Vines are WAY behind last year

[David Engel]

Hi Everyone,

I live in the PNW, 50 miles north of Seattle. I have kept a good journal for the vinyard since 2019 when I started planting. In 2020 and 2021 I had buds breaks on my Merlot vines in mid April, with good growth and showing the baby clusters by May 12th or so. This year (2022)... all the vines had bud breaks around MAY 1st - 5th. I don't have 2" of growth on any of my 13 vines, Lots of bud breaks and first leaves. After reading my journal, it appears the entire vinyard is a whole month behind in growth compaired to the last 2 years. YIKES! Something is amiss. Hard winter perhaps? A singular vine is one thing, but all of them? Any ideas? Has this happened to any of you?

Thanks - Dave

 

[sour_grapes]

I believe you had a strong La Niña year in the PNW this Fall/Winter: https://climate.washington.edu/outlook/
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/enso/january-2022-la-niña-update-family-game-night

 

[Sage]

Mine are just budding now! SE, WA

 

[crushday]

Hi Everyone,

I live in the PNW, 50 miles north of Seattle. I have kept a good journal for the vinyard since 2019 when I started planting. In 2020 and 2021 I had buds breaks on my Merlot vines in mid April, with good growth and showing the baby clusters by May 12th or so. This year (2022)... all the vines had bud breaks around MAY 1st - 5th. I don't have 2" of growth on any of my 13 vines, Lots of bud breaks and first leaves. After reading my journal, it appears the entire vinyard is a whole month behind in growth compaired to the last 2 years. YIKES! Something is amiss. Hard winter perhaps? A singular vine is one thing, but all of them? Any ideas? Has this happened to any of you?

Thanks - Dave

Hey, Dave. I live in Olympia and EVERYTHING is a good month behind. We were down in the 20’s overnight again this week. Obviously, not normal!

Other than grapes, I trust you’re doing well!

 

[David Engel]

Thanks Guys. I don’t know what the year will hold for any of us, but good to know. Learning curve.

 

[ibglowin]

LOL You guys have had a very cool/wet month. So jealous!

 

[Sage]

Looks like this today! Also the orchard is running late. Apricots got totalled by frost but everything else seems okay.

There was snow about 100' elevation above me. Patio table had ice on it.

 

[Cynewulf]

I’m behind last year in Northern Virginia, though not as far behind as you appear to be in Northern Washington. I seem to be about 10 days behind where I was last year and comparing Growing Degree Days from this year vs 2021 on Growing Degree Days | GreenCast | Syngenta that looks about right.

 

[Sage]

Pouring rain right now, 48 degrees.

 

[Fox Squirrel Vin]

Looks like this today! Also the orchard is running late. Apricots got totalled by frost but everything else seems okay.

There was snow about 100' elevation above me. Patio table had ice on it.

View attachment 88247View attachment 88248

Love the deer fence!

 

[Sage]

Don't have a deer fence, you won't have anything!!

 

[Chuck Rairdan]

Does seem to be a very off year, will be interesting to see how things either round out or potentially not pan out vintage wise.

 

[mbrssmd]

I’m behind last year in Northern Virginia, though not as far behind as you appear to be in Northern Washington. I seem to be about 10 days behind where I was last year and comparing Growing Degree Days from this year vs 2021 on Growing Degree Days | GreenCast | Syngenta that looks about right.

Concur. North of you, here in western Maryland (near PA border) we're around 8 days behind from last year. These past 4 or so years around here there seems to be a much greater inland reach of the ocean into our weather patterns, which has tended to keep our March-April temps down.

 

[ibglowin]

Let's not turn this into a debate on whether or not climate change is real or not.

 

[VinesnBines]

Strangely enough in SW Virginia mountains we are about two weeks ahead of last year. We may have dodged the late frosts/freeze. Last frost was Mid April. We are at the same as or earlier than Eastern/Northern Va. I’m not complaining.

 

[balatonwine]

I have kept a good journal for the vinyard since 2019

I have kept a journal for two decades. What you experienced is not "out of normal". I have seen bud break a month later than the last year then the next year it is a week earlier. Every year has a lot of variance. It will only become "out of normal" if you notice a trend.

For example, in my "this week in the vineyard" blog posts:

https://the-verecund-vigneron.com/2017/04/07/this-week-in-the-vineyard/
My grapes bud break that year was weeks before this year's. But currently, by mid May, their growth is the same due to a lot of warm weather this month. So it depends on many factors and local weather (weather and climate are related but it is complicated).

20th May 2017:

15th May 2022:



Hope this helps.

 

[HillPeople]

Every tree. shrub and fruit tree has leafed out here in central NH. Grape vines are sleeping. Way late.

 

[NorCal]

My first season with the front yard vineyard, so don’t have anything to compare to. However, they do seem to be ahead of where I thought they would be. While it doesn’t look like it, the vines were suckered a few times.

 

[mbrssmd]

Let's not turn this into a debate on whether or not climate change is real or not.

My apologies if that's the way you took my observations of the last couple of years of the climate in my particular location. I'll take that as needing to be more careful.

 

[ibglowin]

Your comments were fine.

My apologies if that's the way you took my observations of the last couple of years of the climate in my particular location. I'll take that as needing to be more careful.