We do this every year. What am I talking about? Pruning! Every year we vow that we will start earlier, do simple tasks in the dead of winter and every year, we hit the hard deadline which is budburst. In 2019, we learned that we could
use a tarp to remove the vineyard cuttings. Two years later, while we are still using a tarp, cuttings that were easily removed in two passes are now taking three to six passes since the vines are maturing.
Our friend was helping us by raking the cuttings and putting it into large piles.
In one of the alleys, our friend made 9 piles of cuttings. It turned out that each pile was one tarpload!
My husband, ever on the lookout for what can help us in the vineyard found the perfect gizmo! It is the
Berti Picker LC. Here is what it looks like:
The Berti will pick up the vineyard cuttings, mulch it into the hopper, then the hopper contents can be loaded on to the dump truck for easy vineyard removal. Looks like a wonderful vineyard tool, the only problem is no one in the USA sells this! So, it is back to dreaming and facing the reality of cutting removal by tarploads.
Maybe someday we can have a Berti so that the vineyard can look like this mechanically instead of manually.
Hi Hanumangirl,
ReplyDeleteI take vineyard cuttings like these and use them to grow grapes hydroponically in a greenhouse. I root the cuttings in a refrigerator and then move them into a small 8’ greenhouse in my backyard in Maryland. My hope is that growing grapes this way will allow me to reduce the impact that global warming has on grape quality. Temperature and rainfall can be more tightly controlled in the greenhouse environment. I posted some pictures on my website, hefvin.com if you are curious. I am still working to perfect the process and am always looking to source high quality cuttings!
Love reading your blog posts. I always learn something new about what it is like to run a vineyard.
Best,
Jorman
Hi Jorman,
ReplyDeleteI went to your website to learn more about what you are doing. It is very interesting! As farmers. grape growing is fraught with challenges served up by Mother Nature. Disease, heat, cold, untimely frosts, untimely draughts to name a few. Your proposal will ameliorate or even remove all of those variables. But can grapes truly grow hydroponically to make wine? That is the question that you are hoping to answer. It's a very cool experiment and I look forward to hearing about your results.
Thank you for reading my blog.
Aloha,
Hanumangirl
Exactly! Can grapes be grown hydroponically, and is the process financially viable? The technique may provide winemakers with extra grapes, or extra income from selling the bulk juice. My hope is that careful control of the environment and vine nutrition may allow for more reliable berry quality. The grapes could supplement (or be used as insurance against) normal vineyard production. I will keep you posted!
DeleteCheers,
Jorman