The 2024 crop year

[Snafflebit]

@ovjock The pruning cuts will bleed if the cuts are made in the spring when sap is pushing. It is normal and harmless. The cut should be made to allow the sap to drip away from the buds below the cut.

 

[tjmeyer]

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

Just means the vine isn't dormant when pruned. Only real risk is drowning new buds, like @Snafflebit said

 

[Rice_Guy]

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

It is normal for grape vines to "bleed" when the sap is pushing bud growth in spring. It doesn't seem to hurt the plant.

 

[Garagista]

Thanks folks. I did some reading so now I am dangerous. Is everyone doing spur pruning or cane pruning?

 

[tjmeyer]

Thanks folks. I did some reading so now I am dangerous. Is everyone doing spur pruning or cane pruning?

I spur prune on a 4 line VSP system as often as I can. But I think it's important to be flexible based on what the vine may benefit from most. Sometimes I'll cane prune a vine if the cordon is getting out of shape, shows signs of any issues, or is being outright defiant in the way I want it to train. My Malbec vines can be especially willful.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

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

That means the vines are awake and moving nutrients up for new top growth if they bleed it’s a good thing and will prevent infections in the cuts you make by bleeding sap to remove contaminants and protect wounds.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

Thanks folks. I did some reading so now I am dangerous. Is everyone doing spur pruning or cane pruning?

Both depends on the varietal though

 

[Nebbiolo020]

I spur prune on a 4 line VSP system as often as I can. But I think it's important to be flexible based on what the vine may benefit from most. Sometimes I'll cane prune a vine if the cordon is getting out of shape, shows signs of any issues, or is being outright defiant in the way I want it to train. My Malbec vines can be especially willful.

My Malbec tends to be a little wild and weird because it’s on 5BB kober and will grow funky canes and need to be trimmed and fixed every other year and will alternate from heavy yield to light yield and sometimes won’t produce at all 5BB is a weird rootstock.

 

[tjmeyer]

My Malbec tends to be a little wild and weird because it’s on 5BB kober and will grow funky canes and need to be trimmed and fixed every other year and will alternate from heavy yield to light yield and sometimes won’t produce at all 5BB is a weird rootstock.

I've never used that rootstock. A rootstock that occasionally doesn't produce at all is a little scary. We have a loam with excellent nutrition and low rocks, very neutral pH. I wonder how it'd do here.

 

[tjmeyer]

Just finished planting 350 Sauvignon Blanc (1103p rootstock )last night... I'm very sore! But worth it! Gotta get more white grapes out there.

 

[GSMChris]

Just finished planting 350 Sauvignon Blanc (1103p rootstock )last night... I'm very sore! But worth it! Gotta get more white grapes out there.

350 in one session- I’ll bet you are sore! I’m pretty sure rain is headed your way to give those plants a nice drink - and you get a breather

 

[tjmeyer]

350 in one session- I’ll bet you are sore! I’m pretty sure rain is headed your way to give those plants a nice drink - and you get a breather

Exactly why I wanted to get them in ASAP. They are also bare root, so always good to move quick. But yeah, we're getting soaked right now, again! Loving it

 

[GSMChris]

Exactly why I wanted to get them in ASAP. They are also bare root, so always good to move quick. But yeah, we're getting soaked right now, again! Loving it

We had two inches - mostly overnight- and now we are scheduled for intermittent showers. Loving every drop!

 

[tjmeyer]

We had two inches - mostly overnight- and now we are scheduled for intermittent showers. Loving every drop!

Need to till this year, but we're pretty soggy also. These are the 2 year old Zinfandel, swollen buds but no green just yet.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

I've never used that rootstock. A rootstock that occasionally doesn't produce at all is a little scary. We have a loam with excellent nutrition and low rocks, very neutral pH. I wonder how it'd do here.

It’s a good rootstock for basically any kind of soil. It is tricky though as it has some quirky habits. Generally speaking most of my vineyard is planted on 1103 Paulsen which does excellent here but I have actually found vines on SO4 to yield better and set fruit a little better.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

Just finished planting 350 Sauvignon Blanc (1103p rootstock )last night... I'm very sore! But worth it! Gotta get more white grapes out there.

Nice choice, if I was planting a white grape vineyard for a winery I would do Marsanne or Roussane really popular choices and grow well.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

Need to till this year, but we're pretty soggy also. These are the 2 year old Zinfandel, swollen buds but no green just yet.
View attachment 111481

Zinfandel is my favorite red grape since we don’t do Zinfandel at the winery I have a local contact I get Zinfandel fruit from and make a batch for friends and family on the side yearly absolutely fantastic grape if you know how to work with it. It has a lot of quirks, the brix is an issue harvest at a slightly lower brix than you want because trust me when the skins and raisins soak it’s going to jump up and increase the brix it’s real easy to get a stuck fermentation or super high abv with Zinfandel.

 

[tjmeyer]

Zinfandel is my favorite red grape since we don’t do Zinfandel at the winery I have a local contact I get Zinfandel fruit from and make a batch for friends and family on the side yearly absolutely fantastic grape if you know how to work with it. It has a lot of quirks, the brix is an issue harvest at a slightly lower brix than you want because trust me when the skins and raisins soak it’s going to jump up and increase the brix it’s real easy to get a stuck fermentation or super high abv with Zinfandel.

Just had a community ferment and experienced that with 20g of zin must.
https://www.winemakingtalk.com/thre...duction-via-a-75l-of-red-deliciousness.78794/

 

[Nebbiolo020]

Just had a community ferment and experienced that with 20g of zin must.
https://www.winemakingtalk.com/thre...duction-via-a-75l-of-red-deliciousness.78794/

Nice I’ll take a look. Also big tip the best yeast for Zinfandel in my opinion is RP-15.

 

[Snafflebit]

Need to till this year, but we're pretty soggy also. These are the 2 year old Zinfandel, swollen buds but no green just yet.

I also have a new planting of Zin by my house on the valley floor and it is soggy. I have never had to deal with such wet soil before. Zin is grafted to SO4 and that is a new rootstock for me also. I am expecting lush growth, or drowned vines.