Vine status
The effect of rain finally kicked in. Chardonnay vines grew considerably over the last week. I started canopy management this morning. My goal 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. Vidal is in full bloom, and some others, e.g., Frontenc, were in BB-size already. Based on input from the Sentinel Vineyard Group, many who have enough flowers for harvest are experiencing uneven flower development. I.e., some are blooming, and others are past fruit-set, even within the same cultivar in a block. Under these circumstances, you probably need to be diligent on fungicide rotation so that you won’t rely on the same material. I will discuss it further in tomorrow’s virtual meeting. If you have not had a chance, please see my previous post about disease management after the frost event.
Disease risks 5/27-6/3/2026
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. Only Floyd station called for 4 days of downy mildew risk in the past week. As we discussed in the previous virtual vineyard meetings, we still 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
We are looking at two days with a moderate risk of downy mildew on Thursday and Friday next week throughout the state, but other than that, things are looking better. Please refer to my previous post about downy mildew management.
The downy mildew forecasting effort is supported by the Virginia Wine Board.
