I noticed that some of Chardonnay and Merlot started blooming on Friday.  I ended up spraying on Saturday for pre-bloom treatment.  Once again, from bloom to 4-5 weeks after bloom is critical periods for black rot, downy mildew and powdery mildew cluster infection.  Please stay on top of your program during this period.  Once you successfully protect your vines through this period, you can relax a bit.

I saw a little bit of downy mildew development in our vineyards, but nothing major.  I am wondering how recent hot and dry weather conditions affect their population.   We will see…

Speaking of hot weather, I’ve noticed that there is air quality alert issued to Fredrick county.  I don’t know what would be the effect to grape diseases, but it does affect us.  Make sure to hydrate yourself and keep eye on your body conditions.