# Midwest Micro Vineyard



## Masbustelo (Jun 1, 2016)

Earlier this spring I built this trellis and planted eight Petite Pearl plants. So far seven of them seem to be doing good. I have decided that next year I will plant nine more. So I want to start sort of a blog of what I am working on. So far some of you have been very helpful with information, and would appreciate any more suggestions that anyone would have.


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## Masbustelo (Jun 1, 2016)

I am planning on preparing three beds, twelve feet long that will be ready to plant next spring. At the moment I am thinking of nine more Petite Pearl plants that will be spaced four feet apart and installing a Geneva Divided Curtain Trellis. The rows will be seven feet apart. The soil is a wind blown deposited Loess about 60 feet deep. There aren't any stones and I am on a bluff overlooking the mighty Mississippi River. The zone is 5B. I am double digging the beds and trench composting using leaves and wood chips for amendments.


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## Masbustelo (Jun 1, 2016)

I am using a round point tiling spade, the square point shovel, and the mattock. The mattock breaks up the lowest level that remains in the trench.


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## Masbustelo (Jun 1, 2016)

After I dig the trench and break up the sub soil I am filling in the trench with leaves. Then you cover the leaves with the dirt removed and then advance another twelve inches.


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## Masbustelo (Jun 1, 2016)

This is the first of three of the beds completed. After my first pass through the beds the depth of worked up ground is about three feet in depth. The whole bed is sitting on top of 12 inches of leaves. Underneath the leaves are six inches of fluffed up sub soil.In about six weeks I will redig the beds repeating the process and filling the trenches with wood chips. Then the plan will be to redig twice more before winter distributing the leaves and wood chips uniformly throughout the three foot wide twelve foot long beds. Hopefully I can set the posts before winter as well. I am planning on using green treated posts set in concrete. The beds are running North-South.


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## Masbustelo (Jun 1, 2016)

Here is how one of my vines looked today. They were planted April 25th.


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## Masbustelo (Jun 2, 2016)

*Another "What is this" question?*

I assume this is a mildew problem. I have been applying Mancozeb and wettable sulfur but the plant doesn't seem to be coming out of this disease. I also sprayed it once with Immonox. It looks like the plant wants to grow. Does any one have a suggestion?


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## GreginND (Jun 2, 2016)

The picture is too blurry to tell. Are you sure there is no herbicide damage there?


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## Masbustelo (Jun 2, 2016)

Greg I don't really think it's herbicide damage. The only way is that I did put weed and feed on the yard parallel, but I was real careful not to get any on the plant bed. I'll try to take a better picture with a better camera later in the day.


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## GreginND (Jun 2, 2016)

Weed and Feed contains 2,4-D. Grapes are super sensitive to 2,4-D. IT can be volatile and drift through the air. Also, the weed and feed can be tracked on garden tools and shoes. I would keep all 2,4-D at least 100 yards away from your grapes. A mile buffer would be better.


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## GreginND (Jun 2, 2016)

Here's a picture of 2,4-D damage to grapes in a larger mature vine.


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## grapeman (Jun 2, 2016)

What Greg says is all true. However I have to tend towards a mildew issue. Those sprays are a preventative treatment so will not make an infected vine better. Hopefully if you keep it at bay on the vine it will send out some new uninfected shoots. As a last drastic step, you could prune off most or all of the vine above ground and hope it will send up new growth from underground.


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## Masbustelo (Jun 2, 2016)

*Here is two more. Better pictures.*

I hope these are better pictures. I might be imagening it, but I thought I saw some healthy growth appearing this pm.


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## Masbustelo (Jun 2, 2016)

I started digging my second bed today. It was a good chance to do a little cleanup. A lot of people like oak with their grapes.


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## Masbustelo (Jun 6, 2016)

I finished the second bed I'm preparing for next year. It was a tough go, with lots of concrete to dig out. Also a sledge hammer came into play. I'm using wood chips to prepare a high organic matter, well aerated low nitrogen planting site with good micro nutrient balance. Hopefully.


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## grapeman (Jun 6, 2016)

Man you like hard work!


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## ibglowin (Jun 6, 2016)

That looks like a piece of old leftover concrete. When I dug my 30 vines by hand 6 years ago this Spring I ran into basalt rock that ranged from softball sized to.......


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## Masbustelo (Jun 6, 2016)

The good part of the hard digging work is that it is almost over. Im sure to the farmers on here it looks crazy, but its the best way to get the maximum production from a small area. I figured out about five minutes ago what is the problem with the diseased grapes. Nearby, in the same soil that I backfilled with I planted some tomatoes. I check them everyday, but about five minutes ago I spotted Aminopyralid symptoms in one of them. I know it well because a few years ago I picked up some cow manure for my garden and it wreaked havoc with my tomatoes. It is nasty stuff.


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## Masbustelo (Jun 6, 2016)

I just had the thought that the carrier could be the straw mulch. Kind of sad that you can't even use agricultural products in your garden. I should have known better but I thought just hay was unsafe. I'll remove the mulch tomorrow and hope for the best, but it might take several years depending on the degree of contamination. Does anyone know anything about parts per billion sensitivity for Aminopyralids and grapes?


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## Masbustelo (May 21, 2017)

These are my Petite Pearl. A year ago they were six inches tall. I planted five Verona this spring and they are just starting to take off. It has been cool and growth seems a little sluggish.


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## Masbustelo (May 21, 2017)

Here are the pictures.


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## grapeman (May 22, 2017)

I am not seeing a picture????????


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## Masbustelo (May 22, 2017)

I see them in message #21? Others no?


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## sour_grapes (May 22, 2017)

I see 'em in both 21 and 23.


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## Boatboy24 (May 22, 2017)

sour_grapes said:


> I see 'em in both 21 and 23.



Same here.


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## cmason1957 (May 22, 2017)

I sometimes have that problem in the mobile app. For some reason a picture(s) just doesn't show and I have to pull up hte web page to see it. I don't have any idea why.


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## Masbustelo (Jul 9, 2017)

I just won the 2017 Japanese Beetle war. I was gone for several weeks and when I came back I had a heavy infestation. I spent several days picking them off, but hordes kept reappearing. I used Ferti-lome Triple action which contains neem oil and Pyrithrins. I only saw three insects this morning. It says to re-spray every 7-14 days. I have a little 1/2 gallon sprayer and intend to use it to spot spray if they start showing up again. I did a little research and what I found was that Pyrithrins seem to be more effective than Sevin.


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## KevinL (Jul 13, 2017)

I got pretty good results on my first years planting with just hand cleaning. 10 minutes in the morning, and 10 in the evening on 55 vines. Now that I'm up to 145 ( Planted 75 petite pearl and 15 Itasca this season) I gave in and went down the pesticide aisle. I must say I was pleased with the wholesale slaughter brought upon the thousands of little buggers when the Sevin dropped out of the sky on them.

Most of what I read online said that Pyrithrin is the way to go, but I couldn't find any in my local hardware store that was based on it so I went with the Sevin. Pretty pleased overall. Curse those little buggers.


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## Masbustelo (Jul 13, 2017)

I was gone for three weeks and they really tore up my leaves before I got back. We had some rain this week that probably washed off the Pyrithrin/Neem oil that I used. They were back fairly heavy this pm. I sprayed with a Potassium Bicarbonate (GreenCure) and they disappeared. I wonder if they don't like the taste or alkalinity?


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## Masbustelo (Aug 3, 2017)

I finally got tired of picking off and drowning the Japanese Beetles. The Pyrithrin and neem oil helped some, but I sprayed with Sevin several weeks ago. They dropped "like flies" and haven't been back. At first appearance next year I'll hit them with Sevin.


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## KevinL (Aug 3, 2017)

I had to reapply the Sevin once so far when they started reappearing a bit. 2 applications during the season wouldn't be bad at all. In the future I'll probably end up with 3 applications total spaced out during the feeding season of the beetles.

I've considered sowing in some milky spore. I'm not sure it'll be all that effective unless everyone close to me does it as well, but I feel like I should do my part.


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## Masbustelo (Aug 4, 2017)

Kevin I'm thinking if you wipe out the breeding population with the Sevin treatments that there might not be a need for the Milky Spore treatments after a few years. Some studies show that it might not really be very effective. It's nice to know we can win the battle next year.


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## bumblebeetuna (Aug 7, 2017)

1 beetle lays 5000 eggs anything to help the cause is better in my book. I put down milky spore 2 years ago and have seen a decrease in damage


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## KevinL (Aug 10, 2017)

Yeah I think it will still help, while the ones that are getting at my vines are dying, there are still several elsewhere in the field that are munching on something I haven't treated. I hadn't heard how many eggs a beetle lays, but considering how many of them there are out there I guess that's not surprising.

I'll probably throw down the milky spore. It sounds harmless other than to the beetles so I'm not worried about any adverse side effects.


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## Masbustelo (Aug 12, 2017)

I don't think there are any adverse effects.


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## Masbustelo (Aug 18, 2017)

Here is a picture of my six Petite pearl plants. They were planted about 16 months ago. April 2016. Looks like they are hitting senescence for the year.


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## FrontenacMan (Aug 21, 2017)

I've been using Sevin on my Frontenac and Frontenac Gris for three years now. Works good but I have to apply about every two weeks or so throughout mid July to mid August. I applied Milky Spore last fall to my lawn. Didn't stop the JB's. They were back in full force this year. They can travel several miles so I'm convinced they're coming from somewhere else. I also have a fairly mature Birch tree in the front yard which they apparently love as well. I read somewhere that they give off some signal when they find good feeding grounds to attract their friends (which is why those yellow traps don't work). I also read that that same signal works in reverse when they are killed (repels other beetles) which is why Sevin works well. Don't know if it is true but there seems to be something to it. My biggest problem this year was rain. I'm in Wisconsin and I lost a lot of my grapes to the excess moisture (I'm thinking mildew damage). Started happening in the middle of the rainy season  here in June. We got up to 5 inches in one day at times. Oh well.


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## Masbustelo (Aug 21, 2017)

Frontenac man. We'll be ready next year! I read that the traps actually attract the beetles to your local. If you have a large acreage they might be beneficial. We had the rain here too I'm 80 miles South of the Badger State. I have pretty much sprayed every week this summer. Since July I have been using organic sprays. I'm rotating Green Cure Potassium Bi-carb, Serenade and Companion. Everything looks good here.


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## KevinL (Aug 30, 2017)

The beetles leave and the other pests come in. Chipmunks and birds have consumed 75% of my Frontenac grapes. Learning how to handle netting has cost me a bit. I'm anxious to pull the grapes so I just checked the numbers today:

The #:
22.5 Brix
2.92 pH
15.75 g/l TA

Not sure if my TA numbers are right, but from what I understand Frontenac comes in with very, very high acidity. My plan is to pull them now to mitigate any more losses and save the headache of battling them (chipmunks) 

I'm going to bet on your name Frontenac man: should I wait and risk the vermin or is hoping for lower TA not worth the wait?


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## FrontenacMan (Aug 30, 2017)

Hey Kevin, I will share my story. Last year I had a possum (yes a possum!) invade my crop. I was on vacation the last week in August and that left enough non activity (our dog was with us) for him to invade for a week. He got a good share. I got nervous just like you and picked the crop on Labor Day. At the time Brix was around 19 and pH was about 3. I de-stemmed and crushed and ended up with about 5 gallons of must. I added a can of Alexanders Pinot Noir to bring the Brix up to 23 (SG of 1.096) and must to 6 gallons. I fermented with Pasteur Red and then did a Malolactic fermentation which brought the ML acid level down to almost zero (great). The wine tasted awful. What I surmised was that the seeds were still green and thus gave the wine a very off taste. I'm letting the 30 bottles sit hoping the green taste might age out but I'm not betting on it. The lesson learned is one that Grapeman shared - When you think they are ready let them hang some more. This year I'm not going to pick until mid September regardless of vermin thieves.
I've got bird netting on but something is still getting a few of the lower berries (I'm guessing chipmunks as well).


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## FrontenacMan (Aug 30, 2017)

Also, I'm using neutral grape juice this year (Global Vinters Inc.). I'm not sure what grape they use but I'm lead to believe that it is a more neutral flavor and it's main purpose is to increase SG without having to add sugar. In my case I will not have enough must this year to get 6 gallons so I will use this to get there. I'm not sure if the Alexanders Pinot Noir contributed to the off flavor as well. If they add Sorbate as a preservative that would explain my problem but I can't find anywhere that this could be the case. I'm just not going to take any chances. Global Vinters, just like most wine kits don't add any preservatives up front as far as I know.


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## KevinL (Aug 31, 2017)

Thanks for the Info. I imagine if I wait another two weeks or so I'll be looking at 24 degrees brix, I don't think I'll have any need for more sugar. I just checked the seeds and they look black/brown, not a hint of green on them. I think at this point it's safe to go ahead and bring them in and get them started.

As far as chipmunk fighting, I've been using a "pool of death" bucket trap, and have gotten one thus far. My neighborhood friendly red tail hawk is doing a bit of work on them as well.


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## Masbustelo (Aug 31, 2017)

I left a few clusters on my Petite Pearl last spring and picked them last night. I worried about raccoons getting them. I had them bagged with paper bags and had zero problems with insects (wasps etc.), birds or animals. I got 2.5 pounds at 23 brix and 3.80 pH. I'll have to watch the pH next year as they develop. Kevin to me your acidity levels are very high and will come down if you wait. I have read that Frontenac has the capability to go to very high brix levels when ripe. I think sometimes it is cut with water a little to bring down sugar and acid levels. Maurivin B is a go-to yeast to bring down acidity levels considerably.


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## FrontenacMan (Sep 1, 2017)

Nice looking grapes. Should make a nice wine. You are right about the Frontenac. You need to wait them out. I picked too soon last year and my wine was not great. I used Malolactic fermentation as per the recommendation of UW Minnesota who developed the grape. The wine turned out still to be very tart and green tasting. However, my Frontenac Gris turned out very well. I just cracked my first bottle tonight and it was very good (honestly I was surprised for my first attempt). My plan now is to plant some Marquette vines and perhaps create a blend in future years. I'm also going to try throwing in some dried fruit during fermentation (got the idea from some RJS kits that use raisins). I'm using dried cherries with my Frontenac this year and thinking about using some dried figs with the Frontenac Gris.


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## FrontenacMan (Sep 1, 2017)

I am fascinated with the Petite Pearl. I read another post on this site that was talking up Crimson Pearl which apparently was bred by Tom Plocher of the University of Minnesota who also bred the Petite Pearl vine. This might be a good choice for me as a blending grape. How are your acidity levels? I need a blending grape with low acid levels to counteract the Frontenac.


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## treesaver (Sep 2, 2017)

Frontenac man, you may want to ook into Plotcher's Verona also. They are touted as a low acid grape. I planted 26 Verona vines this spring, and will be a couple years yet till I have a crop, but they have put on a tremendous amout of wood for one year old vines. Wish I knew how to post a pic, As I am impressed with their growth rate. i bagged a bunch of my frontenac clusters, and while it worked to protect them from the insects, the birds figured out how to peck open some bags, and I had some sunburned grapes, I think from the bags I used. Very labor intensive, but the brix is at 24 on them, and I'm gonna pick in the morning. Been a tough year, first hail, then birds, and having to spray insecticide on my nortons and concords to keep the wasps and flys at bay! What do I want to be when I grow up..... a grape farmer!


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## KevinL (Sep 16, 2017)

Update. I waited two more weeks. The Frontenac started Turning to raisins so I pulled them in. I continued battling chipmunks at the time, and now have a grand total of 9 kills to my name, mostly from the pool of death trap. It worked well. Little rodents went for the trap over the grapes, and I only ended loosing one cluster to birds (It was too close to the edge of the net) between when I last posted and when I harvested.

The numbers at crush for my Frontenac:

Sugar: 25 Degrees Brix
TA: 15 g/l
pH: 3.14

Lost a little bit of acid, got way more sugar, although some of that concentration may have come from some of the grapes dehydrating. I went ahead and stepped on them and got the fermentation going. Thanks for the advice on the yeast, I will certainly add that to my notebook. For this time, I ended up using what I had lying around (EC-1118). For all I know that could botch my batch, but as I only ended pulling 11 pounds in, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

As far as Petite Pearl, when I visited Minnesota this was the grape that was the talk of the town. A few of the Vineyards and Wineries around where I'm at (Northern Illinois) mentioned that they were interested in the grape. I went ahead and planted 75 of them earlier this spring. They're definitely not as vigorous as Frontenac, but I don't think that is going to be a bad thing. We'll see how they winter, and how they do in the spring.


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