Springtime In Your Grape Vineyard
It’s spring time again. The birds are singing, the grass is growing, and the work is piling up. Maintaining a grape vineyard is a year round job and there’s always something to do. Exactly how much you have to do depend on where your grape vineyard is located and what variety of grapes you grow. Some are more delicate than others and need more care. There are some common jobs that must be done after setting up any grape vineyard, regardless of these factors and they include the following.
Replace any posts or wires:
The top and base wires in your grape vineyard need to be attached to something and these are normally wooden posts. Since the posts are exposed to the elements, they will crack or rot. You’ll need to walk along each row and test the strength of each of the posts. Shake it yourself, or give it a little tap with a hammer…a little tap. If you swing at full strength you’re likely to break a perfectly good post in half.
Wires are also just as exposed to the weather and can rust and become brittle. You’ll need to examine these as well and make sure that none are sagging or broken. If they are, they may buckle when the vine needs them most. A problem which might be faced when replacing wires in the grape vineyard is the high potential for damaging the vines. Be careful and attempt only a little piece at a time. Never try to replace the lower and higher wires in a single row at the same time as you’ll have nothing to support the grape vines.
Tie any loose vines:
A somewhat tedious task that most grape farmers will tackle in spring is the tying of vines to the wires. This is when you go through your grape vineyard and ensure that there are no loose vines. After trimming, it’s easy for vines to sometimes come loose and if this happens, they won’t be able to hold the weight of any grape bunches they produce. That’s why you need to make certain that they stay secure.
It’s best to take a systematic approach to this. Walk through each row of the grape vineyard, one at a time, and tie any loose vines to either the high or low wire depending on which is more applicable. An easy way of doing this is using wire twist ties. It’s a good idea to walk around with a pouch of these so they’re easily accessible. You’ll want to take care to not damage any of the grape forming buds while you’re tying. These are in sharp contrast to the smoothness of the vines in that they appear as small bumps along the surface.
Start up the lawn mower:
Another task that will undoubtedly take up a lot of your time in spring is mowing your grape vineyard. There’s not likely to be a lot of growth in winter. The change of the season however brings about a raise in temperature, an increased availability of moisture and a lot more sunshine. It’s not only your grape plants that are going to appreciate this. Grape farmers often see a fair amount of grasses and weeds popping up in their grape vineyard at this time of the year.
These other plants also use the same nutrients and resources that your grape plants do, and there’s only a finite amount of these things in your grape vineyard. That’s why it’s so important that you mow on time. This controls the growth of the any other plants that may show up in your grape vineyard. Keep in mind that this isn’t a task you do only once. You’re going to have to keep at it throughout spring and summer as well. It might be a pain, but it’s necessary.
After you have learnt how to grow grapes then the spring time maintenance can be an enjoyable activity that gets you out into the vineyard.