Joining the group Take II ...

[Ricky2Guns]

Greetings all,

I joined the group back in Aug when I had just bought my house. My set up was lacking at best and stumbling through the process. So here’s my second take in joining conversations on this topic. I’m now in a better place In reference to setting up my vision. I’ve watched countless videos and now it’s time for feedback and recommendations. I appreciate all feedback pros and cons.

As in with race cars, horse back riding etc... Before anyone can help you reach your goals you must state your intent so here’s mine. ambiance, nice size clusters, grapes for enjoying WITH wine not so much to make wine (for now).

I’m in El Paso Texas, we have 590 chill hrs, sandy/rocky soil, my soil’s PH is 7, my irrigation (installed a week ago, vines are 1 1/2 years old) is set to 2gal per hr for 10 min daily feeding. The irrigation hoses are placed about 1 foot away from the trunk to promote root growth. I did some pruning but not sure how well. I know grape vines are forgiving based on the ones I had in NY. I covered the base in mulch to keep the roots protected from drying out fast. I also added a turnbuckle for my slack adjuster. Please let me know if I’m on or off track to where I want to be and again thanks for your feedback in advance.

 

[Ricky2Guns]

By the way I also used “Fruit/ citrus” food on my vines, why? Because I have no idea what I’m doing. They showed grapes on the picture so I guessed it wouldn’t hurt.

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome! I cannot help you with grape-growing, but hopefully someone else can!

 

[KevinL]

Looks like a nice set up there. It'd be good to know the grape variety and also good to know the "citrus food" that your using. Pest management is going to depend on the plant and where you're at. I know things can get humid in Texas even if it doesn't rain. Determining how to prune is going to be based on the type of grape.

At first glance it looks like you've got a Top wire cordon system, but it looks a little low to the ground. Are you setting up for VSP with catch wires higher up the fence? I imagine in a good year if the plants are close to the ground you're going to have shoots crawling all over your yard in short order.

I'm in Illinois where irrigation isn't an issue, so you'll have to have someone else tell you if that is overkill/not enough. If you're too extreme, the plants will tell you themselves.

 

[Ricky2Guns]

I currently have 2 Cab-Sav, 3 Thompson’s, 1Black Manuka, 1Summer Royal, and 1 Syrah. The cable is set at 40” high and I did plan on having the catch wire higher up (not sure if that’s the correct way). Btw, I’m in El Paso Texas located on the far west tip, not humid at all. I’ve added a picture of the food I referenced.

 

[KevinL]

I don't think you're too high for a VSP system. I'd have to let someone who is more familiar with your varieties let you know what the best training system is for them.



Standard VSP here, you'd need some wires higher up your fence and then you'd have to manage your shoots as they grow to ensure they're growing upward. It doesn't look like it would be a bad approach for you to add some catch wires higher up your fence to give the shoots somewhere other than the ground to go.

You'd have to check your specific varieties based on how old they are and how much growth you've had to determine how many buds you want to retain going into this spring. Judging on what you've said and what I'm seeing in the picture you've done a good job getting them established and you're entering 3rd leaf now(?). Again, depending on variety, you'd have to determine if you plan on letting fruit set or if you're going to work on one more year of growth.

I can't tell you if the fertilizer is overkill, as I'd need to know if your soil is Nitrogen or Potassium deficient. I know that Grapes aren't nitrogen fixers, but by fertilizing it is possible that you're just going to end up with too much green at this point. I don't think it's going to hurt to use it, but if you notice this year that you're just getting leaves everywhere it might be good to lay off of the fertilizer for a year.

Hopefully there is someone a bit closer to you that can chime in. I'm growing Hybrids in the cold, damp north, in deep black soil. Quite a far cry from what you're working with.