Farm Log - 4-26-08

Irrigated Wednesday 4/23. Soil is very dry.

Decided not to use the wreath technique to propagate new vines. Instead, over the past week , am cutting the runners into short 5" to 8" lengths and placing directly into 1 gallon pots. Before planting, each is scored at the bottom with the clippers and dipped in Rootone to encourage root development. Then pots are moved under a screen that blocks 60% of sunlight and misted one minute every hour.

To date have potted 33 Black Beauty's, 40 Nobles, 44 Carlos.

2008 Farm Log - 4/6/08

Pruning
Pruning was late. Should have finished by late February. Actually finished in the first few days in April. Am trying to reduce some of the canopy by spreading out the spurs on the cordons. Read somewhere that the Spurs should be at least a fist (4”-5”) apart. We’ll see if it allows more light to reach the fruit. Also, I noticed all the spurs on the younger vines that were pruned to the top of the cordon last year are now pointing straight down, the opposite of where they should be. I suspect the strong summer winds blew the spurs over as the weight of the fruit and canopy growth came onto the vine, the weight actually twisting the cordon causing the spurs to hang downward instead of standing upright on the cordon. Not too concerned, though, because the cordons of the more mature vines are now rigid enough to hold the spurs upright. The dangling spurs will be pruned off next year as new growth appears on the top of the vine.

Pruning so late, is causing the wounds to weep rather excessively, I believe.

Fertilizing
First application was done on March 30 immediately after pruning was complete. One full cup on each vine – about a half pound. (280 lbs on about 450 vines or 0.62 lbs. each). Did not apply fertilizer after harvest last years as I’m told I should. Too busy with other things.

Irrigation
Turned on the drippers for the first time as soon as the fertilizer was applied, around March 30. Fortunately, it has rained almost every day since so it hasn’t been needed again yet (April 6). I try to give each vine the equivalent of one gallon a day when it isn’t raining. I irrigate twice a week. Have to turn the valves on each row by hand and can irrigate six to eight rows at a time (72 – 86 vines). Am limited by the 3 hp, 4” submersed pump.

In February, we had a freeze that blew out 18 of 30 irrigation valves. I have one valve for each row. This happened because I had the valves closed which seals a small amount of water inside the ball of the ¾” ball-valves. This seemingly innocuous amount of water was enough to crack the brass sidewalls of the valves. Lesson learned: turn the water off at the main control by the pump and open each exposed valve out in the field to release the enclosed water. Cost of lesson: about $150.

Have also noticed that algae will build up during the rainy and dormant seasons when the irrigation system is not being used regularly. Upon opening the valve for the first time each spring, it’s wise to unscrew the plastic delivery tubing from the valve and give each a good flushing first. This breaks much of it loose and allows it to be discharged onto the ground instead of clogging the small screens in the tubing.

Incidental notes:

• Redbreasted Robins showed up April 1st.
• Also noticed the Bluebirds warbling for the first time on April 2nd. We have placed a few boxes on fence posts around the property in which they can nest.
• Crows are incessant and ever-present. They watch me and cry out warnings to their buddies when they see me coming, probably remembering the shotgun blasts that were used to try and frighten them off during harvest last summer.
• First leaves on the vines popped out almost exactly on April 1st.
  New Vines

Propagating New Vines

This year as I pruned I left some of the longer “runners” attached to the vine. Some nearly 16 feet long. I rolled them into “wreaths” and will half bury them in pots like I did two years ago or try using them for cuttings and try to get them to grow in pots. We’ll see. I have two remaining rows to fill with new plants and people have expressed interest in buying vines, so I’ll give it a try. Have to remember, it’s only a hobby.

How much wine can you make at home?

A bill carried into Congress by Senator Alan Cranston of California and a signature from President Jimmy Carter in 1975 made it legal for a single adult household to make up to 100 gallons of wine each year, and up to 200 gallons for a households with two adults. This law still remains in effect to this day.

Stamen to Stamen, the nurturing and care begins

And the quest for the best begins anew.

Soon, like this muscadine flower in June of last year, the self-polinators will be busy sending signals to the vine to make grapes.

Photos - Growth begins

By April 7, the vines are pushing hard. to release the first leaves. It's important the fertilizer added in March is now available. The leaves need to green and widen, the vines to seek length, flowering and fertiizing, stamen to stamen, the grapes seek release.














Cattle egrets visit, foraging, cleaning the vineyard of potential invaders.

Photos - Buds to greenery

Over the vineyard, the sun rises and sets in an endless explosion of shapes, forms and, most incredible, colors

















Lead by the pruning shears in January, the buds explode into leaves and the season begins in earnest.

Photos - The season is triggered

The incredible process of cellular generation into leaves, vine, and grapes has begun. Glory!

There's a trigger no human understands. Perhaps it's the temperatures, or the amount of sunlight, or a time-instilled genetic signal that flips the switch at exactly the right time. Something tells the vine to generate growth, leaves, tiny and fragile, and the point from which the plant will create it's new season.

By March 24, the temps are rising and the buds are confident. It's time to break. It happens very fast. Apparently comatose one week, then change, slight at first.

Photos - Early March. They're coming!

After the pruning, the vines sit quiet, dormant, spooky looking in the morning mist, for weeks. The spiders string their traps between the spurs awaiting the unfortunate. Their webs, invisible otherwise, become highlighted by beads of dew. A few buds break their casts early eagerly seeking the new season. It's early March.

First two weeks in April, 2007

April 7th We had a slow drizzling rain that lasted nearly two days but only gave us 0.7" rain.

April 10th. We've started replacing the rotting fence along the road in from of the vineyard. It has been there at least ten years that I'm aware of and probably another five before that. It was a board fence that was becoming at one with terra firma. Replaced it with new posts and hog wire. Good ol' "red top". I worry a bit about the wild turkeys having more difficulty getting through but they always seem to find a way, just like the raccoons and opossoms.

4-15th A fast moving frontal system whipped through this morning leaving us .8" rain and cooling everything off. Temp was 50 degrees when I got up this morning vs 80 degrees yesterday. It's crystal clear and a beautiful day. Everytime I see a day like this, I think about that day the twin towers came down. It was a beautiful day then, too.

March 25, 2007 Pruning, watering and fertilizing

I've decided to keep a log of our farming activity here on the blog because it'll force me to be more conscientious about making entries. More importantly, though, it'll give me and any visitors, if there ever are any, a history of things good and bad about the process, warts and all.

Pruning.

Started pruning back in January. Because I don't have every waking hour to spend on this business, however, it has taken me until the first week in March to finish. It also took me longer than it should have because I had to begin correcting the incorrect pruning I've been practicing the last two years. It'll probably take me another two years to get it right.

Our local section of the Florida Grape Grower's Association had a presentation by Louis Royes about the correct way to prune muscadines and I finally got the concept right, I hope!

Pruning means having to remove the clippings, too. Such a pain.

Our farm, Skyshadow Vineyard, has about 358 vines at present. I found that it takes about ten minutes to prune each vine. So, that's 3,580 minutes or about 60 hours of pruning. When I prune, I find it is so tedious that I have to do something else after about three hours so if I did three hours every day that I pruned, it took me 20 days! Like I said, that 20 days was spread over 2.5 months from January to mid March.

Irrigation

I have low volume emitters that place two small circles of spray around the base of each vine. Sunday was the first day I irrigated this year. By Tuesday the buds were breaking and tiny green leaves were pushing out. It always amazes me that they continue to survive despite my inadvertent attempts to kill them.

Fertilization

Sunday was also the first day I fertilized this year. Probably should have done it on the first of March but couldn't get to it. The plan is to do it again on May 1st or so and then again after harvest, probably late September or early October. I put a full 2 cups, a little less than two pounds I think, on each vine in a band about eight inches wide between 10 to 18 inches out from the base. I use 10-10-10 with trace elements. Haven't killed them, yet.