Planning for small vineyard in southern Arizona

[Nebbiolo020]

I have no experience with SO4 but compared to the other rootstocks I have, St George, 110R, and 3309, 1103P is the most vigorous. So much so, where I originally planted all at 6 foot in row spacings with the 1103P I ended up taking every other vine out and going to 12 ft spacing in order to control the vigor. It goes to show you how much your location, soil etc. effect the vines as well as the grafted variety. Merry Christmas all!

I’ve found on average the vines in my vineyard are extremely productive as long as I keep on top of nutrient deficiencies and they produce very tannic and heavy red wines with good acidity and a hell of a lot of color so deep purple as to be nearly black sometimes in the glass. It’s unfortunate because you can’t drink it for 2-4 years it’s just too abrasive and too tannic.

 

[Twkundrat]

Well my micro vineyard is finally planted. Seven Syrah and three Grenache vines. And so it begins...

 

[GSMChris]

Congrats on getting vines in the ground!!

Just commented on another thread so I’ll do the same here - I’m a bit concerned that the canes on your vines will grow out through the holes in the wire and will be compromised. I’d suggest switching to either the milk carton or plastic tube grow tubes.

 

[Twkundrat]

Congrats on getting vines in the ground!!

Just commented on another thread so I’ll do the same here - I’m a bit concerned that the canes on your vines will grow out through the holes in the wire and will be compromised. I’d suggest switching to either the milk carton or plastic tube grow tubes.

I was a little concerned about that too. I'm working on making my whole backyard rattlesnake proof for my dog though which would also keep the rabbits out so I should be able to remove the wire pretty soon. In the meantime I'll just check frequently to make sure nothing is growing through the wire.

 

[Twkundrat]

I just picked up some of the Hoss Micro-Boost micronutrients. Is this an okay time to water those in?

 

[GSMChris]

Hi Tim

I think you are a little early for micro nutrients. With mature vines, the best time for the micro nutrients is after you see the little clusters form and before the flowers open.

Now with new vines you want to remove those little clusters so I’d say perhaps two weeks after you see (and remove) them.

Chris

 

[GSMChris]

Here is an article I printed out a while back from WBM which gives a pretty good description of when to apply what. Note that this is a different site - but WBM can be a pain to get into at times.

https://advancedvit.com/season-of-nutrition/

 

[Twkundrat]

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll have to read through that article a little more thoroughly when I get a chance.

I'm also wondering if I'm on the right track with watering. I have two 1 GPM drip emitters per vine spaced about a foot away on either side and I'm running them for 90 minutes every 48 hours. One emitter on each plant has a 1/4" line running to the base of the vine while it is small.

It's been fairly warm here in the 80's and 90's and it can be pretty windy too. My soil is a mix of sand, clay, and silt without much organic matter. With the watering I've been doing it tends to be dry on the surface and just a little moist a few inches down before the irrigation kicks on again.

I'm also planning on getting a load of mulch, hopefully this weekend, to help retain moisture before the heat really kicks in and also to add some organic matter.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

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I just picked up some of the Hoss Micro-Boost micronutrients. Is this an okay time to water those in?

Water them in during active growth, the best time is before flower buds show up and several weeks after fruit set, you want it 2-3 weeks prior to fruit set as nutrients like Zinc, Magnesium and Boron essential for fruit set need time to be in the right location in the plant to ensure good fruit set.

Zinc is the most important micronutrient overall to make sure you have, molybdenum as well if it’s low you can encounter toxic levels of nitrogen in the plants and they can turn into high levels of toxic biogenic amines in wine and make consumers ill. I put down some with my phosphorous and a few foliar sprays with some. Boron is essential for pollen and fruit set but has a narrow window of what is good and what is toxic. Magnesium is essential for chlorophyll and for ensuring you get good fruit set and not hens and chickens and that you don’t get bunch stem necrosis.

 

[GSMChris]

I'm also wondering if I'm on the right track with watering. I have two 1 GPM drip emitters per vine spaced about a foot away on either side and I'm running them for 90 minutes every 48 hours. One emitter on each plant has a 1/4" line running to the base of the vine while it is small.

You’ve described the setup I used for the first two years of my vineyard. I used 2 GPH emitters but that choice was simply to get the water out faster as other things also need to get watered. The timeframe and frequency really depend upon your local climate and your soil. I’d suggest talking to other local vineyard owners to see what they suggest.

With young vines, you can keep an eye on the tendrils of the vine. If the tendrils are out in front of the growing tip, the vine has adequate moisture. If the tendrils are shrinking back behind the growing tip, the vine needs more water.

 

[Twkundrat]

You’ve described the setup I used for the first two years of my vineyard. I used 2 GPH emitters but that choice was simply to get the water out faster as other things also need to get watered. The timeframe and frequency really depend upon your local climate and your soil. I’d suggest talking to other local vineyard owners to see what they suggest.

With young vines, you can keep an eye on the tendrils of the vine. If the tendrils are out in front of the growing tip, the vine has adequate moisture. If the tendrils are shrinking back behind the growing tip, the vine needs more water.

Thanks for the tip. I hadn't heard that about the tendrils before.

 

[Twkundrat]

I ended up getting some 18" tall milk carton style vine protectors to keep the vines from growing into the wire mesh. About half of the Syrah vines are growing out of the tops of the cartons and the Grenache is a little slower and hasn't reached the tops yet but still seems to be growing nicely. The only tough thing is seeing if any flower clusters are growing yet so I can pinch them off. I haven't seen any yet and I don't really want to pull the cartons off because they'll be a pain to get back over the vines now. I imagine that I have some clusters growing by now though so I'll have to try to get a better look at things.

 

[Obbnw]

I ended up getting some 18" tall milk carton style vine protectors to keep the vines from growing into the wire mesh. About half of the Syrah vines are growing out of the tops of the cartons and the Grenache is a little slower and hasn't reached the tops yet but still seems to be growing nicely. The only tough thing is seeing if any flower clusters are growing yet so I can pinch them off. I haven't seen any yet and I don't really want to pull the cartons off because they'll be a pain to get back over the vines now. I imagine that I have some clusters growing by now though so I'll have to try to get a better look at things.

I don't think my first year planting had many clusters and none in the tube. Iirc I may have seen a few midsummer flowering.

Year 2 had lots of clusters.

 

[Twkundrat]

I don't think my first year planting had many clusters and none in the tube. Iirc I may have seen a few midsummer flowering.

Year 2 had lots of clusters.

That's good to know. I had kind of assumed that but I didn't know if I just wasn't seeing them in the cartons. I'm partially just trying to time when to add micronutrients. I guess I won't worry myself too much about digging around trying to find clusters in the tubes.