This month we have completed the training pass and the vines have been responding great! Training involves taking off the shoots we don’t want so vines can focus on the shoots we want to grow. Those shoots will become the main anatomy of the vine: the trunk, cordants, canes, fruiting canes. Now that the extra tissue is off, we’re seeing healthy and amazing growth throughout the vineyard!
Because we’re seeing such great growth and fertility, we are beginning to discuss doing a 2nd training pass. In this pass we will begin to lay down arms and parts of the vine we will need for each year. Each block will have its own unique training system. Our Cab Franc will be in Cordans and Cab Sauv will be mostly Cane Pruning. Not all the training systems have been deciding for our blocks! One thing we have to think about when choosing a training system is how it will create the best quality/yield of fruit. Check out Wine Folly’s article on Training Systems to see more information on the different systems Viticulturists can choose from!
Grafting New Budwood
We just finished up grafting today! During our snap frost, more shoots were damaged than initially thought. However, we had a bit of goodluck! The rootstocks that these shoots were grafted onto still showed green – meaning life and no nutrient deficiencies! Instead of replanting the entire vine and rootstock, we were able to purchase budwood from the exact clones that had been damaged and grafted that onto the rootstocks. Watch our Youtube Video with Domingo, our local grafting expert, graft new budwood onto our rootstocks.
Now we play the waiting game! In the next couple weeks we will find out if the shoots will take to the rootstocks. Some signs of activity have already been spotted: grafts are a little fuzzy. This is a good sign for us, and our fingers are crossed for the vines in the weeks to come. The picture to the right shows where the vine has been grafted (white tape) and where a little bit of fuzz is coming out from the vine.
So far the grafting is taking well! Some of the shoots died but the rootstocks holding them together still had green (meaning life!… and no nutrient deficiencies). We purchased budwood from the same clone that was damaged and grafted that to the rootstocks.
Why Graft vs. Replant???
One nice thing about grafting vs replanting is that the vines will still have a deeper root system in the ground that has been growing for a year now. It will help to keep the roots throughout each block in the Armaan Vineyard evened out. We also don’t want to pull out a living, breathing vine if it still has a chance to grow!
(Our new Budwood we will begin grafting onto the rootstock in our vineyard.)
To listen to our Viticulturist, Caitlyn Pierni (pictured below!), as she discusses why some parts of vineyard blocks were affected more than others, click here.
Keeping an Eye On Weather Changes
Now that we’re learning and understanding the weather patterns of this specific site, we’re able to plan more to help the vines out along the way. We know how cold it really gets at this site, and what can happen to young vines that are exposed to that cold, so moving forward we want to decrease the risk of damage. One of those possibilities is burying where the graft union is, and that soil will protect the union so the vine will be able to survive the winter.We’re also keeping an eye out for heat waves that can potentially damage the vines!
We expect by this time next year, everything should be evening out. Despite the late frost, we are excited to see the growth in all the vines that weren’t affected. We expect by this time next year, everything should be evening out!