Sunday, July 21, 2013

Aerial Roots On Our Auxerrois

My husband sent me this photo of our Auxerrois growing aerial roots. Although the photos he sent were only of the Auxerrois, he also told me that the Chardonnay as well as the Chenin blanc are also growing aerial roots at the graft union.
There isn't much information on the Internet about aerial root formation however, I did find one article written by Eric Stafne, Mississippi State University on Aerial Root Formation in Grapevines.
In this article, Stafne wrote:
Aerial root formation on winegrapes in the eastern U.S. is not an unknown phenomenon, but the effect of the rooting on the vine has not been studied. Vitis vinifera is generally thought to produce aerial roots easily under moist field and hothouse conditions. With so little documentation of aerial rooting, one may conclude that the roots have no function and have no subsequent effect on the vine after they are produced.
I also emailed my question to Fritz Westover and he responded: There is no problem caused by the aerial roots. They are showing up all over the east this year due to the unusually wet and humid season. They will dry up this winter and fall off. No harm done, and no action required.

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