Champlain Valley - Grapemans' vineyard - Planting to small winery

[grapeman]

I just remembered I snapped a few pictures of pruning and one of them I cut back four arm kniffen LaCrosse to Top wire cordon. I thought maybe somebody might be interested in that conversion. Depending on how it had been trained before dictated what needed cutting off. The idea is to get two top arms on one trunk if possible. If the trunk ever dies, you train a new one up.

This is one vine showing the four arms

And here is the result on the same vine. It looks a little different because I tied the one side up better. You seldom get a perfectly formed vine, but they add character.




Here is a picture of what was pruned off.

 

[ibglowin]

Hey Rich,

I don't really have room for a 4AK system in my small area. What would you recommend for the 3 types of vines I have? TWC or VSP?

 

[grapeman]

If you only want to use one system which makes sense, use TWC as it is easy to establish and the varieties you have perform well on it.

 

[dragonmaster42]

How tall are the top arms on those vines?

 

[grapeman]

The top wire on those is 5 feet 6 inches. I am vertically challenged so it works for me.

 

[Runningwolf]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing that Rich.

 

[ibglowin]

Thanks Rich!

If you only want to use one system which makes sense, use TWC as it is easy to establish and the varieties you have perform well on it.

 

[grapeman]

This weather is weird this spring- and spring seems somehow appropriate. It has been very wet this spring. Yesterday as I was pruning, I was sinking if I stood in one spot too long. I would leave footprints a couple inches deep. Now today we have had torrential downpours a couple times. This last one gave us 1.54 inches of rain in 30 minutes. We have gotten over 5 inches of rain here so far this month and there are more downpours headed this way! I don't think we need to worry about a dought right now!.

 

[FL Steve]

No kidding, I am so sick of rain, one of those downpours went through here about two hours ago and in the valley at the bottom of my vineyard I have water a foot deep with whitewater rapids. It never has any water. Did you get winds Rich? They were predicting golf ball sized hail but it skipped us. Tomorrow it is going to be worse they say, part of the storm that is ripping everyone else. I think they said we are 4 inches above normal for the month.

 

[grapeman]

There were some gusty winds but not bad. No hail yet, but the next band is almost here. The thunder is getting louder and radar shows it still 20 miles away. Lots of reds on the radar today all across the country. The lower driveway was running a river of water 12-15 feet wide and almost two feet deep at one time about 6PM. It all goes into the vineyard. It is a good thing it is sand!

 

[Waldo]

Some parts of our state are getting grapefruit sized hail.OUCH !!!

 

[FL Steve]

I saw that, I guess that even though we have snow and rain up here at different times of the year, we are more fortunate than some areas. Our thoughts are with you guys.

 

[grapeman]

I picked up another inch and half or rain overnight bringing the monthly total to over 7.25 inches- the most I ever remember in a month. It has been pouring out since I got the readings and expect we will go over 8 inches by the time this storm is past. We haven't had the severe weather like other areas in the south, but this storm has had widespread affects all across the country east of the Mississippi. I need to get pruning done soon and I can't walk in the vineyard right now much less get the tractor in for clipping removal.


I am heading out after the rain subsides to go to Willsboro for some cuttings I promised a guy and hope the road is open over the mountain. There are numerous road closures with washed out roads along the mountain streams.

 

[ibglowin]

Ha! That is almost our TOTAL precipitation for an entire year!

 

[Runningwolf]

So Rich, I guess the excuse of the snow being too deep to trim the vines doesn't work anymore? That's just plain crazy. We didn't get the expected amount of rain but we're getting the wind.Either way I'm glad we're not getting the tornado's that other folks are getting. Hope you dry out soon.

 

[mijoguero]

hi

 

[OilnH2O]

Wow. That sounds like "opportunity" knocking for someone down there!

 

[grapeman]

I guess it had to happen sooner or later- I have budburst on several varieties today!. It was a full week later than last year. After several days in the 60's, it was enough to finally make them begin to open up! YEAH.


All I need to do is finish pruning....................... Just a few rows of older vines left to do and about an acre of expansion vineyard left to prune. Those are two year old vines and will go quickly.


I put on an herbicide spray on Mother's day. I used Roundup to kill the perennial weeds and a product called Matrix which is a broad spectrum pre-emergence spray which kills many weeds and grasses. I put the spray on with a backpack sprayer- two tanks to an acre. It takes a half ounce of Matrix per tank mix- It has a special tube to measure out the powder. I will see how this works. I just don't have time anymore to hand hoe all the vines a half dozen times a year. The alleyways are seeded with fescue and clover and I mow them weekly.

 

[Randoneur]

Good to hear you are warming up! It won't be long and the spray schedule will have to start - that's a real chore for me.

 

[OilnH2O]

Glad to hear "spring has sprung!" Days are longer, too. It's 5am as I write this and the sun is glowing behind the northern hills -- and sunset is after 9pm. We have had two days in a row that
temps were in the 60's -- and today is supposed to be 75... can't wait!

But while I have swelling on several vines nothing bursting out yet -- but soon!



Rich, I'm sure there is an old farmer's saying about springs like this... just can't think of it!

Dave