Vine status

Chardonnay vines have been growing nicely. I have noticed a lot of laterals, though. Made me wonder if something happened to the terminals (shoot tips) during the frost. My goal for the canopy management right now is to keep a bit more shoots than I typically do to avoid developing “bull canes” and to have better cane selections next winter. Hybrids and table grapes, on the other hand, have been producing more fruitful buds.

The other things I have noticed were block rot and Phomopsis. Since I switched to copper-based sprays, it was not surprising. I switched my sprays to mancozeb last week, and I hope that it was in time for bloom protection. We will see…

Due to uneven growth and development, even within the same block, you probably need to be diligent with fungicide rotation to avoid relying on the same material, as we discussed in last week’s virtual meeting. If you have not had a chance yet, please see my previous post on pre-bloom/bloom disease management.

Disease risks 6/3-6/10/2026

NEWA is an Agricultural Weather Station Network, and we are part of the team. Here is a snapshot from last week showing the number of days with risk for each disease: Ph = Phomopsis, PW = Powdery mildew, BR = Black rot, and DM = Downy mildew. N/A means there is no data or issues with the NEWA. I am waiting to hear back from the weather station company about fixing the one in Stafford.

It looks like most of us had a dry week. As we discussed in the previous virtual vineyard meetings, we need to maintain our vines to ensure healthy canopies that support bud formation for next year, cane or spur selection, and winter survival.

Downy mildew forecast

It seems that most of us will see chances of rain throughout the week. Moisture buildup over the next two days also suggests downy mildew. I hope you can find a day to protect your vines. Please refer to my previous post about downy mildew management. 

The downy mildew forecasting effort is supported by the Virginia Wine Board.