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what i've learned:
This week I felt very confident in driving the tractor, I have driven a few before but now it seems like I can really use it skillfully with confidence. I used the tractor to pick up vine cuttings that fell onto the understory. There are a few reasons for doing this. When weed waking or mowing throughout the rows it is troublesome to come across many vines that disrupt the mower. Secondary, the year old vines that are cut will be a great home for insects and potential pathogens.
Note: I remember when living in southern france, I'd drive through the vineyards and see old men smoking cigarettes and pruning. They carried with them a barrel on wheels that would be used for a small fire so they could burn all the pruned shoots and cordons all in one day. I like that method or at least the idea of it because I could prune and burn everything, and skip raking up and bending over many of times to clean the vineyard afterwards.
cold hardy damage: The wine grape variety: Chambourcin- is a popular northeastern hybrid of french and american varieties. It is popular for taste and color, along with its cold hardiness. The winery planted 4 rows 10 years ago and they have had a really hard time on the site they are on. They suffered from the cold winter two years ago where it went below -10 degrees and haven't been able to take off. I noticed that we are at the end of a hill where frost seems to stay lingering and I think its interesting to see that specific microclimates can cause many benefits and or difficulties. In this case the vines look only a few years old and very unhealthy. We most likely will be taking them out in the coming year.
new holland tractor! below is the 4 Arm Kniffin training system. two wires & 4 cordons
small vineyard on winery site, used mostly for show rather than practicality. not the best site selection.
cankers form after cold damage, now diseased and unproductive.
chambourcin- variety having some set backs from mother nature. unfortunately no new shoots are coming out from under the ground which means the vine must be replaced
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