Originally from the May 2021 Newsletter
Those of you who read last month's newsletter will be glad to hear that our buds broke just days after our last frost and appear to be unscathed! The vines are off and running for the year a bit later than our traditional start date, but with the cool nights we had throughout April, we're more than okay with that.
Now that the vines are out of dormancy and have begun putting out new growth, we'll have plenty to think about in terms of vineyard management.
Since vines aren't the only things growing in a vineyard, and working on foot is much more difficult in knee-high grass, we've prepared our inter-row lanes by mowing them. We leave much of the rest of the vineyard unmowed until later in the season to provide habitat for beneficial insects, wildlife, and native plants.
The next physical process we'll need to address this spring is suckering the vines. The buds on our trained 1-year-old canes aren't the only place a grapevine will put out new growth; shoots will originate from the length of the trunk as well and should be removed. These "suckers" will draw nutrients and water that could otherwise be used for better-placed canopy growth and fruit development.
Suckering is a much easier process as long as it's done within the proper time frame. Once shoots have lignified and become woody, shears are required to remove them. Before that point, they break away from the vine with very little pressure.
Get these suckers out of here,
Colin
