# And so I begin



## AmityFlatts

I am not much of a wine person, but since I live in wine country, have a couple acres doing nothing, I am going to dabble in the wine grape growing as a hobby. 

I dont know much of anything about growing grapes, but I do know when I have asked 5 grape growers how to do it, I have gotten 7 different opinions.  

I am embarking on a journey I dont know much about, but I do have a few friends with vineyards in the area I can hopefully ask for advise as I go forward. An online forum such as this will also be my sounding board on how to get thru over and around the hurdles I am sure to encounter.

I started a few months ago talking to a vineyard management consultant. They made this sound like a formible task, and quite expensive. I have since talked to a couple vineyards, and I get enerything from the hoity toity my grapes are the best because..... to there is nothing to this, stick them in the ground they will grow. 

I have decided to own root my plants, lets hope that decesion doesnt come back and bite me in a few years. I have collected about 250 pinot noir 115 cuttings from a 120 acre vineyard a couple miles away at the same elevation here in the Willamette valley. I also got about 150 pinot gris 146 cuttings from them. I was told to put them in a plastic bag upside down buried in wet sawdust for a couple months. So that is where I am currently.

I hope to get out and till up an area in the next month or so to plant the cuttings. I was told to put the cuttings in the ground on roughly 4 inch centers for the first year. This is easiest to water them and take care of them in the first year I was told. The second year I was told to dig them up and plant them in the vineyard on my desired spacing. I am thinking 8 feet between rows and 4 to 6 feet +/- between plants. Then build my supporting system after the plants are in place, as I dont want to tie a bunch of money up in fence and wire before I need them I was told.

If anybody has any suggestions or opinions of problems I will encounter before I get there I am all ears. I plan to do all the work myself, so I wont be encountering big labor cost doing work on the vineyard. Once the post are in the ground wire strung to support the grapes, the amount of work wont be to demanding for a few hundred plants, .....or least I keep telling my wife


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## BobF

Sounds like you're in for a heck of a ride. I can't help with grape growing, but congrats on getting started - enjoy the journey!


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## pg55

I am on a learning curve. I have 5 vines that I just planted so any advice I give won't be worth much. I see my mistakes in my first plantings.(Ithink I planted them too deep) If any survive and I learn from this I plan on having a very small vinyard 30 to 50 vines. I still have this idea of doing a fence line out front in grape vines which will add another 50 vines. This may be more than I can handle since I believe I will be faced with a lot of spraying.
My only advise is to take it slow and learn from your mistakes. Start small but I know it is hard since it takes 2 to 3 years to see the grapes of your labor. Good luck.


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## mjrisenhoover

Congratulations on your adventure, I have only 9 first year vines so I am not much help yet but I suggest the book From Vines to Wines by Jeff Cox, some pretty good info in there and I can't wait to see photos of your vineyard!


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## mikejapan

Vines to Wines is a great book for getting started but if you have friends with vineyards there is nothing like hands on experience with the types of vines you want to grow.


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## grapeman

You are looking at growing vinifera grapes which I have little experience in so I can't advise much except to say a few hundred vines will be a lot of work- much more than you think. You say once the posts are in and the wires strung it will be a piece of cake.. WAKE UP FROM THE DREAM. That is the easy part! Once in and growing you need to train the vines to whatever training systems you choose. That requires bending and tucking and tying the vines almost constantly. Then as the vines age, you need to be sure (and you should start from the beginning) to use a good spray program to control insects and diseases. There are weeds to contend with and you will need to hoe and pull them, especially if you don't wat to use herbicides. Once the vines begin to bear, increase the spraying and canopy management where you open the vines up to air movement to decrease disease. And the list goes on.......................Expect 20 to 40 hours per week for those vines by year two.


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## bigdrums2

What wine contra do you live in?


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## oldwhiskers

Definitely sounds like an adventure, good luck.


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## AmityFlatts

Thanks for the comments,  here is a pic of the place. 








The big fields behind me and to the sides are all planted in grass seed now and not mine. The pic is from a few years ago. What looks like a big yard to the right of the house is what I plan to turn into a vineyard. The driveway runs North South and the pic is looking south. 

My place is just outside of the Amity Eola Hills American Viticulture Area. I need to be about 35 higher in elevation and about 300 yards to the North, to be in the designated area  Not that I care about the club I can never join.

http://http://eolaamityhills.com/content/index.php

It seems almost everybody grows Pinot Noir in the area. It is definately the premium grape in the area for the wineries, and demands the best prices. 

10 miles away is the Dundee Hills winery/vineyard area

http://www.dundeehills.org/

I am concerned with planting the grapes in the ground on 4" centers as I was instructed by the vineyard that gave me the cuttings. Will I have problems getting the roots apart when I dig them up to plant them in the field? Do they need more spacing?


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## flyfishun

I have to agree with grapeman. I have about a quarter acre in Gig Harbor WA. My vineyard is a handful for me. It is important to get a spray program in place as well as posts and wire. Oregon Vineyard Supply is a great resource for you to look into. Just remember to have fun and enjoy the wine.


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## AmityFlatts

I was at Oregon Vineyard Supply yesterday. Picked up their Trellis Supply book, and a registration form for the Willamette Valley Winegrape Growers Meeting on March 9th in McMinnville. Gotta be something for me to learn there.


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## AmityFlatts

I layed out the ends of 6 rows of grapes today, the rows are staked at 9 feet apart, and 125 feet between row ends. With a 5 foot spacing between plants I should get about 150 plants in this area. 






a couple questions.

The prevailing winds come from the building in the distance, would I gain much orienting the rows that direction to cut down on mold hopefully with better air flow down the rows? It would not line up with my property borders very well.

The arborvitae around the edge of my field, will they cause me issues, should I just plant to cut them down?

Will I have issues if I plant two species of grapes close to each other?? 

I checked my upside down cuttings in the damp sawdust as I was told to store them. They look and feel wet, I didnt find any comments on this forum about storing them that way???? I am just doing what the vineyard told me to do where I got the cuttings. They told me that is what they do when they take cuttings to plant new fields. I hope they dont start getting moldy in the plastic bags. Any suggestions or comments on that??


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## flyfishun

Planting more than one variety will not hurt at all. Just make sure you know where they are. I mark my posts with a number just to keep track and to help come harvest time when you have folks helping you. As for rooting I have always used a rooting hormone and put them in dirt in a plastic bag. With the number of vines your starting though I would go with what the winery suggested. If it works for them it should work for you. The row direction looks good and with a good spray program you shouldn't have to much trouble.


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## ibglowin

I believe its important to orient the rows N-S if possible for maximum sunlight on the vines E-W. North-South is generally preferable in North America. It may be different elsewhere, though. NS orientation allows the canopy to capture as much sunlight as possible for photosynthesis in both the morning and afternoon and also allows for the sun exposure necessary to dry out the clusters and help avoid mildew issues. If you plant EW, your vines will get heavy sun exposure on the south side during the growing season, possibly causing sunburn on your fruit, while the north side will get almost no sunlight and may not dry out adequately after periods of heavy dew/rain. Also, leaves on the north side will not get much sunlight in order to photosynthesize, and it is this photosynthesis which causes sugar production in your grapes.

You may want to let the cuttings get some air so they don't mold.


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## blumentopferde

I am also just a beginner so beware! 



AmityFlatts said:


> I layed out the ends of 6 rows of grapes today, the rows are staked at 9 feet apart, and 125 feet between row ends. With a 5 foot spacing between plants I should get about 150 plants in this area.


I would consider a shorter spacing between the plants. In Europe it has become quite popular to plant vines in very narrow distances, sometimes as low as two feet. This is supposed to enhance the quality of the wine as more "cables" down to the soil should improve the nutrient supply. I think 5 feet distance should be totally fine as long as you have two canes or cordon-arms but if you plan to have one-armed systems you should definitely reduce the distance.



> The prevailing winds come from the building in the distance, would I gain much orienting the rows that direction to cut down on mold hopefully with better air flow down the rows? It would not line up with my property borders very well.


I've heard that orienting the rows parallel to the wind direction should reduce the risk of mold. A north-south orientation of wines should provide the best insolation. 
I've been talking to an expert about this and he told me that he would rather orient the wines towards the east than towards the west, as the grapes should dry as early as possible during the day, as this would reduce fungal infections (He was talking about sloped terrain, but also if it comes to flat terrain, a slight SW/NE orientation should be better than the other way round). He also told me that he would always align the rows with one border of the property for practical reasons and that he would rather have the rows perpendicular to the street than parallel, also for practical reasons.



> The arborvitae around the edge of my field, will they cause me issues, should I just plant to cut them down?


They will cast shadow on your grapes. The height of the trees will be roughly the distance in which you will experience less insolation. The closer you come to the trees, the less insolation you will have. I have the same issue on my wineyard. I left the trees as I didn't want to sacrifice beautiful and healthy trees for grapes. After all I do not only want a wineyard, I also want a pleasurable environment around my house. I will simply plant less demanding, early ripening varieties close to the trees and leave the demanding varieties (such as Pinot Noir) to the sunny places.

Btw: It's great to see somebody who's also planting Pinot Noir! I will also start with this variety this year!

EDIT: Looking at your pictures, I think that aligning the rows in North-South-Direction, parallel to the western border of your property should be totally fine. Apart from that: That's one beautiful property that you have!


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## AmityFlatts

Still trying to put in a vineyard on the cheap. I could buy pots to plant the cuttings in, but I am going to put them in the ground and then dig them back up for transplant to their final resting location, just sweat equity invested that way. I have a lead on some post from a berry farmer, they tore out their berries and stacked the post. Maybe I can cut a deal on them. 

Yesterday I broke ground on my "vineyard nursery", soil was a little wet yet and didnt want to till the best. But getting it broke up now, it will till up better later before I plant.

I dont see any callusing on my cutting, but it has not been the warmest weather lately. Not sure I would know what callusing looked like if I saw it


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## Rocky

Amity, I hope those are shadow on your house of the plants along the side. If so, you have what appears to be a southern exposure for the vineyard. See what the experienced guys say but I believe it is best for you to plant the rows perpendicular to your house.


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## saddlebronze

Go for it, its like the Marine Corps, the toughest job you'll ever love! You are in the right part of the world to really enjoy it. Its a lot of work, but anything in life that is worth it is a lot of work. At least you get to drink the rewards!


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## GEM

This rootstock is pretty standard and should work with most grape varieties. Also, a No. so. Exposure of rows is usually best so vines get sun on both sides of vine during the day. Best of luck. Gary


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## AmityFlatts

I couldnt take it any longer, my grape consultant told me a few weeks ago to wait until the 2nd week of April to put them in the ground. Today is the 3rd, it seemed close enough  The grass is growing like there is no tomorrow, it seemed like time to set the vines free. 

I have a few over 300 pinot noir on the right and a little over 200 pinot gris on the left in the pic. Now I hope I put them in the ground right side up


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## ibglowin

Spacing seems a little close!


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## AmityFlatts

ibglowin said:


> Spacing seems a little close!



I think I should be able to pluck some select leaves and get all the plants some sunshines 

Actually I was told to plant them on 4 inch centers, I went with about 6 inch hoping I could dig them easier for transplanting. At least the watering will be easy this summer with the condensed area.


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## AmityFlatts

Been watching the vines daily, finally I see something that looks like at least one of them is going to grow. 

Lots of fuzzy little looking bumps growing on the vines, but this is the first thing I recognize as plant life. It been about a month in the ground to get to this point. Maybe I will celebrate and go buy a harvesting tool.


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## AmityFlatts

I didnt count, but I am going to guess around 400 of my plants are going to grow.


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## mgmarty

That's amazing. How wet do you keep them? Fertilizer? Root enhancer?


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## AmityFlatts

I tilled the spot, added a little triple 16 and some mulch got tilled in before I planted. I have not been watering as it has been raining in Oregon.

Looks like this week I will have to drag a hose over soon, as the temps will be high 70's low 80's this week.

No root tone, just stuck the cuttings in the dirt.


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## grapeman

Did those get calloused before setting them in the ground? If not you may experience a collapse soon. The buds will sprout and grow without callouses but not the roots. I am not sure if the soil gets hot enough (80 degrees) in Oregon to callous directly. If you have no roots, the buds that began to grow will wither and die. I hope I am wrong and you got good callous and root formation.


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## AmityFlatts

I haven't had a collapse, but the little guys are developing grapes it looks like 






That's a quarter in the pic for size reference. About 2.5 months, from cutting hitting dirt to grape 

I assume I should be cutting these grapes off so I grow plant and not fruit


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## Stressbaby

If I were you I'd snip those grapes. Those plants need to direct their energy into root formation. Have you dug one of them up to check for roots?

Also, the soil looks pretty darn wet. How is the drainage there?


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## GEM

Yes, snip the grapes so all of the plants energy goes into the root structure. Do this for first 2-3 years, then you will have bountiful crops.


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## AmityFlatts

Stressbaby said:


> If I were you I'd snip those grapes. Those plants need to direct their energy into root formation. Have you dug one of them up to check for roots?
> 
> Also, the soil looks pretty darn wet. How is the drainage there?



It was wet because it was raining, happens in the NW quite a bit


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## AmityFlatts

I have been watering my grapes and watching them grow.

Tonight I got a hard count on how many plants I have. I counted 293 pinot noir cuttings I placed in the ground, and 210 of them have leaves and appear at this point will make it. About 72% success. 

I counted the Pinot Gris and I have 224 cuttings in the ground and 183 look like they will make it. About 83% success.

I also have 6 of what were told to me were white table grapes. Only two of them have leaves, or ever had leaves. About 33% success.  

I don't know on the ones that didn't grow, if I got them upside down  or if they just didn't make it for other reasons.

I just keep watering them, and watching them grow. :>


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## AmityFlatts

Time to ask the experts for some advice. 

I spent some time this weekend prepping the field for the transplant of the cuttings I planted last year. 









I have made 5 more passes with the tiller on each of the 8 rows since I took that last pic, soil is about ready to plant. I will wait a another week or two and till it some more to knock down the weeds that think they want to invade. Lots of work chasing that tiller up and down the field. At least now the passes are easier that the sod is busted up 


I need to dig up my plants and move them to the rows in the field. Some of my cuttings have two sprouts out of them. When I dig them to transplant, should I trim one of the sprouts off, let them both grow, or ???? In the foreground of the following pic, is a cutting with a growth out of the upper and lower bud I planted above the ground. Which one do I let grow, and where do I trim them, or not?





Some of the plants grew quite a bit last year, I was told to trim them back to 4 buds, does that make sense? For example the following pic has a growth from the cutting that is probably 3 feet long. What do the experts say on what I should do with the long sprouts when I transplant them?





When I get the post and wires set in the field, I plan to do a top row cordon wire for the fruiting vines at about 6ft high. I just gotta get those plants tall enough to reach it :> 

Thanks in advance for the help.


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## TicinoVintner

You should of done the tilling in the fall. They need a soil that has had time to settle in. Everything I have read over viticulture recommends that you prepare the soil in the fall then let it overwinter before planting. 
Sorry I can't help you on what to cut as I'm on my iPhone an cant see the plants too well. All I can say is go with what ever looks the most vigorous. Training them is not the most important step at the moment. 


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


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## mgmarty

Training them is not the most important step at the moment. 

I agree, ( from my very limited experience). Just put them in the ground this year with a stake to train a trunk. 
Oh, and get busy with the posts! 


Baco Noir and Seyval Blanc in Utah


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## AmityFlatts

Yesterday was the day I have been dreading, we moved the plants from the nursery to the field. I think it was about at this point when I wished I had sprung for pots instead of just using the ground.





Most of the plants had a pretty good root system, some only had a few small roots, I sure hope they all grow.





I talked my son into helping me dig the 320 holes





The wife helped me plant them. It was a nasty day to be working outside. Friday we had 1.69 inches of rain, and I know we had over in inch Saturday while we spent the day moving plants. I don't think I need to water them for a while 

Some of the plants didn't have any roots, and showed no sign of growth wanting to emerge, I tossed those. I ended up with 182 Pinot Noir, and 138 Pinot Gris. I have about 20 or so Pinot Gris left in the nursery when I was done and my rows were filled.

I started out pruning last years growth while digging them, after a while I just quit as it was muddy work. I will prune them in a few days in the field when I am not quite so tired and sore.


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## grapeman

Sorry it took me a while to see this updated post. I think you have been going in the right direction so far. There are two trains of thought for beginning them. One is to prune back pretty aggressively and the other is basically what you have done. I usually prune somewhare in between, shortening long canes, but keeping them all or at least most if not a lot. You will want the vine to basically grow this year which will put a lot of nutrients into the roots for a great start next year. I put in a stake next to each of them and generally just keep it growing upright for this first year. Looks very goo so far. Keep up the good work.


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## AmityFlatts

Thanks grapeman, I went to the local vineyard supply house and priced stakes last week. It was $30 and change for 250 4ft bamboo stakes 7/16 diameter. I will purchase those when I have something to tie to them.


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## olusteebus

Looks great to me. Impressive.


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## AmityFlatts

The guy I got my cuttings from stopped by last night and checked over my work and showed me how he wants me to prune the plants.

Pretty heavy handed pruning was done, cutting back leaving two buds on each of last years growth. It was pretty easy, and only took about 30 minutes, the buds have a green tint to them like they are about to show a leaf emerging so they were easy to see.

We are lime deficient in the Willamette Valley, and he wants to put 1 pound of lime around each plant, and 1/2 pound of triple 16. Told me to pick up some powder at his office to mix in my sprayer to keep the weeds down. Don't remember the name of it right now. Told me he would have it ready for me to pick up. So it looks like lime, fertilizer and weed control this week after the pruning. 

He also told me to get my stakes picked up, I would need them soon.


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## TicinoVintner

I'm not an expert on weed control nor do I play one on T.V but I'm not sure spraying glyphosate right after you've just transplanted is such a great idea. GS is broad spectrum and doesn't discriminate which roots it wants to kill. Even spraying around the vines will introduce some GS into the root area. Just something to think about. 


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


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## ibglowin

GS doesn't kill by getting into the root system. It kills by being absorbed through the foliage. Glyphosate's mode of action is to inhibit an enzyme involved in the synthesis of the amino acids. If there are no leaves it should be safe. But I would still use cation if you have small buds.


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## AmityFlatts

Well I got the triple 16 and dolomite lime put on each plant this week. Today I talked to my "grape consultant" and he told me the name of the weed control again, Devrinol 50-DF. I picked up 4 lbs and mixed it an applied it to my dirt areas, hoping I don't have weed issues.

I see I have a few plants that have sprouted, most have not, but at least 10% have little leaves. I see a couple plants that look like they may not have made it, we will see if they grow something or I need to get a new plant in its location.

A few pics from this morning.


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## TicinoVintner

ibglowin said:


> GS doesn't kill by getting into the root system. It kills by being absorbed through the foliage. Glyphosate's mode of action is to inhibit an enzyme involved in the synthesis of the amino acids. If there are no leaves it should be safe. But I would still use cation if you have small buds.



Yes and no, order jein. It depends which scientists you believe, industry or activists. Point I was trying to make is it ends up in the soil, add rain, diffusion. One application can take 6 months to two years to break down in the soil. Meaning it *may* (proof that it does, proof that it doesnt) end up in your wine. GS is forbidden in most European A.O.C vineyards. Weeds are natural, as long as the vines are not grass dominated they pose no threat. GS *may* pose a threat. 


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


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## ibglowin

Oooooh who doesn't love a good old fashioned conspiracy theory!


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## TicinoVintner

ibglowin said:


> Oooooh who doesn't love a good old fashioned conspiracy theory!



I know I do, lol. 
Too much of anything is bad, even compost. Everything in moderation. 
The one time I used a GS weed killer in my vegetable garden it killed a lot more than just the weeds and I used it conservatively. That was my experience with it, YMMV. 

Anyways back to the vineyard ;
Looking great! My new transplants still look like candles. I'm sure seeing them produce leaves is reassuring to know that at least they are not dead. I'm still in that nervous waiting period. A few of my older vines already have a tiny little cluster or two. It's exciting to already see what will hopefully be harvested. 


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## AmityFlatts

Picked up my drip irrigation this weekend. 1500ft of 18mm tubing, and 350 1/2 gph drippers, and a handful of fitting to connect it all. Also got a filter and pressure regulator. Total bill was $230, which is going to be a lot better than the time it would take me to hand water the plants this summer.

Uncoiled the tubing Sunday and have it laying down the rows, as the tubing relaxes from its tight coiled stage to being relatively straight. 

Rain forecasted all week, once it dries out a bit, I will staple the tubing down and punch in the drippers.


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## mgmarty

Post up some pics when you can. Im interested in doing the drip system myself, just dont want it in the way of tilling my rows.


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## AmityFlatts

When I trans planted my grapes they all looked like sticks. Most of them are doing quite nicely, but some of them show no sign of life. I tied a ribbon around the ones that are not showing any life so I could keep an eye on them. They are either slow starters or have died  I had about 25 Pinot Gris left over when I ran out of field, and those plants are doing quite nice. So I dug up some of the plants that are doing well and replaced them with the ones that dont look so good. Hopefully I didn't kill those plants with a transplant when they were bopping along so well.

The dead looking ones, had a nice root structure, maybe I just needed to be more patient. But it is hard to have a stick in the field, and a healthy plant you are just going to till under soon, so I swapped them out. 

Here is a pic of a plant I dug up, and replaced.


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## AmityFlatts

Plenty of grape green in the field, glad to see them growing


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## peaches9324

your vineyard looks beautiful can't wait to see the trellis up. Bet you can't wait!


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## AmityFlatts

Its been a while, I have the drip system in complete now, plants are doing fine except for a few that didn't make it. I just put stakes in so I can tie up the plants as they grow. Wish I would have done that before the ground started to get a hard crust on top


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## GEM

Looking great. When are you going to put you trellis system in and what type are you thinking about. The longer you wait on installation, the more trouble it is to put opinion and not have the vines in the way. Just some more to consider. Cheers, Gary



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## AmityFlatts

Thanks,

This grape growing business is slow  I keep thinking I should have more growth than I do. I have called my buddy who is helping me, he told me to give them a 1/4 lb of 20/10/10 if they are not growing fast enough, so I added that this week. It has been very dry, no rain in a month until today. Warm weather and my ground has been dry on top so I keep running the drippers thinking they are thirsty  My buddy loaned me a moisture meter, stick the probe in the ground and it gives me a reading, he told me I should be between 3 and 4, I probed the area around my grapes and I am 8 or 9, maybe I have been over watering them :< thinking if a little bit is good, more is better.

I will put up trellis next spring, my buddy who hasn't lead me wrong yet, told me to never spend any money today you can spend tomorrow  I may sell the house and move, my grapes may die, I may want a different crop, don't buy and put up trellis until you need them in the third year. So I will follow that advice. Post and wire to come later.

Took a pic tonight, most plants are growing fairly well, a couple had a leaf then appear to have died  A few never made the transplant. I think at least 85-90% of them are doing pretty good. I will fill in with more plants when I can harvest cuttings this fall.


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## AmityFlatts

Time for my monthly update. I am still at it trying to learn the grape growing business.

These grapes are taking a little more time than I thought they would. I keep having to go tie up plants so they go vertical up the stakes. Some grow quite well, some not so much.

I seem to have developed a dwarf variety.  I have a dozen or so plants that have grown a single leaf and proceed to think that is all they want to do. 





I have plants that have grown to the top of the 4' stake and are looking for something else to grab on to.





For the most part they are doing well. I have some plants that have died, maybe a dozen or so of the 320 didn't make the transplant. I will be collecting additional cuttings this fall to fill in those holes.





Weather has been hot hot hot, I think I will go water them again.


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## AmityFlatts

If nothing else I have learned plenty on this journey so far.

I wish the vineyard supply had stakes longer than 4' with about 8 inches in the ground I don't have much more than 3 feet above the ground. I plan to top wire these grapes and want my plants in the 4.5 to 5 foot tall zone. When the plants outgrew my stakes, they started flopping over, Tonight took some 4 foot stakes and cut them into 16 inches and added them to the stakes in the ground with some electrical tape. Its not your classic vineyard look  but I think it will work for now. 





I wish I would have put in the trellis this year, but with the ground as hard as it is now, I will have to wait until this winter to get post in the ground and wire stung.

Spending more time tying up plants than I had imagined. Maybe I am just slow


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## ibglowin

Coming along nicely. Jealous of the wine you will be making in a few years! Too funny on the poles!


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## AmityFlatts

I don't post much on this site, but I do enjoy reading other threads.

I took a couple pics of the vineyard this morning. Plants coming along nicely. I have a few holes to fill in with new plants, but I am pretty happy with my uneducated, inexperienced attempt at making this happen.


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## Kraffty

It looks like great progress in just about 1-1/2 years. You'll be harvesting grapes before you know it.
Keep up with the updates.
Mike


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## AmityFlatts

Well it looks like my growing season is coming to an end. Have not had a freeze yet, and my plants still have new green growth off the top, though they are not reaching for the sky as fast as this summer. It wont be long now....

My end of the year tally is, I transplanted 320 grapes this spring, 34 went on to the big vine in the sky and I will need to replant those. I talked to the winery/vineyard where I got my plants and they said no problem to come get some more cuttings when they prune, and to stick two cuttings in the ground at each location hoping one of them grows. 

A little over 200 plants got tall enough I will leave them be to proceed into next year. The balance of the plants will be pruned back to two buds and get to try and be a big boy plant next summer. Hopefully they come out of the gate growing faster than this year, being an established plant, they should grow better next year. 

All 34 plants that died were Pinot Noir, every one of my Pinot Gris made it, and only a couple Gris did not get tall enough and will be cut back. I conclude Pinto Noirs are harder to grow than Gris 


I need to get some post and wire up soon. I am having a problem with my bamboo stakes breaking off when a storm blows thru, maybe if the leaves would drop they wouldn't blow over so bad. I am waiting for a little more rain so I can drive the post in the ground easier. This clay soil gets pretty hard in the summer. I am not looking forward to driving post and stringing wire, but the time as home.

Shot of my grapes before work yesterday.





In talking to the winery/vineyard I got my plants from, they harvested 500,000 pounds of grapes this year. They put up 20,000 gallons of juice, about 178,000lbs went to California, and the balance were sold locally to other wineries. They machine picked their grapes for the first time I was told. Sounded like an interesting shaking the grapes off the plant process.


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## mgmarty

Got our first frost in Utah last week. Looks great, season is definitely closing. 


Baco Noir and Seyval Blanc in Utah


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## oregondabbler

Thanks for sharing your progress. Your vineyard is looking good and is going to be awesome. 

If I read you right, you have 8 rows, 40 vines per row? (well not yet but that seems to be the goal) Half Pinot Noir, Half Gris? Quite the project. You have been bitten hard by the wine-bug. 

A couple of more years and we get to see the fruit of your labor and you'll be making the wine. Or do you plan to do something else like sell the fruit or shop-out the wine making to a local winery? 

By the way, are you making wine now? If not, suggest getting some practice in some kits before you go big-time with your own.

I live just south of you in Corvallis. My vineyard is in the valley clay too. It was a good year! There is always something to do. Nice to meetcha.

Have fun


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## WineandVinestudent

Your best bet before planting is to always go to the local wineries and talk with the winemakers. These people will be your primary contacts and partners (because they will be purchasing your grapes).


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## AmityFlatts

I guess I am officially done babying them for the season, they looked cold this morning.


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## AmityFlatts

A couple weeks ago I planted the post. I enjoyed the how to angle your post thread, it was very timely. I over dug my holes and just angled them in the oversized hole as opposed to trying to dig a non vertical hole. 

I set 8ft, 4 to 5 inch diameter wood post for ends, and 8 foot metal line post which I drove in the ground with a post pounder. I was tired at the end of that day. I didn't put in any deadman anchors on my end posts, I am hoping I wont need them, mowing will be much easier without an anchor in the way.

Yesterday I strung the wire, it was easier than I anticipated. Twisting the 12.5 gauge high tensile wire wasn't bad, it was tougher wire than I was expecting. I had to buy a 100lb spool of wire, which was enough for 3 wires per row, not sure I needed the third wire, but I am guessing more is better than less.

A few pics of the finished process


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## ibglowin

Very nice job indeed. Looks almost too perfect!


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## Sage

Unless you placed rock in the hole of the angled posts, they will probably pull up to vertical. The plants will put a lot of weight on the wires. If you see it happening, don't wait to long. I've been surprised at how much the wire will stretch due to weight.


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## RedSun

Irrigation pipes on the ground?

Nice....


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## AmityFlatts

Yes, irrigation is laying on the ground.


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## RedSun

GJ, looks like you have no animal problem....


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## AmityFlatts

RedSun said:


> GJ, looks like you have no animal problem....



My animal problems to date have been

Voles moved in, took some effort to burn, smoke, poison, dig them out. Finally got that colony wiped out that set up at the edge of my vineyard. I wanted them dead before winter and they girdled my plants.

I can see deer most days from my property, but for some reason the last couple of years they haven't bothered me. They don't cross the open field and come to my place. I have a couple cherry trees they tried to wiped out in the spring a few years ago. 

Raccoons, skunks and opossums visit regular, when I see them, they don't usually get away.  A few coyotes have got within shooting range 

neighbors goats get out once in a while, they got close once last summer, but I managed to divert that before it became an issue.


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## RedSun

Even thought about putting up a fence? I hear deer damage vines....


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## AmityFlatts

I harvested about 75 cuttings from my buddy a couple month ago so I could fill in the holes in my vineyard that didnt survive the transplant last year. Out of 320 plants I had 34 that didnt make it. Some of them had fairly large root structres, I dont know how they didnt survive.

Today I took my cutting out of the plastic bag filled with damp sawdust where they have resided since around February and planted two cuttings per spot hoping one of them will grow. 

Several of the cutting have sprouted already, glad I didnt wait any longer.





A few weeks ago i was mowing grass in my rows and found a couple killdeer had set up home in vineyard. It appears they have been busy and are making a family.





They put their nest dead center on top of where one of my 34 grapes didnt make it. I left that spot open and put a few cuttings in pots and when the babies are gone, I will transplant the grapes to where they need to be.

Picture of momma to be on her nest






Today while planting momma to be kept trying to lure me away from her nest. She was 7 feet away in the nest row squaking up a storm 





Kind of cool I am about to have a harvest from my vineyard before long, just wish it was grapes, and not baby birds.


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## AmityFlatts

My killdeer came back again this year, same row, just a couple plants over and nested again. Must be a wine name in there somewhere for the bird that keeps raising her babies in my grapes.

Just a couple photos below, hope to harvest some grapes soon. I have made my fair share of mistakes as I move along. I should have pruned the fruiting vines back and not left them so long, it just meant I had to drop a lot more fruit, it hurts to cut those grape clusters off. I did some weed management not long after taking the following pic





Grapes are doing fine, hope to harvest a round of grapes this year, i have already dropped off over half of the clusters that set this year, and I may not have dropped enough clusters. 





Oregon Vineyard Supply has been helpful, though sometimes I think they are chemical salesman first, and want me to buy and spray everything. Lots of different ways to do this that is for sure, everybody has a suggestion that doesnt match up the last guys suggestion


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## Johny99

Looking real good!


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