Fertility - Time to Tissue Test

Hi Folks,


First off, thanks to everyone who came out to our first Vineyard Walk of the season at Planters Ridge - and thanks to John and Lisa for having us! 


I hear from a lot of people around this time of year wondering what (if anything) they should be fertilizing with in their vineyards.  While soil tests do a great job of telling us what's in the soil, it doesn't always translate into what the plant is able to take up!  I am a strong promoter of tissue testing with any perennial fruit crop (and really even many longer season annuals).  It's just a really good way of determining what the plant is able to take up from the soil and what you might need to look at supplementing! 


Generally with grapes, tissue testing is done during Bloom or at Veraison!  Since we are quickly approaching Veraison, I thought it might be timely to post some info on taking your tissue tests!


Sample each variety separately and if you have blocks of the same variety in different areas, it might be best to treat them as separate samples also. 


You can find information on what plant part to sample on the NS Analytical Lab Website  and you can click here to download a copy of the sample submission form. 


When you get your results back, it's a good idea to compare them against 'normal' ranges (this one is from the Midwest Grape Guide)

Suggested "Normal" Ranges of Nutrients from Grape Leaf Petioles* Nutrient	Normal Range
Nitrogen (N)	0.9 – 1.3 %
Phosphorus (P)	0.16 – 0.29 %
Potassium (K)	1.5 – 2.5 %
Calcium (Ca)	1.2 – 1.8 %
Magnesium (Mg)	0.26 – 0.45 %
Manganese (Mn)	31 – 150 ppm
Iron (Fe)	31 – 50 ppm
Copper (Cu)	5 – 15 ppm
Boron (B)	25 – 50 ppm
Zinc (Zn)	30 – 50 ppm

If your values are significantly higher or lower than these - please feel free to give me a call to discuss! 


Finally please mark Thursday August 21st on your Calendar for our second vineyard walk of the season.  Details will be announced on location soon!  Stay tuned to the blog and our facebook page for details. 

Reminder First Vineyard Walk - Thursday July 17th, 2014

Reminder that our first Vineyard Walk of 2014 will be held on Thursday evening at 6PM at Planters Ridge Winery - 1441 Church Street, Port Williams! You can check it out on a map here! Not sure what the weather will bring for Thursday evening, but be prepared with raincoats and umbrellas just in case!!!

Hope to see you all there!

New Pest Management Guide is Online and 1st Vineyard Walk - July 17th!

Hi Folks,

Happy Summer!!!! It's been a long time coming, so hopefully it is now officially here to stay!

I've been hearing some reports of winter kill this year, not surprising given the cold temperatures - also some reports of deer, mouse and vole damage which again is to be expected in a year with so much snow cover!

The new version of the Grape Crop Protection Guide is now online! Click Here! You'll notice some changes - we have now included a section on Weed Management - please have a look if you are wondering which herbicide to choose!

Weed control is extremely important when getting your vines established - the area within the row should be kept as clean as possible to reduce competition for nutrients and water! In case you missed it, The Northern Grapes Project hosted a great webinar on Vineyard Floor Management last winter! And you can check out their archives for a number of great webinars!

Mark your Calendars - Our Vineyard Walks will be starting July 17th, 2014 (6pm start!) - Our first one will be held at Planters Ridge Winery (1441 Church St, Port Williams) - thanks to John McLarty and Lisa Law for agreeing to host! You can check out their webpage for more details on the winery and vineyard!

Under Trellis Management Webinar

Hi Folks,   Hope your winter is going well and I'm sure everyone is anxious to get out and start checking for winter damage after Dr. Helen Fishers' talk at the GGANS AGM on the weekend!  I mentioned that I would post a link to our factsheet on how to monitor for Spotted Wing Drosophila - here it is!  Please send me a message if you have any questions... 


I also wanted to let you know about this great webinar that's coming up next week on Under Trellis Management.  I get lots of questions from growers on what the best strategy is for the area beneath your vines... we are lucky to be able to take advantage of hearing these excellent speakers without having to leave the comfort of home!   Please see below for webinar details and how to register!! 

Under Trellis Management

Webcast 

         

Friday, April 4, 2014, 9:00-11:00am

Featuring:

Dr. Justine Vanden Heuvel, Cornell University

Dr. Tony Wolf, Virginia Tech

 

Learn about the use of green covers under vines, a management tool that allows a reduction in herbicide use and helps to manage vine vigor.  Additional impacts, including influences on fruit quality, will be discussed.

 

 

This webcast is hosted by Alice Wise and Libby Tarleton, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. There is no charge for participation. Due to the format, NYS pesticide recertification credits will not be offered. Attendees will view this meeting on their own computer.

 

RSVP is required – please respond to Libby @ lt68@cornell.edu or 631.727.3595. 

 

Several days before the meeting, we will forward an e-mail with instructions on how to join the webcast. Please note that you will have to download a program to your computer prior to the meeting please leave adequate time to accomplish this. Details will be provided in the e-mail.

 

Artisan Distillers Workshop - PEI BioFood Tech - Feb 3-7, 2014

Hi Folks,

I trust everyone had a safe and 'fruitful' harvest!  From most accounts, it sounded like yield and quality were good right across the province and it was nice that the weather was mostly cooperative! :-) 

Just wanted to mention that they are now accepting registration for the five day Artisan Distillation Workshop presented by BioFoodTech at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel on Feb 3-7th, 2014.  Please click here for details and registration information.   

Happy Holidays!

Rachael

 

Reminder Vineyard Walk - Thursday August 29th, 6pm at Avondale Sky

Hi Folks,

Just a reminder that we have our final vineyard walk of 2013 scheduled for 6pm this Thursday evening at Avondale Sky (see post below for directions!).  Right now the forecast is looking a little wet, so be sure to wear proper footwear, raincoats and bring and umbrella and hopefully we won't need any of it!!!

Hope to see you all tomorrow evening! 

SWD, GGANS Summer Tour, and Next Vineyard Walk!

Hi Folks,

As you have probably heard, there have been a few trap catches of Spotted Wing Drosophila in the province.  Numbers remain low but I would strongly recommend that you start monitoring in your vineyards now using the technique outlined in our SWD Factsheet.  If you start seeing significant numbers in your traps, you may want to consider using one of the insecticides that have been registered through the Emergency Use Program as a precaution.  The list of products can be found here. 

Reminder that the GGANS Summer Tour will be held in the South Shore area on Wednesday August 21st - please contact Joanne Moran at the Grape Growers Assoc NS ggans@ns.sympatico.ca  for more information and to book your seat on the bus! 

Finally our next vineyard walk will be held on Thursday August 29th,  6pm at Avondale Sky Winery, 80 Avondale Cross Road, RR#2 Newport Landing .  Click here for directions and a Google Map.  We have had great turn out so far this season for all our vineyard walks so we would love to see you all out again on the 29th!  

Rachael