Weed suppression around vines

[RonObvious]

Now that this season is in the books, I'm thinking ahead to what we can do better next year. Weed suppression adjacent to the vines is probably my #1 area of improvement. I'm fine with letting the native grasses grow between rows - I just mow it every few weeks with the lawn tractor and they do no harm (as a matter of fact, our soil can get waterlogged, and the grass helps dry it out by transpiring away much of that water). My problem is the space immediately around the vines, because weeds that close to the vine can rob nutrients and strangle it, so they must be dealt with. If I could get even a 2-foot wide strip under the vines to be weed-free, I'd be happy.

Some years back, I used Roundup, but would prefer to never use it again. Looking for a non-chemical solution.
Also not interested in hand weeding. With 2600 linear feet of vineyard rows and only myself and my wife to tend it, hand weeding isn't an option.
Finger weeders like Tilmor look great, but are very expensive and require a tractor with a PTO. We don't have a tractor - we have John Deere X380, which is basically just a beefy lawn tractor.
What I'm doing now is using a string trimmer, getting as close as I can to the vines without nicking any of them. It works, but it's 2-3 hours of misery and then needs to be done again in another couple weeks.

There has to be a better way...

I have access to wood chips that are fairly inexpensive, but I know they rob nitrogen from the soil and weeds would come through anyway, so the chips would have to go on top of landscape fabric or plastic. Not sure if this is a good idea or not. Really, if I could find some sort of machine that would rip out the weeds around the vines and cost me hundreds, not multiple thousands of dollars, I'd be happy. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[winemaker81]

You can make a weed killer with 1 gallon commercial vinegar (at least 15% acid), 1 cup Epsom salts, and 1 Tbsp dish washing liquid. This kills the plant above ground very quickly. The drawback is that it does not kill the root, so weeds with deep roots or rhizomes will grow back.

The vinegar I buy from Home Depot or Lowes is labeled as "poison" because at this concentration it will burn, especially if consumed. I treat this stuff as seriously as any chemical.

I use this mixture around my well cover as I don't want chemicals in my water (well, not more than is already there).

 

[Rice_Guy]

Weed control was a process,,
Version 1) cardboard & slip sheets,, rots after two years
2) landscape fabric with washed gravel,, creeping charley colonized it
3) plastic silo plastic with stone to hold it down,, works only a few weeds colonize it but never finished the project
4) weed eater with some plastic protectors and some water bottles- ends cut off,, works
5) cut down grape and plant tannic apples,, less time fighting black rot, can mow with zero turn

 

[Hazelemere]

Now that this season is in the books, I'm thinking ahead to what we can do better next year. Weed suppression adjacent to the vines is probably my #1 area of improvement. I'm fine with letting the native grasses grow between rows - I just mow it every few weeks with the lawn tractor and they do no harm (as a matter of fact, our soil can get waterlogged, and the grass helps dry it out by transpiring away much of that water). My problem is the space immediately around the vines, because weeds that close to the vine can rob nutrients and strangle it, so they must be dealt with. If I could get even a 2-foot wide strip under the vines to be weed-free, I'd be happy.

Some years back, I used Roundup, but would prefer to never use it again. Looking for a non-chemical solution.
Also not interested in hand weeding. With 2600 linear feet of vineyard rows and only myself and my wife to tend it, hand weeding isn't an option.
Finger weeders like Tilmor look great, but are very expensive and require a tractor with a PTO. We don't have a tractor - we have John Deere X380, which is basically just a beefy lawn tractor.
What I'm doing now is using a string trimmer, getting as close as I can to the vines without nicking any of them. It works, but it's 2-3 hours of misery and then needs to be done again in another couple weeks.

There has to be a better way...

I have access to wood chips that are fairly inexpensive, but I know they rob nitrogen from the soil and weeds would come through anyway, so the chips would have to go on top of landscape fabric or plastic. Not sure if this is a good idea or not. Really, if I could find some sort of machine that would rip out the weeds around the vines and cost me hundreds, not multiple thousands of dollars, I'd be happy. Any suggestions are appreciated.

mulch under the rows with grass clippings. That is all I ever do under the rows. I have no weeds under the rows and rototill (early season) and hoe (late season) between the rows. I never use herbicides.

 

[ChuckD]

Wood chips or other heavy organic mulch should suppress most weeds. If you put newspaper or cardboard underneath it will suppress them for a few years.

I see this as an issue with young vines. Is it really necessary with vines that are several years old? I notice a lot of vineyards around me have wall-to-wall grass.

 

[RonObvious]

Weed control was a process,,
Version 1) cardboard & slip sheets,, rots after two years
2) landscape fabric with washed gravel,, creeping charley colonized it
3) plastic silo plastic with stone to hold it down,, works only a few weeds colonize it but never finished the project
4) weed eater with some plastic protectors and some water bottles- ends cut off,, works
5) cut down grape and plant tannic apples,, less time fighting black rot, can mow with zero turn

Rice_Guy, I'm curious about #4 - the weed eater water bottle thing. Can you elaborate? I'm not sure I understand.

 

[winechef]

wood chip mulch wouldn't rob nitrogen just let them breakdown first. biochar mulch also quite effective

 

[CTDrew]

Wood chips or other heavy organic mulch should suppress most weeds. If you put newspaper or cardboard underneath it will suppress them for a few years.

I see this as an issue with young vines. Is it really necessary with vines that are several years old? I notice a lot of vineyards around me have wall-to-wall grass.

Definitely an issue for young vines/new plantings. Once they're established I let the grass grow and have no issues

 

[RonObvious]

wood chip mulch wouldn't rob nitrogen just let them breakdown first. biochar mulch also quite effective

Biochar mulch? Man, I'd love to get my hands on that. Where do you get it? Our soil is kind of low in cation exchange capacity, and I know biochar would help with that.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Rice_Guy, I'm curious about #4 - the weed eater water bottle thing. Can you elaborate? I'm not sure I understand.

A few decades back a vigorous neighbor flattened new plants with a weed eater. (or was it the wife) I started protecting young grapes etc with cheap plastic tubes

and larger trees with split corrugated


,, At least till they can survive a weed eater.

 

[wood1954]

My healthiest vines are the ones with most grass around them.

 

[RonObvious]

My healthiest vines are the ones with most grass around them.

Interesting. I love low intervention, so the idea of doing nothing is certainly appealing. I still feel, though, like the area within a foot or so of each vine should be kept weed free, no?

 

[wood1954]

I do get down and weed around the vine,or else bark can get moldy.

 

[Ohio Bob]

I don’t have vines but a 24’ x 48’ garden. I use a stirrup hoe to deal with weeds. I love it, it takes me 10 minutes to do the whole garden. I even took an old band saw blade and fabricated a hand held stirrup hoe for close-up weeding. I keep mine really sharp using an angle grinder and an abrasive blade.

The key is to deal with weeds when they are smaller and fragile. Mulch with leaf humus or compost. As new weeds come up, they are easier to cut down.

 

[Ohio Bob]

This is a classic example of one-time versus continuing time spent. Do I attack weeds weekly for an hour or twice a year for a day at a time?

I like the idea of mulch over cardboard, it might only last a year or two, depending on conditions. Would you consider making plywood half-moons, might last 5-10 years. Why not go all out and make a wooden mold to cast thin, concrete half-moons, they would last indefinitely.

 

[Ohio Bob]

Here’s another idea...
Get a weed burner. This might not be an option if you live in wildfire-prone country. I use mine in my landscaping only after a good rain. I use it on patio weeds anytime.

If you’re worried about damaging the vine you could take a car exhaust coupler and cut it in half and use as a shield. I use the exhaust-coupler-cut-in-half as a label scraper for store-bought wine bottles.

 

[Christopher Anderson]

My take. I have massive oak trees on my property. They drop their leaves. I put those leaves around everywhere I want weeds suppressed (along the fence line that protects the garden from the rest of the area). That has kept the weeds 95% suppressed. All natural. BTW, I do mow the leaves a few times to reduce bulk and concentrate them.