Champlain Valley - Grapemans' vineyard - Planting to small winery

[grapeman]

I thought I would put a note in here about the cold this year. As usual we got some of the coldest weather of the winter in December. There were a number of days below -15F and two days it dipped to -20F or so. We are into the colder weather again with it hitting -17F this AM with an expected high today of 5. Tonight will be a bit colder and tomorrows high will be lower. All these cold temperatures will likely kill a percentage of buds. When it warms better in March I will again cut buds to check on the percentage of dead buds in the more sensitive varieties. I do that just prior to beginning pruning. You use the percentage of dead buds to adjust your desired retained buds. In other words, if you find 25 percent of the buds dead and you want 40 live buds, you prune back to leave 50 buds : 40 +10 (40 x 25% of 40)=50 buds. If you don't do that you won't have enough buds left growing into shoots to get the desired amount to keep the vine in balance.

 

[GreginND]

We have had the cold too - dipping down close to -30 with not enough snow cover. I'm not too worried as I will be pruning down to two buds near the ground and growing my trunks this year. I am more worried about the temp fluctuations from very cold to near or above freezing. The cycling I bet is hard on the vines. Do you have any thoughts on that.

I guess some of your varietals are a bit sketchy at -20, eh? Good luck and let us know it turns out. Can you take some pictures when you do our bud checks and pruning? I'd like to see what you do.

 

[BobR]

We have had the cold too - dipping down close to -30 with not enough snow cover. I'm not too worried as I will be pruning down to two buds near the ground and growing my trunks this year. I am more worried about the temp fluctuations from very cold to near or above freezing. The cycling I bet is hard on the vines. Do you have any thoughts on that./QUOTE]

Same here, but no where as cold as what you guys are having. Yesterday we had a high of 43 degrees. Last night it dropped to 8, which is the current temperature with blowing and drifting snow. Tonight we are back down to 3. We have not had enough snow to insulate the vines and with this big fluctuation, I'm worried about killing off the root system, especially with the new plants that I just put in last spring. I guess now, it's just wait and see.

 

[grapeman]

Greg I don't worry a lot about fluctuating temps as long as it stays to cold to initiate growth. If it got up to 50 plus degrees for a week and then dropped sub zero, that might be detrimental to the vines. As long as your young vines had hardened off well they should come through fine, if not you may need to go with some hardier varieties.

Bob The new vines should be fine unless in the spring they begin growing and then it freezes real hard to kill the gowth. If it does that a couple times a few weak ones may die.

 

[BobR]

Thanks! Last fall, I did put some soil around the plants and did get to mulch most of the rows, but then I ran out of good weather. I'm hoping now that this will help, but I sure was not expecting this type of winter weather. Around here, we have been spoiled for the past 20 years.

 

[mgmarty]

The hardening off thing I would like to get a grasp of. My vines had lost there leaves in November but it was mid 60s al the way to thanksgiving. Then on December 9 it was 0. I've lost rose bushes in the past to, "it just got cold to fast."

 

[grapeman]

If your shoots were green in color when they dropped the leaves they were not hardened off. The shoots turn a nice coppery to brown color when hardened and can endure much colder temperatures.

 

[grapeman]

We had bud break here around mid-week this year. It is about 10 days later than the last two years. It looks good to see the green coming alive. Most vines have a decent surviving bud count, but a few varieties are kind of skimpy this year from cold damage. Here are a couple pics

 

[GreginND]

Looks awesome Rich. My buds are bulging and it won't be long.

 

[ibglowin]

Looking pretty good Rich, all things considered!

 

[grapeman]

Here we are just beginning bloom today on June 9. Last year was June 10 so neck and neck with then. Not bad considering three weeks ago we were 2 weeks behind. We have caught up 2 weeks in 3! The first ones out of the gate are Marquette and Leon Millot joined by a few LaCrescent.

 

[Floandgary]

Just got some 2007 Leon Millot at Evergreen Valley Winery,, Luthersburg PA. Great stuff!

 

[ibglowin]

Rich is Marquette typically one of the first red varietals (of yours) to break bud in the Spring?

Marquette and Leon Millot joined by a few LaCrescent.

 

[grapeman]

Yes it is and that is why it is prone to spring frost damage here in the NE. Some places it blooms so early that it can freeze, but not this year I hope! In the upper 70's and 80's with lows about 60 right now.

 

[GreginND]

Some of my vines started blooming over a week ago. And I cut them to the ground. I pulled what blooms I could see off. So far Marquette is growing pretty well. Brianna a little faster. But my frontenac blanc is already shooting up over 3 feet off the ground. Petite pearl is the slowest just coming out of my half grow tubes, but they look healthy. I think I may have lost a couple of vines over winter but most are roaring back.

 

[grapeman]

Here are a couple pictures taken in Vineyard #2. The first picture the row on the left is Brianna for pollinating the main crop of St.Pepin on the right. The second picture is just another angle. This is year 5 for these vines and they are doing great.

 

[peaches9324]

Rich just curious, how tall are your post?

 

[grapeman]

The posts are 6 feet tall and the vines are pruned for TopWire Cordon (High Wire Cordon).

 

[peaches9324]

is that 6 feet above ground? Thanks

 

[grapeman]

Yes, it is 6 feet above ground. The posts are wide so the look shorter.