2018 Growing Season. How was yours?

[Dennis Griffith]

Pretty sure I was hit with the flea beetle this year. Total vineyard yield was down about 40%. I had whole rows without a single grape cluster. Next year, I’ll take a day off work the minute I see one of these devils. We have 3 acres of vines in central Wisconsin.

Have you tried Garden Tech Sevin (contains Zeta-Cypermethrin, not Carbaryl)? I have found it to be VERY effective.

 

[VillaVino]

Dennis,
I have not used Garden Tech Sevin yet. I’ll do the research. Thx.

 

[Dennis Griffith]

Dennis,
I have not used Garden Tech Sevin yet. I’ll do the research. Thx.

Most Sevin products are Carbaryl based and even the Garden Tech Sevin dust is Carbaryl. For me (here), Carbaryl has not been very effective on the Japanese Beetle issue, but since I started the Garden Tech Sevin this year, I can now say that I have a firm grip on the JB issue I have. And I believe it's use has also eliminated any phylloxera I've seen in the past. With my luck, they'll probably discontinue it.

 

[Newine]

Heaviest crop yet for my little vineyard, 6th leaf, but first year was drought and I barely kept them alive so I think of them as more of a 5th. Winter would not quit here in North East Nebraska, and was a little harsh on the Seyval Blanc & Noiret. Also pretty wet but kind of dried up towards the end of season which helped us out. Had a propane cannon out for a few weeks and we gout around 700 lbs. No spray program, I am trying to do everything organic and so far so good. Best numbers were from the Frontenac
pH 3.4 , 9 TA, brix 23

 

[Dennis Griffith]

Heaviest crop yet for my little vineyard, 6th leaf, but first year was drought and I barely kept them alive so I think of them as more of a 5th. Winter would not quit here in North East Nebraska, and was a little harsh on the Seyval Blanc & Noiret. Also pretty wet but kind of dried up towards the end of season which helped us out. Had a propane cannon out for a few weeks and we gout around 700 lbs. No spray program, I am trying to do everything organic and so far so good. Best numbers were from the Frontenac
pH 3.4 , 9 TA, brix 23

You could consider Neem Oil and Serenade, which is a biological fungicide. These are considered safe and organic. I use both in conjunction with other stuff, but you need to use them long term and consistently for ok results.

 

[Newine]

I should have said I do use neem oil in the vineyard, orchard and vegetable garden. Keep a handful of beef cattle and compost the waste hay and manure in the pen area they winter in. When it's well composted it's spread around everything. Trying to be sheppard of my soils, hoping to continue to improve it. When I bought the land it was a cornfield, after soil testing we balanced the pH and have given it organics. When I first went to dig a garden you could not find an earthworm, now they are every where so soil health is improving. We have wild flower and native grass patches, and are seeing preying mantis regularly. You can see the change.

 

[baron4406]

I'm good friends with a local winery owner here in Eastern Pa. I was actually gonna source grapes from him this year. He lost his entire crop, he's a super picky guy and won't use marginal grapes. It was wet here and hasn't let up. We just had 2.5 inches of rain two days ago

 

[Dennis Griffith]

I should have said I do use neem oil in the vineyard, orchard and vegetable garden. Keep a handful of beef cattle and compost the waste hay and manure in the pen area they winter in. When it's well composted it's spread around everything. Trying to be sheppard of my soils, hoping to continue to improve it. When I bought the land it was a cornfield, after soil testing we balanced the pH and have given it organics. When I first went to dig a garden you could not find an earthworm, now they are every where so soil health is improving. We have wild flower and native grass patches, and are seeing preying mantis regularly. You can see the change.

Sounds good. We had horses for years, so I saved and composted all the manure. It has all been used, but I save everything organic to compost. Sometimes my compost piles produce as well. If they do, I let it go to see what we get. Last year we had a big pumpkin patch that grew out of the compost. As for the grapes, I'd have nothing if I went total organic. Between the beetles and the fungi, it would wipe me out here. I tried the first year, and I decided I had to step it up if I ever wanted grapes. Almost lost that first planting of vines. I do try to be conscious of what I doing to the ecosystem through.

 

[CK55]

It's a lot of work. The year has been challenging in that I've felt like I was growing in rain forest like conditions. Definitely didn't have to use the drip irrigation much. And the grass seemed to grow like 3" a day, so mowing was a constant state of being as I mow several acres. Next year should be fun as I'm adding Cab Franc and venturing into VSP.

I can help if anything goes wrong eoth the cab franc or your VSP, because that's the trellis in the picture I posted its not fully in as it has 2-3 more wires. I just haven't needed them yet.

 

[Dennis Griffith]

Thanks CK. I've already studied the trellis system for VSP and should have no problem there. It will be a first for me in that the fruiting wire is low (~32") and that I will have to prune differently for these vines. I've watched some videos on folks pruning, which raises some questions. One is how to determine which canes to keep? Also, as I understand it, you cut the cordon used for last years fruit and replace it with last years canes so that they become this years fruiting cordon? It looked to me as if they pruned back to about 5" from the head, depending on which canes they kept. I know it's early in the game, but winter will be long and I will be asking lots of questions.

 

[CK55]

Thanks CK. I've already studied the trellis system for VSP and should have no problem there. It will be a first for me in that the fruiting wire is low (~32") and that I will have to prune differently for these vines. I've watched some videos on folks pruning, which raises some question. One is how to determine which canes to keep? Also, as I understand it, you cut the cordon used for last year fruit and replace it with last years canes so that become this years fruiting cordon? It looked to me as if they pruned back to about 5" from the head, depending on which canes they kept. I know it's early in the game, but winter will be long and I will be asking lots of questions.

Yeah, with VSP vines can be really really productive so you have to keep them trimmed so you don't over crop. Do you have any idea which specific Cabernet franc you are getting? Most vines in the US originate through UC Davis at least the vinifera ones do . And come with a FPS #. Which is useful for identifying specific vine clones.

 

[Dennis Griffith]

I added 11 vines to next years order from Double A. I selected the 101-14 root stock (the 2010 protocol one) as it seems best suited for my soil type here.

 

[CK55]

Yeah, it will work great it's okay in my sand the least productive stock I have. Hell Riparia Gloire which is the only pure vitis riparia stock is out producing it.

Again probably due to my soil. It's a productive rootstock. Slower than 1103 but on paper faster than Riparia. I'm finding the best rootstocks for me are 1103p and SO4. Both are producing quite fast growth

 

[VillaVino]

Most Sevin products are Carbaryl based and even the Garden Tech Sevin dust is Carbaryl. For me (here), Carbaryl has not been very effective on the Japanese Beetle issue, but since I started the Garden Tech Sevin this year, I can now say that I have a firm grip on the JB issue I have. And I believe it's use has also eliminated any phylloxera I've seen in the past. With my luck, they'll probably discontinue it.

Most Sevin products are Carbaryl based and even the Garden Tech Sevin dust is Carbaryl. For me (here), Carbaryl has not been very effective on the Japanese Beetle issue, but since I started the Garden Tech Sevin this year, I can now say that I have a firm grip on the JB issue I have. And I believe it's use has also eliminated any phylloxera I've seen in the past. With my luck, they'll probably discontinue it.

Dennis, I get about a weeks worth of protection from the regular Sevin concentrate during the JB invasion. I used to use Imadin but it was restricted where I live. It worked well. It would be nice if someone could develop something to kill the JB grub in the ground. Milk spoor just doesn’t seem practical for more than a couple of small rows of vines.

 

[Newine]

Sounds good. We had horses for years, so I saved and composted all the manure. It has all been used, but I save everything organic to compost. Sometimes my compost piles produce as well. If they do, I let it go to see what we get. Last year we had a big pumpkin patch that grew out of the compost. As for the grapes, I'd have nothing if I went total organic. Between the beetles and the fungi, it would wipe me out here. I tried the first year, and I decided I had to step it up if I ever wanted grapes. Almost lost that first planting of vines. I do try to be conscious of what I doing to the ecosystem through.

I will keep trying to be as natural as I can until and unless the "nuclear" option is required at which time I will go all in if need be! Too much work to let it go bad on me

 

[CK55]

I will keep trying to be as natural as I can until and unless the "nuclear" option is required at which time I will go all in if need be! Too much work to let it go bad on me

Natural only goes so far, im trying thus far unless i get really bad mildew or something ive been using only neem oil and havent had many pests.

 

[Dennis Griffith]

Dennis, I get about a weeks worth of protection from the regular Sevin concentrate during the JB invasion. I used to use Imadin but it was restricted where I live. It worked well. It would be nice if someone could develop something to kill the JB grub in the ground. Milk spoor just doesn’t seem practical for more than a couple of small rows of vines.

I have a 3 pronged approach for Japanese beetles. First is spray (Sevin or Ortho), second is milky spore in broad areas. I apply some in different areas every year. It also helps chase off the moles. And 3rd is the use of traps out away from what I'm protecting. I also am hoping that a good colony of milky spore will help if the grape root borer comes around. They are having an issue in Kentucky, and that is not that far south of me.

 

[Dennis Griffith]

I will keep trying to be as natural as I can until and unless the "nuclear" option is required at which time I will go all in if need be! Too much work to let it go bad on me

Agreed.

 

[StevenD55]

Strange year for me and friends in CO. Good growing season except for drought conditions. We got a lot of grapes with higher Brix than normal. But watering was a challenge. Bird and vermin damage was light but yellowjackets were a pain. And I had problems with leafhoppers galore. Some of my grapes had very little juice as a result of terminating water perhaps too soon with the heat we had. Still I left a lot on the vines that I just could not get time to harvest.

 

[Dennis Griffith]

Wish we could have piped you some water. We had an extra 12" of rain to spare.