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Thursday, January 3, 2019

Recap of Vintage 2018

The 2018 calendar year is behind us so it is a good time for reflection. It was interesting for me to read that on this very day last year we were preparing for a bomb cyclone. This year, the temperature is a balmy 47 degrees and sunny. What a difference a year makes.
Here are some of the posts that I wrote during the 2018 season: There are a few lessons we learned from last year, mainly concerned with water. We had a relatively dry spring that lead to a cessation in vine growth and then a wetter than normal fall which lead to tremendous crop loss.
So here are our take home lessons:
  • Be prepared to irrigate early in the growing season to ensure good node separation
  • Irrigation after the first growth phase can also ensure the growth of larger leaves that have more photosynthetic capabilities
  • Early irrigation can also aide in reaching full canopy by mid-July
  • Be prepared for leaf pulling after fruitset around the fruit zone to give the developing fruit airflow and sun acclimation
  • If taking a chance and hanging fruit to increase sugar levels, be ready to harvest if the extended forecast includes rain.

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