Horticultural Crops
Grapes

Grapes

Grape growers need to use integrated vineyard management systems to promote production that is both economically viable and sustainable. It is important to establish and maintain healthy and productive vines through good management practices. This can help reduce the need for treatments that may adversely affect the environment.

To accomplish this, growers should consider:

• Site selection and preparation.
• Soil and water management.
• Pest management.

Integrated vineyard management is needed for economic and sustainable production. Use a combination of cultural management techniques such as hilling in row and alternate alley way cover.

Site Selection

Choose the site for planting vines with attention to:

• Air drainage. Good circulation will reduce the potential for disease and lower the risk of frost.
• Water drainage.
• Wind conditions and climate.

Site Preparation

Thorough land preparation is essential before planting.

• Improve the level of organic matter and soil structure. Consider using green manure or cover crops. Install tile and surface drainage as required.
• Build the fertility of your soil. Grape vines live and should be reproductive for a long time so make improvements before planting. Also adjust your soil pH to the range of 6.0 to 7.0 before planting.
• Control weeds, particularly perennial ones.
• Map and mark your fields. Lay out planting to allow air to circulate and to make spraying and harvest easy. Usually, vines are planted north and south to allow the most sun onto vines. If there is a slope, set the rows across the slope to reduce soil erosion, if possible.

Soil Management

Good soil management will sustain productive grape growing. When growing grapes, a number of soil problems are possible: compaction, erosion, loss of organic matter and poor soil structure.

Management Choices

Many grape growers practice clean cultivation. This may lead to soil erosion and poor soil structure. There are several ways to avoid these problems:

Annual cover crops - seed a cover crop such as Italian ryegrass in August and till it under the following May. Soil is protected during the winter months which reduces erosion.

Semi-permanent cover crops - seed perennial grasses and leave them for two or three seasons before tilling under. Some growers till alternate rows of cover crops each year. This method keeps soil covered for longer periods of time which reduces erosion still further.

Permanent cover crops - seed perennial grasses. This effectively reduces soil erosion but will compete with the grapes. Pay particular attention to nutrients and weed control when using this alternative.

A number of soil problems can be present when growing grapes; soil erosion is only one.

Benefits of soil cover crops in vineyards:

• Reduces erosion.
• Holds snow to prevent deep freezing.
• Maintains soil organic matter.
• Can take up extra soil nitrogen in the fall to allow vines to harden off.
• Allows cleaner harvesting and other operations in the vineyard.

Some growers compromise, using a sod cover in alternate alley ways and an annual cover crop like oilseed radish in the others.

Soil Structure and Compaction

Grapes, like all crops, need a good root system to be productive. Soil with good structure provides a suitable area for growing roots. Grape roots can penetrate for three to four metres (10 to 12 feet) if soil is in good condition. Soil structure and compaction can be improved by attention to the following practices.

• Replace or build the level of organic matter in soil by using cover crops, manure or organic mulches. (Any organic, off-farm waste requires a permit from Ministry of the Environment.)
• Reduce the amount of cultivation or use permanent grass cover crops.
• Reduce the number of trips over a field. Combine jobs where possible.
• Stay off wet soils as much as possible.
• Reduce the weight of equipment.
• Use deep-rooted cover crops. Subsoil where necessary at the depth of a compacted layer.
• Subsoil every two or three years only on dry soils and alternate row middles if possible.

Water Management

Good water drainage is important for a healthy root system. Poor drainage which allows water to stand on or saturate soil increases frost-heaving damage to grape roots and trellises.

Use irrigation with care, particularly when growing wine grapes, as it will affect the quality of the fruit and delay wood maturity.

Nutrient Management

To manage nutrients effectively, test petiole and soil samples in combination with visual assessment and common sense. Petiole analysis is the most effective practice. Sampling is done in the first two weeks of September.

In established vineyards, usually only nitrogen and potassium additions are needed. Nitrogen can be applied in the form of manure or as inorganic nitrogen. Potassium comes from applications of muriate of potash. For the best results, band fertilizer on grape rows. Do not automatically apply fertilizer every year; petiole analysis will show needs. To prevent leaching and run-off, apply fertilizer in the late spring.

Keep records of soil and petiole analysis, visual assessment of vine health, yields and weather conditions. These records and your own experience will help interpret problems and results from year to year.

Use petiole analysis to assess nutrient needs.

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Pest Management

Many of the points outlined in this section are preventive. Monitoring pests, using equipment in good repair on healthy vines, on well-maintained trellises and careful spraying will reduce problems.

Chemical pest control may be complemented by appropriate practices and cultural methods.

Cultural Practices

• Select varieties that resist disease where possible.
• Choose a system of training that allows light, air and sprays to penetrate.
• Use good sanitation practices such as: tagging and removing vines with Crown-Gall, Eutypa dieback, or infections; removing diseased wood from the vineyard; chopping pruned wood finely and working into soil when vines are healthy; keeping row areas weed-free; and clearing wild grapes from fence rows and surrounding fields.
• Use canopy management, to improve air movement, water evaporation and the penetration of light onto vines.
• Keep trellises in good repair. Monitor pest populations in each section of the vineyard. Refer to OMAFRA Factsheets for assistance.

Chemical Control

• Read and follow the label carefully.
• Use sprayers equipped with curtains to reduce drift.
• Calibrate equipment regularly.
• When possible, use directed sprays. For example, while the whole vine must be sprayed for black rot, only fruit needs spray for Botrytis.
• If sampling shows that only outer vines have insects, use a perimeter spray. Pay particular attention to the edges of wooded areas.
• Follow the strategies recommended for each pest. Alternate spray materials to reduce the chance a pest will become resistant.

To control weeds under grapevines, consider:

• A herbicide strip.
• Mulches.

Grape hoe - use the hoe during the early spring to reduce rates of herbicides. Herbicides should be applied after the final hill is in place.

Summary

When growing grapes, it is important to look at the future while working with the “here and now.” It is in your best interest to use resources well to ensure both economic and environmental sustainability.

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