plants by Ernst Kranich. J. Schultz "Samenjahre bei Wäldbaumen und Planetenperioden" or Anbauversuche über Zusammenhange zwischen Mondstellungen I'm Tierkreis und Kulturpflanzen vol. 1,2.

This is just the tip of the iceberg on the subject. But as my scientist friend whom works for both ETH and CERN says " Anytme someone says something is a scientific fact means that person knows nothing about science or how far we still have left to go"
Just remember we only see 2% of the light spectrum meaning we can't see the other 98% of reality.

 

[TicinoVintner]

There sure is some wisdom in such sayings, they don't come out of nothing, but I still can't think of any physical effect a full moon could have on plants. Besides a brighter night, but only if the sky stays clear..

How about gravitational pull? As the moon is ascending it pulls water up into the plant, which is mostly water as well, making it more susceptible to fungal diseases. Therefore one should only spray fungicide as the moon is ascending. When the moon is descending there is less water content within the plant allowing it to dry faster and has almost no fungal pressure as fungus itself is being repelled back into the soil. This is just one aspect the moon has on plants. There are others but as I said before I don't understand all of them. There is still much to be learned.

 

[blumentopferde]

How about gravitational pull? As the moon is ascending it pulls water up into the plant, which is mostly water as well, making it more susceptible to fungal diseases. Therefore one should only spray fungicide as the moon is ascending. When the moon is descending there is less water content within the plant allowing it to dry faster and has almost no fungal pressure as fungus itself is being repelled back into the soil. This is just one aspect the moon has on plants. There are others but as I said before I don't understand all of them. There is still much to be learned.

Never heard of such an effect. I mean, of course I know that the moon's gravitational field attracts water (and probably any other fluid) but i've never heard of plants being less prone to funghal diseases when the moon is ascending (why ascending, anyways? Wouldn't a descending moon attract water just as much?).

I stick to the rule of tens:
If the shoots are longer than 10cm, you have a higher average day temperature than 10°C and you have more than 10mm of precipitation within 3 days, then Peronospora can occur. (Which actually means: You'll have to spray between every rainfall between May and August - so only spraying at a descending moon would definitely reduce the work load and spray usage)

Would be really interesting to see a direct comparison between vines pruned and sprayed by "standard" rules and such treated according to moon phases...

 

[sour_grapes]

I will try to take a look at the sources you cite. I must say that one by Kranich does NOT look promising. I was actually thinking you may be able to cite a peer-reviewed source, perhaps something that tests a testable hypothesis.

There has been more than enough scientific evidence to prove the moon does affect the animal/plant kingdom.

But as my scientist friend whom works for both ETH and CERN says " Anytme someone says something is a scientific fact means that person knows nothing about science or how far we still have left to go"

You just pegged my irony meter!

 

[TicinoVintner]

I will try to take a look at the sources you cite. I must say that one by Kranich does NOT look promising. I was actually thinking you may be able to cite a peer-reviewed source, perhaps something that tests a testable hypothesis.
Maybe I used the wrong words, I was trying to say there is enough evidence to suggest there is some correlation between moon cycles and plant growth/behavior however we cannot say it is matter of fact because we have not developed equipment sophisticated enough to test subtle energies. In the realm of subtle energy science is still in the kindergarten stage. Just because science can't prove something does not mean a phenomenon does not exist. So far the only evidence that can stand up to peer review would be Maria Thuns experiments which she has had dozens of scientists visit her farms throughout the decades of her work. Sometimes I think it's all a bunch of hocus pocus as well but then again this is a phenomenon that has been observed since the dawn of time.





You just pegged my irony meter!

P.s judge not a book before you read it.

 

[TicinoVintner]

Anyways enough with this voodoo viticulture, we're pruning tomorrow! On a full moon


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[TicinoVintner]

Not the most beautiful day but the view is still great. Most of the other vineyards are out pruning today as well.


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[sour_grapes]

That looks heavenly!!

Is that one of the big lakes, or are you on a smaller one?

 

[TicinoVintner]

That looks heavenly!!

Is that one of the big lakes, or are you on a smaller one?

That's the mouth of the Lago Maggiore, or greater lake, in Ticino. Around the bend is the Italian border.


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[sour_grapes]

Great! It really is beautiful.

I must admit that, when I posted that question, I thought Ticino also had a hunk of Lago Como as well as Lago Lugano and Lago Maggiore (which is what I meant by "the big lakes"). I later looked at a map to see you only have Maggiore and Lugano.

 

[blumentopferde]

@TicinoVintner

Now that's a nice vineyard! But too many trees for my taste

The vines look very old - so probably you didn't plant them yourself!
So how did you get hold of that vineyard? Family heritage?

 

[TicinoVintner]

@TicinoVintner

Now that's a nice vineyard! But too many trees for my taste

The vines look very old - so probably you didn't plant them yourself!
So how did you get hold of that vineyard? Family heritage?

Thanks, but those trees dont affect the vineyard at all. The land (about 7 hectors) sits on a spine with a stream on both sides. I have cut many trees back from the sides so that the vineyard is actually above the canopy so I get great air circulation and plenty of sun, but I still have a few more trees to cut down. My brother in law inherited this land and as he is busy renivating the rustico no one was there to look after the vineyard, one day I said I will do it and he was more than happy. Yes the vines are quite old, the last documented plantings were in 1950 and some are even older than that. Its taken me three years to bring back the health and to cut down all that old wood to get the canes down to the first wire, some are still on the second wire. When I took over most canes were already at the top wire as no one knew how to prune or didnt prune for some years. The whole property was a vineyard at one time as you can still see the terraced land with stone walls and the occasional vine thats still living up in the tree tops. I would say less than 10% of the original vineyard is what we have left but I doubt we make it bigger as what we have is more than enough work. I will post more photos when I have time.