The 2024 crop year

[Rice_Guy]

2024 is starting out as a weird year. We set a February record high temperature of 70 and again daily temperature records in first week of March. Our local winery started pruning grapes mid way through February since the daytime was averaging in the 50s, this was a month ahead of normal.

I have been checking my plantings. The soil was dry/ cracking in February 2024. Normal should be melting snow and slush. If this year repeats 2023 we will have drought conditions. (grafting apple scions failed last spring/ new rootstocks needed water). It will be interesting to see if any of the young grapes survived winter.


I wonder how bad insects will be? With the dry last spring I did minimal spraying for japanese beetles. (and black rot).

 

[Nebbiolo020]

My vines started budbreak first week of February which is insanely nuts and has never happened before and we also have had a much wetter winter than average and my feeling is 2024 will have both increased pest pressure and better overall fruit yields 2023 was a once in 40-50 year vintage 2024 could be the same or better in my opinion.

 

[wood1954]

I was getting a bit concerned as well , with my south facing hillside vineyard I was afraid the soil would warm up enough to start bud swelling, but now it looks like below freezing at night as usual so all should be well.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

I was getting a bit concerned as well , with my south facing hillside vineyard I was afraid the soil would warm up enough to start bud swelling, but now it looks like below freezing at night as usual so all should be well.

Hopefully it won’t be cold too much longer because you don’t want budbreak to begin too late

 

[ChuckD]

Hopefully it won’t be cold too much longer because you don’t want budbreak to begin too late

Not an issue In Wisconsin. We are about a month and a half away from traditional bud break!

 

[Nebbiolo020]

Not an issue In Wisconsin. We are about a month and a half away from traditional bud break!

Dang that’s a late budbreak at least to me I haven’t worked in a region with budbreak in may. Pretty much march is the average maybe April in a bad year.

 

[ChuckD]

Dang that’s a late budbreak at least to me I haven’t worked in a region with budbreak in may. Pretty much march is the average maybe April in a bad year.

Let’s hear it for zone 5… woot!

 

[Nebbiolo020]

Let’s hear it for zone 5… woot!

Dang yeah that explains it lol

 

[wood1954]

Yeah, we worry about frost till mid May

 

[tjmeyer]

So far we're right on schedule. Had a TON of rain, but low humidity during the winter months. I typically expect bud break about a month after the last freeze. So for our area it'll be the last week of March of first week of April. Can't complain so far. Now to watch out for those pesky grasshoppers that like to pop up in April....

 

[Obbnw]

Mine started weeping this week. It's about average for the 5 years I have records. (Planted 2016)

 

[Nebbiolo020]

So far we're right on schedule. Had a TON of rain, but low humidity during the winter months. I typically expect bud break about a month after the last freeze. So for our area it'll be the last week of March of first week of April. Can't complain so far. Now to watch out for those pesky grasshoppers that like to pop up in April....

Grasshoppers can be an irritating pest

 

[Nebbiolo020]

Mine started weeping this week. It's about average for the 5 years I have records. (Planted 2016)

Budbreak has been all over the place in my vineyard as well as a couple of vineyards I manage. 2021 was as late as April, 2022 was particularly late and then delivered pretty much no grapes at all for anyone in the area which is why nobody has a 2022 vintage. 2023 I recall being early to mid march so much later than this year and then went on to deliver the best vintage in probably 40 years.

 

[tjmeyer]

Budbreak has been all over the place in my vineyard as well as a couple of vineyards I manage. 2021 was as late as April, 2022 was particularly late and then delivered pretty much no grapes at all for anyone in the area which is why nobody has a 2022 vintage. 2023 I recall being early to mid march so much later than this year and then went on to deliver the best vintage in probably 40 years.

2023 was very good for us also.

 

[Jusatele]

I am in north Oregon and have bud break last week
strange
hope I do not get a freeze

 

[Rice_Guy]

I am watching apple buds start to pop. Yes on a normal year they should be tight, I feel for the commercial folks who need to make a living, ,,, but on the new USDA maps we now are in zone 5b.
Grapes look normal. Wisconsin has had rain so soil moisture finally looks OK here. WHEW.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

I am in north Oregon and have bud break last week
strange
hope I do not get a freeze

All of my grapes have started budbreak although several are at the full on vegetation stage at this point the sluggish vines are budded out but not as developed yet. Nebbiolo, Blaufrankisch and Carmenere were the first 3 to get going early February.

 

[Snafflebit]

Merlot has budbreak in San Jose, the Cab Sauv is slower but I have seen a bud pushing here or there. I pruned this week before shoots get out of hand. There was bleeding. My Zin plantings were pushing buds on the sunny south end of the rows and bled profusely when trimmed.

 

[tjmeyer]

You all are making me nervous. I haven't seen bud break here in SoCal on any of our vines yet (Zin, Sauv Blanc, Malbec, Sangiovese)

 

[Garagista]

Merlot has budbreak in San Jose, the Cab Sauv is slower but I have seen a bud pushing here or there. I pruned this week before shoots get out of hand. There was bleeding. My Zin plantings were pushing buds on the sunny south end of the rows and bled profusely when trimmed.

Question for you. Is bleeding the sap coming out of the prune cut? Is it unusual to get that?