# Add Your Backyard Vineyard



## TxBrew

We have created a wine garden, backyard and commercial vineyard registry.

It is to showcase all forms of wine gardens and vineyards with data to help people search for information, ideas and inspiration.

If you have a vineyard or wine garden, no matter the size. Add it today.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/vineyards-wineries/registry_add.php?do=new


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## OilnH2O

_GREAT_ idea! I've jumped on it!


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## TxBrew

Thanks for adding! Any issues or suggestions?


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## TxBrew

Up to 8 added so far!


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## tatud4life

Awesome idea!!! I loaded the pics that I have so far. More to come soon!!


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## TxBrew

Thanks for adding tatud4life


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## tatud4life

More will come once my little ones have started developing. They have started bursting into little tiny blooms.


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## Louie1277

I just added my little vineyard project... 

Thanks for it.


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## reefman

Just posted mine. Will update it as the vines grow and I make improvements. Right now, I just stuck my vines (in their pots) in the ground for the winter. Next spring I will plant them permanently.


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## mike8479

I was told by many you could not propagate cuttings....well I have. I found a book via Amazon on the correct way to do it tried it and ended up with 13 well rooted cuttings frm a muscadine vine of my grandfathers. Thing is I think next time I do it I was wondering how thick the cutting should be that I use? And about how long dose it take before you see fruit? All if mine are two years old at maybe 10 or 12 feet long but very small diameter vines though. Would love ne feed back that is given.


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


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## rjcyberspace

I have an old wiry muscadine vine that has been neglected and barely produces any fruit that I was considering trying to cut and make numerous new rootstocks out of. Can you elaborate on the process or give me the name of the book??


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


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## grapeman

Muscadine vines do not root well from hardwood cuttings. There is a much better rooting sucess when using softwood cuttings in the summer and rooting under a moisture holding tent (plastic) or misting the cuttings. Another method that will work is by layering where you lay a shoot onto the ground and pin it down with something like a landscaping fabric pin. After a while the vine will root and the shoot can be cut off with the new roots and planted.


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## garymc

What he said ^

I posted a description of pinning and air layering with a couple of pictures to illustrate on this page:
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f25/favorite-muscadine-varieties-40179/index2.html


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## Sage

Added my part of the world.


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## Brian Ritchie

I make 5 to 10 gallons of Concord sweet wine each year and am planting 20 Frontenac Rouge for a dry red. I make 5 to 10 gallons of pear wine that comes out like a dry Riesling. I also make about 40 to 50 gallons of hard cider. I give most of it away to friends. I worked at a vineyard for awhile pruning, picking and helping out with the pressing and primary fermentation.


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## jgmillr1

Mother nature gave us a double rainbow over the vineyard


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## Yettiman

does this still exist, all I get is an error


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## Wlmcguire68

TxBrew said:


> We have created a wine garden, backyard and commercial vineyard registry.
> 
> It is to showcase all forms of wine gardens and vineyards with data to help people search for information, ideas and inspiration.
> 
> If you have a vineyard or wine garden, no matter the size. Add it today.
> 
> http://www.winemakingtalk.com/vineyards-wineries/registry_add.php?do=new


Same here! Can't find registery or forum


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## sour_grapes

Wlmcguire68 said:


> Same here! Can't find registery or forum



Seven years is a loooong time on the Interwebs!


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## TxBrew

And the software changed since then. It was not brought over.


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## crushday

I've planted my Vineyard now - 100 vines. 20 each of Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet and Merlot. In choosing my varieties, I did a weather search worldwide compared to where I live. I wanted to see other places in the world that have a 99% or better match to my city. My search produced 29 places worldwide and three of them are in the Bordeaux; the world-renowned grape growing region. So, I chose the grapes grown there and what is known to grown where I live.

Costs so far:

Vines, $1800
Trellis system, $1300

It's taken me three weekends so far to get everything set up and planted. All I need now is sunshine so I can begin training the vines for the next two years.


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## Masbustelo

How did you do your weather search?


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## Johnd

George Burgin said:


> I've planted my Vineyard now - 100 vines. 20 each of Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet and Merlot. In choosing my varieties, I did a weather search worldwide compared to where I live. I wanted to see other places in the world that have a 99% or better match to my city. My search produced 29 places worldwide and three of them are in the Bordeaux; the world-renowned grape growing region. So, I chose the grapes grown there and what is known to grown where I live.
> 
> Costs so far:
> 
> Vines, $1800
> Trellis system, $1300
> 
> It's taken me three weekends so far to get everything set up and planted. All I need now is sunshine so I can begin training the vines for the next two years.



Pictures or...............


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## ibglowin

George it looks like your West of the mountains. Is that true?



George Burgin said:


> I've planted my Vineyard now - 100 vines. 20 each of Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet and Merlot. In choosing my varieties, I did a weather search worldwide compared to where I live. I wanted to see other places in the world that have a 99% or better match to my city. My search produced 29 places worldwide and three of them are in the Bordeaux; the world-renowned grape growing region. So, I chose the grapes grown there and what is known to grown where I live.
> 
> Costs so far:
> 
> Vines, $1800
> Trellis system, $1300
> 
> It's taken me three weekends so far to get everything set up and planted. All I need now is sunshine so I can begin training the vines for the next two years.


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## crushday

Masbustelo said:


> How did you do your weather search?


http://www.codeminders.com/weather_similarity/

A map appears and you can click on where you live. As soon as you do that, a list of cities appears on the left pane for comparison. Pretty cool...


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## crushday

ibglowin said:


> George it looks like your West of the mountains. Is that true?



Yes, I live in Olympia (Puget Sound AVA) on a 3 acre parcel 5 minutes from the Capitol.


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## crushday

Johnd said:


> Pictures or...............



John, I'll send pics when I get home. We're on a trip for Easter...


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## crushday

Johnd said:


> Pictures or...............


Here are some pics...


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## Dennis Griffith

I like how you did the wires with the tensioners. I may try this for some of the new trellis I put in this year. Can you loosen those tensioners, if needed? I put some slack on the wires in winter after the leaves are gone and before the really hard freeze sets in. I've been using turnbuckles to tension and never thought of using electric fence tensioners.


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## ibglowin

You use your ratchet, turn one way to tighten, turn the other way a half turn and pull up on the spring and it will ease off the tension until you release the spring and pop it back into place. You can retighten in the Spring as needed.

https://www.orchardvalleysupply.com.../in-line-wire-tightener?variant=8041875767324


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## Dennis Griffith

ibglowin said:


> You use your ratchet, turn one way to tighten, turn the other way a half turn and pull up on the spring and it will ease off the tension until you release the spring and pop it back into place. You can retighten in the Spring as needed.
> 
> https://www.orchardvalleysupply.com.../in-line-wire-tightener?variant=8041875767324



Thanks, I'll be using these for my new additions this year.


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## montanarick

_ use these tensioners and they work great_


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## Dennis Griffith

montanarick said:


> _ use these tensioners and they work great_



The tensioners listed above?


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## montanarick

Dennis Griffith said:


> The tensioners listed above?


Look very similar but probably from different manufacturer - only difference looks like ratcheting spring mechanism otherwise the same. I get mine from local fence supplier.


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## Dennis Griffith

I'll go to the local TSC for them then.


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## crushday

Dennis Griffith said:


> I'll go to the local TSC for them then.


Dennis, I purchased most of my supplies at TSC including the tensioners. There are two types. I inadvertently purchased both types. The type with the square bolt to tighten required me to drill the end hole larger to accommodate the 3/8” lag hooks I bought. The other type had holes large enough. Make sure you buy the ratcheting tool. Both types use the same tightening tool.


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## crushday

Dennis Griffith said:


> I like how you did the wires with the tensioners. I may try this for some of the new trellis I put in this year. Can you loosen those tensioners, if needed? I put some slack on the wires in winter after the leaves are gone and before the really hard freeze sets in. I've been using turnbuckles to tension and never thought of using electric fence tensioners.


+1 on what ibglowin said. You can easily release the tension as stated.


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## Dennis Griffith

I'll be acquiring material next week. I like to wait until planting time to set posts as I can still make a pass with the tiller. I usually buy from either Lowe's or TSC, as they are close enough. I am familiar with these tensioners as we used to have horses and used electric everywhere. Plus I've built my fair share of fence in my day. I just never thought of using these tensioners for this purpose. What was once horse pasture is now 'grape pasture' and a lot of fencing used previously was re-purposed for the vineyard. I shifted the electric around to keep out critters vs, keeping them in, and added dog fence to help keep the dog in and critters out.


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## GreenEnvy22

This is my backyard vineyard. Around 30 Muscat vines, and 8 Riesling.


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## Dennis Griffith

George Burgin said:


> Dennis, I purchased most of my supplies at TSC including the tensioners. There are two types. I inadvertently purchased both types. The type with the square bolt to tighten required me to drill the end hole larger to accommodate the 3/8” lag hooks I bought. The other type had holes large enough. Make sure you buy the ratcheting tool. Both types use the same tightening tool.



I'll get the ones with bigger holes then.


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## Obbnw

The Orange Butt Bee Nano-Winery, pic from yesterday, vines malbec and tempranillo, 3 years old, location = Salt lake city











Trellis "wire" - 0.25" steel rod 20' lengths, threaded ends, used couplers and end bolts for tensioning. The rods were about $0.15/ft, couplers and bolts were also cheap. Threading the rods was putsy but what else am I gonna do..... I like how it turned out and it is easy to tension/detension. I do see a temperature affect on the tension.


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## jpwatkins9

Very neat way to do this. We have Victoria red (2) and Blanc de Blanc (1) vines at this point. Will be adding a few more vines this January. They are 2 and 1 year old, planted in January and I will cut off the grapes for this year as I did for the Victoria Red last year. Looks like you have more Sun than I do as have large Oaks next door. Will be looking at picking some of the red grapes next year. Located near San Antonio, Texas.


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## Dennis Griffith

Well, I've got the Cab Franc in for this year (as well as others). Here's a shot.


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## jpwatkins9

A booger’s yard than I have and no shay Oaks to keep you cool.


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## jpwatkins9

Should be bigger and shady, the finger is faster than the proofreader.


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## wood1954

Three and four year old Marquette grapes on south facing slope, about 60 vines.


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## Dennis Griffith

I like the fence!


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## Johnd

Interesting method....


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## sremick

Considering my fines are basically in my neighbor's front yard (land is partitioned weird) I don't think he'd appreciate this.


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## sremick

So I made a lot of progress today. Got the main and training wires strung. So now just need to finish getting the line posts in (soil is too rocky to pound in, so each one will have to have a 2' deep hole dug). Figured it's far enough along to be semi-photogenic, so here you go.

After putting in the line posts, I'll take care of the grass/weeds along the row. Have a propane torch I'll use to nix what's there, then will pin down some weedblock fabric. Once that's in, I can put in the drip irrigation system (which there's been absolutely no rush for, given how much rain we've been getting. 1.2" just last night.)


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## Obbnw

My grapes finally started to turn (tempranillo about 2 weeks back, malbecs about a week back). Hopefully we will pick by October 1, 2 weeks later than last year.


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## ibglowin

Nothing wrong with those. Vinifera is SLC? Who woulda thunk it!


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## Spudwrench12




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## Spudwrench12

Pinot Grigio vines . I’m just getting started in this hobby but loving everything about it .


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## Diane Rudnick

25 vines Pinot Noir Precoce, 25 vines Chardonnay Wente 72 Eastern Washington.


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## VillaVino

Getting ready for September harvest.


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## wood1954

My vineyard is 4 years old now. It used to be a field with mostly oak and cherry trees, I had an excavator come in and remove all the stumps before I planted the vines. It faces south but it’s too close to the woods so it doesn’t get much breeze. The soil is mostly very sandy loam. 54 Marquette vines and I just planted ten itasca vines this year, going for mostly top cordon trellis.


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## montanarick

Obbnw said:


> View attachment 56197
> 
> 
> My grapes finally started to turn (tempranillo about 2 weeks back, malbecs about a week back). Hopefully we will pick by October 1, 2 weeks later than last year.


Looks real good - our vines are only now starting bud break


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## Rob Kneeland

Looks like my 10 Marquette vines will arrive tomorrow. My site is less than ideal with lots of sun but rich soil that might be a bit too moist. Might install some drainage if necessary. PH seems to be right around 7. Plan to let grow on the ground for year 1 while TWC trellis gets installed. We are between Montreal and Ottawa. This site has been VERY informative, especially Grapeman's adventures.

A new adventure!

Rob


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## Val-the-Brew-Gal

My husband and I built this wine trellis out of all repurposed material. I know it's not your traditional trellis in terms of height, etc. by I love it and so do the bare-root vines I just planted. Can't wait until it's covered with grapes!

I only have 9 vines overall, all but these planted to grow on the chain link fence around our yard. We're definitely redneck grape growers


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## Obbnw

Re-purposing rules. Of course it makes it hard to throw trash out since you might find a use for it. I prefer "trashmans garden" versus "redneck garden".


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## Obbnw

Repurposed:
wall is the old driveway
steel posts from old chain link fence
raised beds from old redwood siding lined with left over steel roofing
left over steel roofing used as siding on neighbors shed
Fence decor made from old house subfloor which was used as the concrete foundation forms when the house was build in 1949.


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## wood1954

Posting this because I thought it looked cool. Taken in the early morning


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## koolmoto

Just finished planting my little vineyard on the south facing hillside of my back yard in Novato, CA. 
27x Cab Sauv, 9x Cab Franc, and 13x Merlot along the back fence.


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## wood1954

Sounds like a nice big blend


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## Obbnw

ibglowin said:


> Nothing wrong with those. Vinifera is SLC? Who woulda thunk it!


I'm curious as to how your grapes do when it gets really hot. I've read articles about grapes shutting down and not really growing when it gets over about 95. We've had a pretty hot stretch here (96 97 100 93 94 101 104 105 105 100 95 100 94 96 96 95) and its forecast to continue for another 2 weeks (those are the official SLC temps I suspect my house is about 2 degrees lower). My vines are growing as fast as ever. If anything they are growing faster.

I have 2 theories
1) since the relative humidity has been 10-15% the grape cooling mechanism is just more efficient and therefor the can handle hotter temps.
2) the Tempranillo and Malbecs are just do better in hotter weather than some of the more "traditional" varieties. The reason I picked those is that they both do well in hot climates and the Argentina wine region is very similar to the SLC valley.

With your elevation you may not get quite as hot but you must get at least a week or so this hot. How do your plantings handle the heat?


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## ibglowin

@Obbnw They have been growing Vinifera down south in Deming, NM for close to 30 years now. Deming is about an hour West of Las Cruces, NM. Those guys get months and months of 100+ degree days every year and they have no problems growing nice looking vinifera grapes. What happens is that at least with Vinifiera the acid levels start to drop as ripening proceeds so they have a juggling game of trying to time harvest with Brix level vs. pH. They usually pick with a pretty high Brix and a pH in the 3.9-4.0 levels.

I only see an occasional day or two maybe a week of close to triple digits each Summer. Other than that we are usually only in the upper 80's or low 90's. Sometimes lower if the monsoons kick in which this year we call them the "non-soons". Just not happening for us this Summer. High pressure over us most of this Summer blocking the moisture from coming up from Mexico.

Since I am growing Cold Hardy Hybrids, acid is never a problem they are usually low pH and high acid in the cooler regions up north. But with our endless days of sunshine and 90 degree weather the acid levels have been coming down into an almost textbook perfect range. I always do a field blend each year so things vary year to year but I always have a brix in the 22-24 range and a pH in the 3.5-3.7 range so very manageable.


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## wood1954

When I was in Greece last fall I noticed many vineyards had fabric shading the grapes. Ibglowin, What grape variety is that acid level?


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## ibglowin

@wood1954 I have mainly Marquette, Noiret, and a few Corot Noir


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## wood1954

I’d kill for those numbers for my Marquette, well maybe twist an arm.


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## ibglowin

I think the sunshine and hot weather just slowly brings those acid levels down (and pH up) over the course of the Summer.


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## ibglowin

@wood1954 the other thing is I use 71B yeast which will eat quite a bit of malic acid during AF so it will also drive your final pH up when all is said and done.


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## Obbnw

Thanks - Deming is a similar elevation as here and June/July/August temps are similar. Deming average high is about 2 degrees above SLC but I bet the records are 5-10 above ours. Deming is much warmer in April, May, September and October though.

I also have relatively high PH. The heat combined with alkaline, heavy soils make it tough to hit the "ideal" acid. I planted some Baco Noir this spring - curious to see how they turn out.


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## Rob Kneeland

I put in 10 Marquette vines in late spring. (between Ottawa and Montreal) They all grew well with only a few cucumber beetles early in the year. They were controlled with a thumb and index finger. If they all winter OK I will add another 15 vines.

Growing them on the ground with no pruning year one, then TWC next year. 

Looking forward to the first taste in September 2023! Using the time to buy equipment and learn.

So far, so good.


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## VillaVino

Had an almost perfect growing season in west central Wisconsin this year. Sabrevois, Brianna and Louise Swensons are doing very well. Marquettes did not produce though. Out of ~ 250 Marquette vines, I might get 6 gals. Granted, only half are 3 years olds but my 10 year olds had a rough spring. Brix 22 and pH still below 3.0. Will harvest tomorrow along with some PITA Lacresent.


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## wood1954

Rob Kneeland said:


> I put in 10 Marquette vines in late spring. (between Ottawa and Montreal) They all grew well with only a few cucumber beetles early in the year. They were controlled with a thumb and index finger. If they all winter OK I will add another 15 vines.
> 
> Growing them on the ground with no pruning year one, then TWC next year.
> 
> Looking forward to the first taste in September 2023! Using the time to buy equipment and learn.
> 
> So far, so good.


If you have deer in the area I suggest you fence your grapes. I used chicken wire an steel posts.


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## wood1954

VillaVino said:


> Had an almost perfect growing season in west central Wisconsin this year. Sabrevois, Brianna and Louise Swensons are doing very well. Marquettes did not produce though. Out of ~ 250 Marquette vines, I might get 6 gals. Granted, only half are 3 years olds but my 10 year olds had a rough spring. Brix 22 and pH still below 3.0. Will harvest tomorrow along with some PITA Lacresent.


Are you a winery? That’s a lot of grapes.


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## VillaVino

wood1954 said:


> If you have deer in the area I suggest you fence your grapes. I used chicken wire an steel posts.


Probably will not put up a fence. The deer really have only given my young vines attention. Once the vines are older, they leave them alone. For the first time I saw turkeys pecking at my grapes. They usually are pecking at the ground for bugs. They left after a salvo of bottle rockets.


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## VillaVino

wood1954 said:


> Are you a winery? That’s a lot of grapes.


We are not a winery. I sell to local wineries though.


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## Rob Kneeland

wood1954 said:


> If you have deer in the area I suggest you fence your grapes. I used chicken wire an steel posts.


Racoons yes, deer not many. I relocated about 6 racoons this year. Quite sure they'd be interested in ripe grapes. I know they like my corn! Thanks for the feedback.


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## tom6922

VillaVino said:


> Had an almost perfect growing season in west central Wisconsin this year. Sabrevois, Brianna and Louise Swensons are doing very well. Marquettes did not produce though. Out of ~ 250 Marquette vines, I might get 6 gals. Granted, only half are 3 years olds but my 10 year olds had a rough spring. Brix 22 and pH still below 3.0. Will harvest tomorrow along with some PITA Lacresent.


I removed my LaCrescent this year, it required way too much thinning and tending compared to my other varietals. Do you have a similar issue?


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## jackl

Rob Kneeland said:


> I put in 10 Marquette vines in late spring. (between Ottawa and Montreal) They all grew well with only a few cucumber beetles early in the year. They were controlled with a thumb and index finger. If they all winter OK I will add another 15 vines.
> 
> Growing them on the ground with no pruning year one, then TWC next year.
> 
> Looking forward to the first taste in September 2023! Using the time to buy equipment and learn.
> 
> So far, so good.


I love the old barn. I’m in Central NY and planted 8 Marquette in 2015. I also have Frontenac, Lacrosse and Traminette. Mine are all trained to VSP. I picked around 40 pounds Of Marquette in 2018 which yielded about 3 gallons of wine. This years crop was looking better, but I was about 2 days late with my bird netting and lost around 15%-20% To nature. I will probably harvest the first week of October. So far I’m very happy with this variety as it seems to have good disease resistance, has tolerated cold winters down to -20F and yields consistently. I do follow a regimented spray routine of fungicides and insecticide. Good luck and enjoy.


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## jackl

Rob Kneeland said:


> I put in 10 Marquette vines in late spring. (between Ottawa and Montreal) They all grew well with only a few cucumber beetles early in the year. They were controlled with a thumb and index finger. If they all winter OK I will add another 15 vines.
> 
> Growing them on the ground with no pruning year one, then TWC next year.
> 
> Looking forward to the first taste in September 2023! Using the time to buy equipment and learn.


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## Rob Kneeland

jackl said:


> I love the old barn. I’m in Central NY and planted 8 Marquette in 2015. I also have Frontenac, Lacrosse and Traminette. Mine are all trained to VSP. I picked around 40 pounds Of Marquette in 2018 which yielded about 3 gallons of wine. This years crop was looking better, but I was about 2 days late with my bird netting and lost around 15%-20% To nature. I will probably harvest the first week of October. So far I’m very happy with this variety as it seems to have good disease resistance, has tolerated cold winters down to -20F and yields consistently. I do follow a regimented spray routine of fungicides and insecticide. Good luck and enjoy.View attachment 65917


Maybe slightly off topic, but how was your Marquette wine? Did you oak and/or MLF?
As for spraying, it seems we cannot get the popular chems here in Canada. I need to do some reading.


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## jackl

Rob Kneeland said:


> Maybe slightly off topic, but how was your Marquette wine? Did you oak and/or MLF?
> As for spraying, it seems we cannot get the popular chems here in Canada. I need to do some reading.


In 2018 I didn’t oak. However, I found that the acid level has been a bit high in my grapes, pH 2.35 so in 2018 I read more about how to reduce the acid content And smoothen the wine. I’m also fortunate that a work colleague of mine has a large winery on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of NYS. I consulted with him on ways to reduce acid. In 2018 I ran MLF as well as cold stabilized the wine to crystallize the tararic acid. For my 2019 batch I ran MLF, oaked and cold stabilized. However, I was unable to get the MLF going perhaps because the pH or SO2 levels were too high. I don’t have the best conditions to grow wine grapes so I’m experimenting and learning on these first small batches. The 2018 wine turned out pretty good. I’m not as pleased with the 2019. I hope 2020 is better since we’ve had a hotter summer and I’ve done more canopy management and leaf removal to increase sun exposure. I’ll be interested to See what the pH and specific gravity is this year.


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## montanarick

You may wish to co-inoculate but make sure your pH is above 3.2. I use VP41 MLB along with Lalvin 71B yeast which also reduces some of the malic acid


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## koolmoto

montanarick said:


> You may wish to co-inoculate but make sure your pH is above 3.2. I use VP41 MLB along with Lalvin 71B yeast which also reduces some of the malic acid


If I had 3 gallons of a wine that wouldn't start MLF because of SO2 levels being too high... Could I combine it with another 3 gallons of similar must that was post alcoholic fermentation, pre-MLF and contained no SO2? Would that be a good way to get MLF to start by reducing SO2?


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## montanarick

I would think that it might work but you want to make sure there's no SO2 left in the wine. you can check levels with a Vinmetrica analyzer. If there is some SO2 remaining it can be stripped with hydrogen peroxide - don't recall offhand what the dose is but there's plenty of information on web on that subject. You will need to be aware of any head space in your fermentor - good idea to purge with CO2 if you can to avoid oxidation


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## Jbu50




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## VillaVino

tom6922 said:


> I removed my LaCrescent this year, it required way too much thinning and tending compared to my other varietals. Do you have a similar issue?


I just saw this post. My Lacrescents do not grow very well at all. Japanese Beetles must love them because they get skeletonized very quickly. I should just tear them out but every once in a while, I get a good crop. These vines were mixed in with my Brianna grape vines and I didn’t catch it until they were 3 years old. They just looked whimpy year 1 and 2 and I sent the company leaf samples after year 3 and they admitted it happened to another grower as well.


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## cmason1957

VillaVino said:


> I just saw this post. My Lacrescents do not grow very well at all. Japanese Beetles must love them because they get skeletonized very quickly. I should just tear them out but every once in a while, I get a good crop. These vines were mixed in with my Brianna grape vines and I didn’t catch it until they were 3 years old. They just looked whimpy year 1 and 2 and I sent the company leaf samples after year 3 and they admitted it happened to another grower as well.



Oh, but LaCrescent makes such a wonderful wine. I have a friend who grows them and had to worry about them freezing out, he has them in a very low spot away from most of his other grapes. Some years he gets a bumper crop, some years just a few lugs.


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## Ivywoods

I will be moving to a new home soon. (downsizing) This place has a small backyard vineyard, so I will be learning along the way with this new adventure. I have no idea what varieties of grapes are here, and the previous owner did not know. He had not bothered to care for the vineyard properly while he lived there.


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## VillaVino

Ivywoods said:


> I will be moving to a new home soon. (downsizing) This place has a small backyard vineyard, so I will be learning along the way with this new adventure. I have no idea what varieties of grapes are here, and the previous owner did not know. He had not bothered to care for the vineyard properly while he lived there.View attachment 71935


Learn about the mildews and bugs and how to combat them. Price a small backpack sprayer. The spacing between vines is pretty good so your vines will get plenty of breeze to dry them out after the morning dew. Learn about pruning. First thing to remember is that you can prune the heck out of grape vines. Don’t feel like you have to hold back or you will have a brambled mess. It looks like you have top wire cordon method for your vines. As for varieties, there will be others who will chime in to help ID them. 
where do you live?
Good luck and keep the thread going. There’s a lot of help here.


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## Dennis Griffith

If you don't like the idea of the backpack sprayer, you can always get a 2 gallon pump model and carry it on a garden cart secured by bungee cords. I typically use a garden cart as it takes a lot of walking to go back to the barn to retrieve anything, so I outfit a cart with various items that may be needed and it trails around behind me. That included a sprayer secured in one corner for spot spraying. Of course the mix is generally something like Neem as I do my bulk spraying with a sprayer on a tractor, by sometimes you need to pop those aphids (or whatever). This is just another idea, so you can have options. I have thought of building a robotic cart that would follow a few feet behind.


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## Ivywoods

Thank you for the advice. I'm a total novice with grapes but I have spent the last few months watching videos, reading about varieties and oodles of pruning varieties. I will still need to learn about pests and diseases. I'm pretty well stocked up on equipment from living the farm life. I am in southeast Kansas. We just came through one of the coldest spells on record for this area. Some of these vines may not recover. However the sun is out, it's warming up and I think pruning time is just around the corner.


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## Dennis Griffith

PS. Post pictures of the leaves and vines trunks as it will help us narrow down to variety of vine(s) you have, That, in turn, will help determine what to do when it comes time to care for and prune, and maybe what diseases/pests to watch for.


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## Ivywoods

I will try to get some pictures of the vines before I prune. I was over there today working on the house and checked the vines. The buds do not appear to be starting to swell but I'm sure it will be soon. Pictures of the tangled mess might even be able to help me decide how to proceed with the tangled mess from the last few years.


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## VillaVino

These are not the best pictures but you can see how much is pruned. My fruiting wire (bottom wire is 39” off the ground so you can see how much snow we had. The pruned picture is my 1st pruning. I go back and cut each vine back to 2 or 3 buds when there is no threat of frost. I’ll get better pictures of this year’s pruning adventure.


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## Ivywoods

VillaVino thanks for the pictures. Its a little hard to see close up, but do you use a spur and cane top wire system? That is what I will be doing. Also do you wait until ALL danger of frost is over? We get some pretty late frosts here, and lots of warm weather before that. I'm sure these will be leafing out before all danger of frost is over. I'm thinking I should wait until the buds are just starting to swell. I looked at them yesterday and they don't appear to be doing so yet.


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## Coriba

Hi all, posting here to introduce myself and my new vineyard.

I’m new here and new to growing grapes. We are in central Vancouver Island. Wet winters and some heat in summer. We planted 25 Merlot 181 on 3309 rootstock last year. We didn’t get them into the ground until late may. Pandemic interference. We got some growth last year, generally not quite to the first wire. Things look ok this year but a few are looking stressed. Browned leaves, looks like frost damage but we didn’t get a frost after budding. We haven’t sprayed yet but are getting ready too. Neem oil seems to be a good choice of general maintenance spray. Do I have that right?

Hope we can get to the top wire this year.

Dan


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## sour_grapes

Welcome, Coriba! (I hope someone else can assist you with your questions.)


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## Dennis Griffith

Coriba said:


> Hi all, posting here to introduce myself and my new vineyard.
> 
> I’m new here and new to growing grapes. We are in central Vancouver Island. Wet winters and some heat in summer. We planted 25 Merlot 181 on 3309 rootstock last year. We didn’t get them into the ground until late may. Pandemic interference. We got some growth last year, generally not quite to the first wire. Things look ok this year but a few are looking stressed. Browned leaves, looks like frost damage but we didn’t get a frost after budding. We haven’t sprayed yet but are getting ready too. Neem oil seems to be a good choice of general maintenance spray. Do I have that right?
> 
> Hope we can get to the top wire this year.
> 
> Dan



Welcome aboard. Along with Neem, you may want to consider adding Serenade to the mix, if your intent is to stay 'organic'. Just remember to spray often for these to have a degree of effect. I'm not sure what the pest or fungus pressure is there, but I'll keep an eye out to help if I can.


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## Coriba

Thanks for input. Is Serenade a sulphur spray? By frequent, do you mean weekly or monthly? I do not know the pest or fungus pressure here either. Generally not a wine growing area.


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## Dennis Griffith

Serenade is a biological fungicide. Frequent meaning weekly. Neem is not extremely effective for a wide range of issues. As an insecticide, it seems to act more as a deterrent, so regular application is important. And Serenade works over time, so I would consider adding it to every 2nd or 3rd Neem spraying. Just for background, I started out trying to stay away from many chemicals. My vines did ok the first season, but the second season was not good. I started showing signs of pest pressure (like Phylloxera), but then the Japanese Beetles came in by the bus load in one day. Add to that Downy mildew, Anthracnose, Powdery mildew, and Phomopsis. I knew I had to up my game or else give up the idea. BTW, the JBs seem to like Neem as a salad dressing. It is effective for some pests like aphids. I rely a lot of chemicals these days like mancozeb, Immunox, Captan, copper, and Garden Tech Sevin (insecticide). I also use Serenade and Neem as part of my spray schedule. 

I would like to point out that all of this was developed over time to address issues in my growing area (Southern Ohio) and may not be applicable for your area. I would check around and see if any one else has a vineyard in your region and reach out to them. I've also included a paper from Michigan State for your reading enjoyment. Good luck.


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## Steve Wargo

Coriba said:


> Hi all, posting here to introduce myself and my new vineyard.
> 
> I’m new here and new to growing grapes. We are in central Vancouver Island. Wet winters and some heat in summer. We planted 25 Merlot 181 on 3309 rootstock last year. We didn’t get them into the ground until late may. Pandemic interference. We got some growth last year, generally not quite to the first wire. Things look ok this year but a few are looking stressed. Browned leaves, looks like frost damage but we didn’t get a frost after budding. We haven’t sprayed yet but are getting ready too. Neem oil seems to be a good choice of general maintenance spray. Do I have that right?
> 
> Hope we can get to the top wire this year.
> 
> Dan


I found this. Don’t Have Neem Oil To Prevent Pests In Your Organic Garden: Use THIS Instead


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## Coriba

I found a sulphur dust fungicide that claims to control powdery mildew, rust, black spot, scab and mites. Also bought some nematode terranum which hunts and kills Japanese beetle larvae and other beetle types. Might help. I’ll spray the grapes and apples on Saturday and see what happens.


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## Maheesh

Here’s mine


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## Coriba

Another question if I may. What is the difference between sulphur spray and sulphur-lime spray?


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## Dennis Griffith

Coriba said:


> Another question if I may. What is the difference between sulphur spray and sulphur-lime spray?



Sulfur-lime should be used only during dormancy as the lime will burn the leaves. When using either, make sure the variety is sulfur tolerate. Straight sulfur can be used in either dust or spray form.


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## balatonwine

Dennis Griffith said:


> Sulfur-lime should be used only during dormancy as the lime will burn the leaves.



Sulfur-lime can be used with in a vineyard on leaves with the caveat that it be sprayed on tolerant varieties, on a cool morning or evening, and only when the daily temps do not exceed 80°F (27°C). So cooler wine making regions can use it especially in spring and fall as more than simply a dormant spray.


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## Rob Kneeland

Here's my small (35 Marquette) vineyard surrounded by corn.


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## garymc

Rob Kneeland said:


> Here's my small (35 Marquette) vineyard surrounded by corn.View attachment 92161


Do you get much herbicide drift being that close to row crops?


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## Dennis Griffith

Corn looks to be clean of weeds, which would lead me to suspect glyphosate or 2-4d. I get it from 1/.2 mile away, so you have to have some issue.


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