Spring Vineyard Care

There is a season for everything. Spring in the vineyards brings hope and rebirth. There’s also constant diligent labor in the vineyard to guarantee that each harvest delivers us the best that Mother Nature has to offer. Here is all you need to know about spring vineyard care.

What Happens in Spring in a Vineyard?

Interested in what vineyard managers do for effective spring vineyard care? After bud break, flowering or blooming takes place around a month to six weeks later. Vines continue on a quick vegetative growth spree, expanding up to an inch per day. Their leafy tendrils spread out in all directions. The flowering frenzy begins beneath the vine’s huge leaves about a month after this leafy invasion (and two to three months after the first bud break).

Flowering begins with the emergence of tiny green spheres known as “calyptras” hidden behind the vine’s leafy canopy. These little green balls, known as caps for short, wrap the delicate pollen-carrying portions of the flower. The vines appear to be covered in grape bunches that have been hit by a shrink ray at this point. However, these mini-bunches are only a convenient protective container for future fruits.

The flower clusters are known as inflorescences. They generate a wonderful smell that perfumes the entire vineyard. Honeybees do visit the vineyard, but they aren’t necessary for grape pollination because cultivated grapevines are hermaphroditic, meaning they have both female and male stamens. Nearly half of the blooms on a grape inflorescence will not set fruit simply because of the plant’s nature.

Wind, rain, or an unexpected late frost can all harm the fragile grape blooms when they are in bloom. With the odds stacked against them, vineyard managers do everything they can to ensure a consistent and plentiful fruit set. Giant fans are employed in some grape-growing regions, such as the Napa Valley, to circulate the air in the vineyard, keeping overnight temperatures above freezing and therefore safeguarding the flowering vines.

Spring Vineyard Care During Flowering to Ensure an Even and Abundant Fruit Set

There are several things to do for effective spring vineyard care. These practices will ensure a bountiful harvest. Here is what to do to have an abundant fruit set:

Powdery Mildew Control

Many creatures, including a fungus called powdery mildew, Uncinula necator, become attracted to the fresh green shoots of spring. To keep this fungus at bay, you can use several sprays throughout the spring and early summer; you can utilize a combination of sulfur and bacteria-based fungal inhibitors. 

Shoot Thinning or Green Pruning  

Shoot thinning is a viticulture activity that complements pruning, and it is both a canopy and crop management practice at the same time. It is used to achieve multiple goals, including achieving a favorable ratio or balance between fruit and foliage, promote light and air penetration into the fruit zone, encourage uniformity in shoot and crop development along the length of a cordon or cane, avoid canker disease, and simplify vineyard operations and control costs.

Fertilizer Application

Well-drained soil is ideal for grapevines. If the soil is overly nitrogen-rich, or if you’ve over-fertilized, the grapevine may devote all of its energy to foliage rather than blooms and fruit. Home-grown grapes need a balanced fertilizer of 10-10-10. However, soil testing can determine the levels of nutrients in the soil and the fertilizer that is best for your soil. A 4-inch layer of mulch over the rootball and watering with compost tea may be all your grapevine needs to produce blooms and fruit rather than just vines and leaves.

Seasonal Trellis Care

Choosing the best flowering trellis plants can be a difficult task. In fact, there are many climbing plants and flowering vines that may be grown on a trellis. Use flowering vines with dark foliage and blossoms in a variety of colors to attract butterflies to your garden entrance. The following are some wood sources and strange items that make excellent trellis materials:

• Wood trellis (wood cedar or pressure-treated wood)
• PVC piping
• Old fishing net
• Posts and stakes
• Cucumber trellis
• Kee klamp pipe fittings
• Willow trellis
• Antique headboard trellis

Why Choose A&J Vineyard Supply?

In serving the agricultural community, A&J Vineyard Supply strives to be efficient, competitive, and highly communicative.

At A&J Vineyard Supply, we want to make ordering trellis development and maintenance products the simplest part of your farming routine. We have a complete inventory at our main plant in Napa Valley and partner locations. This ensures that we are well-equipped to achieve that goal. Mills are located all over the world. We have the resources and expertise to ensure that you get the best results possible. Whether it’s steel, wood, or wire, vineyard supplies have what you need when you need it. Please contact us as soon as possible to place your order.