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	<title>How To Grow Grapes &#124; My Grape Vine Blog</title>
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	<link>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog</link>
	<description>Free Grape Growing Information For All Grape Growers</description>
	<pubDate>Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:38:19 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>Growing Grapes - Grape Bunch Sizing</title>
		<link>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/growing-grapes-grape-bunch-sizing/</link>
		<comments>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/growing-grapes-grape-bunch-sizing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:25:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Danie</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/?p=454</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With this article, I will discuss an important part of preparing the grape bunches for harvest.  We are about 3 weeks away from starting to pack our first Flame Seedless grapes, and although we had a hard time thinning out the bunches, the crop size an quality at this stage is excellent.
Bunch sizing, as mentioned before, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;">With this article, I will discuss an important part of preparing the grape bunches for harvest.  We are about 3 weeks away from starting to pack our first Flame Seedless grapes, and although we had a hard time thinning out the bunches, the crop size an quality at this stage is excellent.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Bunch sizing, as mentioned before, is an import part of preparing your grape crop for harvest.  This is not so vital for wine grapes, but for table or eating grapes it is absolutely imperative that you know how big the bunches should be.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">As we are entering the final stages of berry development, just before colouring, the berry sets out about two thirds of the final size.  Off course this means that during this stage, you must know exactly what to do, to maximize the berry size, and one of the methods you should consider is to make the bunches smaller.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Not only will smaller bunches improve berry size, but will also improve colouring, disease control and also makes the harvesting and handling (packing) of the grapes bunches much easier.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">If you look at the picture below, you will see a variety called Sundance Seedless.  This is an early/mid season, white seedless variety that naturally produce large bunches.  If we do no size these bunches, the bunches will weigh in access of 1.2 kg and the berry size on these grapes will most probably end up being 13 to 17 mm. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/bunch_sizing1.jpg" alt="" width="294" height="414" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">By just sizing the bunches, we actually decrease the crop size, but will increase the berry sizing.  Hopefully, if everything goes as planned, the size bunches in the picture below, will around 600 to 800 grams, making it much easier to pack into cartons and also to handle.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/bunch_sizing2.jpg" alt="" width="320" height="466" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The actual size of the bunch above is just larger than the width of my hand.  Some varieties like Red Globe, Thompson Seedless (Sulatan), we size the bunches even smaller.  I use this method to size my Flame Seedless and Crimson Seedless bunches as well</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The best advice I can give you for knowing what size you should make your grape bunches, is to experiment with your own variety to find the size that suites your needs.  A rule of thumb is to use the width of your hand and ad about an inch.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">This tip will help you produce the best grapes in the neighborhood and make your neighbor envy your grape vine!  <img src='http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':-)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p style="text-align: left;">If you need a COMPLETE proven system to help you succeed, then join the Complete Grape Growing System right now - <a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/dlg/sell.php?prodData=cb,11"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Take care and happy grape growing my friend.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Danie</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com">www.my-grape-vine.com</a></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">To Learn Even More About Growing Grapes, </span></h3>
<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Join The Complete Grape Growing System Today!</span></h3>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/dlg/sell.php?prodData=cb,11"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/getnow.gif" alt="" width="250" height="80" /></a></span></span></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;">The Complete Grape Growing System is an online product. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">For a once-off payment of only $47.95, you get instant access to all the grape growing info you need to succeed.</p>
<p>Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/grape+vine+swags" rel="tag">grape vine swags</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+do+i+grow+grapes" rel="tag">how do i grow grapes</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+grapes+master+gardener" rel="tag">how to grow grapes master gardener</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+seedless+grapes" rel="tag">how to grow seedless grapes</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/growing+grape+vines" rel="tag">growing grape vines</a></p>
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		<title>Layering a grape vine - update.</title>
		<link>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/layering-a-grape-vine-update/</link>
		<comments>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/layering-a-grape-vine-update/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:05:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Danie</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/?p=450</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Those of you who were subscribed to My Grape Vine a year ago, will probably remember the article I wrote on the 30th of September 2008, about layering a grape vine - where you take a cane from an existing grape vine, to establish a new one.
This is a neat little trick you can use, if [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Those of you who were subscribed to My Grape Vine a year ago, will probably remember the article I wrote on the 30th of September 2008, about layering a grape vine - where you take a cane from an existing grape vine, to establish a new one.</p>
<p>This is a neat little trick you can use, if you are trying to get a new grape vine growing in an established vineyard, which by the way is not easy to do.  Why?  Remember that the older grape vines will over-shade the young vine and preventing proper sunlight to reach the vine.  The root system of an established vine, will have reached deep into the soil by now looking for food and water.  Therefore, the watering or irrigation of an established vineyard differ from that of a newly planted vineyard, so you will have to give the young vines water on it&#8217;s own - for the home grape grower, this is fine, but if you have a farm full of grapes, this is practically impossible.</p>
<p>For those of you who didn&#8217;t read the article back then, here is the link:  <a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/layering-grape-vines/" target="_blank">http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/layering-grape-vines/</a> (this link will open in a new window)</p>
<p>With this article, I want to give you an update on how that specific grape vine is doing.  Never mind the weeds, it was sprayed yesterday  LOL :-).</p>
<p>In the picture below, you can clearly see the cane coming from the established vine, going into the ground and then up again.  Notice how well the new vine developed and that I started to create the frame work already.  Yes this was done in <strong>one single year </strong>using the training methods I teach in the <a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com" target="_blank">Complete Grape Growing System</a>!</p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/layering%206.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">An added bonus is, that I will be picking a few bunches of grapes from this grape vine as well!  You can see these bunches are still small , but I promise they will be worth picking in about 2 months time.</p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/layering%205.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">I will keep you updated as the season progress, to see what the grape look like in the end - hold your thumbs! <img src='http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':-)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Take care</p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Danie</p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com">www.my-grape-vine.com</a></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><strong>Wouldn&#8217;t you also like to get these results?</strong></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><strong><span style="color: #3366ff;">Then Secure Your Membership To The Complete Grape Growing System Right Now for only </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #3366ff;">S47.95</span></strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/dlg/sell.php?prodData=cb,11" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/getnow.gif" alt="" width="250" height="80" /></span></span></a></span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">For only $47.95, you get instant access to all the grape growing information you need, PLUS get some bonus videos of how to prune and train a grape vine.  The Complete Grape Growing System is a digital product.  You will not receive any physical products.</p>
<p>Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+make+grapes+grow+better" rel="tag">how to make grapes grow better</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+grapes+in+florida" rel="tag">how to grow grapes in florida</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+grape+vines" rel="tag">how to grow grape vines</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/grape+vine+swags" rel="tag">grape vine swags</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+grapes+master+gardener" rel="tag">how to grow grapes master gardener</a></p>
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		<title>What are those numbers on a fertilizer package?</title>
		<link>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/numbers-on-a-fertilizer-package/</link>
		<comments>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/numbers-on-a-fertilizer-package/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:24:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Danie</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/?p=443</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Suzana, one of the first members of My Grape Vine, send me this question a few days ago.
She wanted to know what those numbers on a fertilizer packaging means.
 
With this article, I will show exactly what they mean and how you can calculate, precisely how much of a certain fertilizer mixture you must apply, in order to get the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h5 class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Suzana, one of the first members of My Grape Vine, send me this question a few days ago.</h5>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">She wanted to know what those numbers on a fertilizer packaging means.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">With this article, I will show exactly what they mean and how you can calculate, precisely how much of a certain fertilizer mixture you must apply, in order to get the right amount of an element in your soil.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The numbers on a fertilizer mix like for example a </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">10:10:10</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> fertilizer, probably the most common of all, means:</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">10 : 10: 10</span></h2>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">N  :  P :  K</span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">10</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> parts nitrogen (N), 10 parts phosphorus (P), 10 parts potassium (K)</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">But that’s not all!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>On many fertilizer packages you see a 4<sup>th</sup> number in brackets; for example </span></span></p>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">2:3:4 (27)</span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">From what we have just learned, we will have</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><strong>2 parts nitrogen (N),<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;">  </span>3 parts phosphorus (P),<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>4 parts potassium (K)</strong></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">The fourth number (27) - in brackets - <strong>is the total percentage (%) </strong>of nutrients in the mixture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">So we have a total of 9 parts ( 2 + 3 + 4) nutrients in that mixture, that ads up to 27% of the total mixture.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">In other words; for every 100 kg of fertiliser there will be a total 27 kg N, P, K in the mixture.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;">                                            </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;">2</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">          </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;">27</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">the nitrogen (N) is<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;">                  </span>9<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">   </span>x <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">    </span>1<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">      </span>=<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">   </span>6<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;">     </span>kg N for every 100 kg of fertilizer mixture</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Therefore, two ninths of 27 kg, or 6 kg, of every 100 kg of mixture will be nitrogen.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">As for a 1:0:0(40) mixture, 40 kg Nitrogen will be added to the soil for 100kg fertilizer and no P, K</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">I hope this makes sense?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> :-)</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">With this formula, you can easily calculate how much of a certain fertilizer mix you must apply to add a certain amount of N:P:K to the soil.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">To Learn Even More About Growing Grapes, </span></h2>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Join The Complete Grape Growing System Today!</span></h2>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/getnow.gif" alt="" width="250" height="80" /></span></span></h2>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small;">For a once-off fee of only $47.95, you get<span style="color: #ff0000;"> instant access to all the grape growing info</span> I use on my own farm</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small;">, plus some bonus pruning and training videos!</span></span></h2>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small;">The Complete Grape Growing System is an online product.  You will NOT receive any physical products with your order</span></span></h2>
<p>Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+make+grapes+grow+better" rel="tag">how to make grapes grow better</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+valiant+grapes" rel="tag">how to grow valiant grapes</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/care+for+grape+vines" rel="tag">care for grape vines</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+grapes+master+gardener" rel="tag">how to grow grapes master gardener</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/transplanting+a+grape+vine" rel="tag">transplanting a grape vine</a></p>
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		<title>What To Do In Winter On A Grape Farm</title>
		<link>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/what-to-do-in-winter-on-a-grape-farm/</link>
		<comments>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/what-to-do-in-winter-on-a-grape-farm/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:08:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Danie</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/?p=426</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[31 October not only means Halloween for people from the USA, but means the end of the growing season for most grape growers in the Northern Hemisphere as well.
 
 
This brings us to a question I received after yesterdays blog post.  Tracy asked if we are on vacation the whole winter, because the grape vines are [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">31 October not only means Halloween for people from the USA, but means the end of the growing season for most grape growers in the Northern Hemisphere as well.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">This brings us to a question I received after yesterdays blog post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Tracy</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> asked if we are on vacation the whole winter, because the grape vines are dormant!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">LOL, if only it was true!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">No, there are some important things that need to be done during the dormant season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>With this article, I will try to give you an overview of what to do when you finished harvesting your grapes.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">As soon as you have picked your grapes, it’s time for a post-harvest fertilizer application.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Post-harvest fertilization is really important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Although the grape vines will soon go dormant, it still actively takes up food and water, until the average temperature drops below the point where vegetative growth completely stops.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">During this period, the grape vine stores nutrients in the canes, stem and roots of the vine in preparation for winter – the term we use is hardening off.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not only are the grape vines preparing for winter, but the energy that is stored inside the vines, will be used for when next spring arrives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>When a grape vine starts to break bud, very little food and nutrient uptake takes place, instead, the energy stored inside the vine is used to feed the new shoots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>As a rule of thumb, about 20kg nitrogen per hectare should be enough.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">The grape vines will start loosing it’s leaves, but before this happens, we normally spray a contact fungus control product, to kill all fungus spores that may still be on the grape vines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Remember, these fungus spores can over-winter on the grape vines.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">If your winter conditions allow you to, now is the time to prepare the soil for new vineyards or cut off old grape vines that needs to be replaced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>If you are a commercial grape grower, it’s a good practice to take soil samples before the snow comes, as this will tell you what is needed inside the soil before you actually rip or plough the land.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Once this is done, we start repairing trellis systems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The growing season and while harvesting the grapes, is an extremely busy time on a grape farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Little time is available for maintenance and general welfare of the trellises and the rest of the farm.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Off course, dormant season means pruning season as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Depending on your climate, you will start pruning once the vines are fully dormant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>In very cold climates, we wait until just before spring.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Prepare you planting site well before spring, as you want to plant your grape vines before spring actually arrives.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yes, during winter, everything on a grape farm slows down, but never comes to a standstill!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></span></span></p>
<p>Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+do+you+grow+grapes" rel="tag">how do you grow grapes</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/feng+shui+grape+vine" rel="tag">feng shui grape vine</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/heard+it+through+the+grape+vine" rel="tag">heard it through the grape vine</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+muscadine+grapes+from+seed" rel="tag">how to grow muscadine grapes from seed</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+valiant+grapes" rel="tag">how to grow valiant grapes</a></p>
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		<title>Why aren&#8217;t there any grapes on my grape vines?</title>
		<link>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/no-grapes-on-my-grape-vine/</link>
		<comments>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/no-grapes-on-my-grape-vine/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:18:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Danie</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/?p=420</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[At least one out of every ten emails I receive, has something to do with either &#8220;no grapes on a grape vine”, or “too small berries”, or “not enough grapes”.
This is for sure the most common question asked by new grape growers.  Unfortunately, it is on the most difficult to answer as well, because there [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">At least one out of every ten emails I receive, has something to do with either &#8220;no grapes on a grape vine”, or “too small berries”, or “not enough grapes”.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is for sure the most common question asked by new grape growers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Unfortunately, it is on the most difficult to answer as well, because there are a couple of reasons why this happens.  I’ll try my best to give you some tips on how you can improve the fruitfulness of your grape vines.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">The first and most important thing you should always remember;</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">A grape vine needs proper sunlight to initiate the development of flower clusters inside the buds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>When you look at a the green shoot of a grape vine, you will see hundreds of buds situated between the leafstalk and the shoot itself.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;" align="center"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/bud-on-shoot.jpg" alt="" width="490" height="308" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">The grape vine bud is actually a compound bud, with a primary, secondary and tertiary bud situated next to each other.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Generally, the primary bud contains leaf and bunch primordia that produce 6-10 leaves and two bunches, respectively. If the primary bud develops into a new shoot in spring, the secondary and tertiary buds remain small.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Anything that cause the primary bud to under develop or die, is what we call Primary Bud Necroses (PBM) and will greatly influence how many grapes your grape vines will produce. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Have no clue what I have just said?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Right, let me explain in laymen’s terms.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">The green shoot with buds shown in the picture above, is one-year-old growth from the <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">current</strong> growing season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>These buds will produce shoots in <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">next years growing season</strong>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>In other words, the small shoots and bunches that will appear next year, is initiated inside the buds during the <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">current</strong> growing season. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">The following pictures shows a bud on a shoot that is starting to go dormant.  This bud will produce grapes next year.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/bud.jpg" alt="" width="489" height="297" /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, if your grape vine grows in the shade, or is too compact, and no sunlight can penetrate the canopy, then next years crop will be lighter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>That is why I always keep hammering on proper canopy management and choosing the right spot to grow your grape vines.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of Crimson Seedless vineyards is situated close to my garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>On average, the grape vine closest to the garden, produce only half the number of bunches it is suppose to have because of an over shading tree that grows in my garden.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Incorrect Pruning Methods</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">I didn’t mention this first, but it is just as important as having proper sunlight penetration into the grape vines.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Remember, the fruitfulness of varieties differ, that is why some grape varieties are pruned with spurs and some pruned with canes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The buds on variety like Crimson, initiate flower clusters from the 4<sup>th</sup> bud onwards (counting from the base of the shoot).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>If you prune the dormant cane back to 2 or 3 buds, you remove the most fruitful part of the cane where most of the grapes are!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’ve seen pictures of grape growers, who prune almost all of the previous growing season’s growth away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Remember, without properly planning your pruning actions and by simply pruning everything away, you will reduce the crop size.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Too vigorous growing grape vines</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over fertilization or a too vigorous growing grape vine, will cause problems in the blooming stages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Just like any other plant with flowers, the grape vine produce flowers as well, that needs to be pollinated to reproduce – the basic instinct of the grape vine is to survive and reproduce new grape vines.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">If your grape vine grows too vigorous, the vine will get the “message” , “Okay, I’m doing fine, so there is no need for too many grapes!”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The grape vine then shed flowers to make the crop lighter – not what YOU want isn’t it?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another problem with a too vigorous growing grape vine, is sunlight penetration into the vine – mentioned above.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Diseases</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Not only will diseases like powdery mildew and botrytis attack flower clusters, causing the flowers to abort, but there are mites that attack the buds on the grape vine themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Rust mites feed predominantly in the outer bud scales and bud mites feed on internal bud tis</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">sue</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">, causing damage to the small flower clusters inside the buds.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">The use of Gibberellic acid (GA3)</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gibberellic acids are naturally produced plant growth hormones that affect cell division and cell elongation in stems and leaves. Commercial grape growers use GA3 to increase berry size and also for thinning out of bunches with varieties like, Thompson Seedless, Flame Seedless and many more.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately, GA3 cause unfruitfulness to the grape vines, so proper use of this product is of the utmost importance.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Male grape vines</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most of the commercial grape varieties grown these days, produce male and female flowers, so no cross pollination is needed.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">However, some grape species like vitis Reparia, produce only male flowers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>For the average grape grower, this looks promising during flowering, as they produce literally thousands of flower clusters, but these flowers will never produce grapes, they will only fall off.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some nurseries sell these grape vines to people who wants to cover a pergola for the beauty of it alone, and not for grapes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>If you bought a house with a grape vine on a pergola or fence, that doesn’t produce grapes, then the chances are good that it is a male grape vine.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">If your grape vine produce no grapes, then I do hope that this article gave you some insight on how you can correct the problem.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #ff0000; font-size: small;"><strong>Remember, correct pruning and canopy management is crucial!</strong></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Take care,</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Danie</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/"><span style="color: #800080; font-size: small;">www.my-grape-vine.com</span></a></span></p>
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<p>Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/grape+vine+care" rel="tag">grape vine care</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/grape+vine" rel="tag">grape vine</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+prune+grape+vines" rel="tag">how to prune grape vines</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+start+a+grape+vines" rel="tag">how to start a grape vines</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+take+grow+of+grapes" rel="tag">how to take grow of grapes</a></p>
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		<title>Controlling Powdery Mildew On Grapes</title>
		<link>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/controlling-powdery-mildew-on-grapes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/controlling-powdery-mildew-on-grapes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:26:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Danie</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[grape diseases]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[how to grow grapes]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[powdery mildew on grapes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/?p=413</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Powdery mildew is the main fungal disease that most grape growers confront every seasons.   The fungus that cause powdery mildew is called Uncinula Necator.
Many grape growers struggled to keep powdery mildew under control in vineyards, as once your vines are infected and the symptoms are visible, the disease already is in an advance stage of development.
The symptoms are visible on all green parts of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Powdery mildew is the main fungal disease that most grape growers confront every seasons.   The fungus that cause powdery mildew is called Uncinula Necator.</p>
<p>Many grape growers struggled to keep powdery mildew under control in vineyards, as once your vines are infected and the symptoms are visible, the disease already is in an advance stage of development.</p>
<p>The symptoms are visible on <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>all</strong></span> green parts of the grape vine.</p>
<p><strong>On the berries:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">A white powdery substance covers the berries - it looks like a white dust that can be rubbed off.  These &#8220;dust&#8221; particles are the actual spores of the powdery mildew fungus.  Infected berries will have what appears to be a net-like pattern when the &#8220;dust&#8221; is rubbed off with your finger.  They most probably will crack open and dry up.  If the infection takes place early and the fungus disease spreads too fast, it can cause total crop loss!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_0za2BhuSFXo/RqbU56Lg67I/AAAAAAAAALw/u4SwYQvzo0Q/s320/hugh.jpg" alt="" width="320" height="240" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Berries are extremely susceptible from the immediate pre-bloom stage through fruit set.  This is the most critical time to keep powdery mildew under control.  Severe powdery mildew infections on the clusters is usually a result of poor fungus control and canopy management throughout this period.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/powdery%20mildew%20cane.jpg" alt="" width="212" height="60" /></p>
<p>On the canes (in the dormant season), you can see old infections because they will show up as brown areas. As the fungus grows on the grapes and vines and begins to produce spores you will see that the tissue that is infected with have an ash grey powdery look.</p>
<p>On green shoots, the same powdery &#8220;dust&#8221; will be visible.  The fungus will infect the green tissue, and will reduce photosynthesis and overall grape vine vigor.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>On the leaves:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Powdery mildew on the leaves of a grape vine, appear as a white dust on the upper and lower part of the leaves.  With severe infections, discoloration and drying out of the leaves are visible.  No need to say how bad this is for berry size, sugar development and overall growth of the vine!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_0za2BhuSFXo/RqbWAqLg68I/AAAAAAAAAL4/IQhB8RMm0wg/s320/powdery_mildew.JPG" alt="" width="320" height="240" /></p>
<p>I often get emails asking about continuous powdery mildew infections, year after year.  There is only one explanation for this - the fungus spores over-winter on the grape vine and in the following growing season, once the conditions for inoculation is ideal, the infection will start again.  As you can imagine, this is a vicious circle, that will give you many headaches!</p>
<p><strong>What is the ideal conditions for the inoculation?</strong></p>
<p>For the powdery mildew, fungus to develop and spread there needs to be free water (from rain, over-head irrigation and even high humidity) and heat.  Spore cells, or cleistothecia overwinter within cracks in the bark of the vine and when rains of approximately 0.1 inch (10 mm) or more occur in spring, and if temperatures are at least 50 °F (10° C), these spores are released and will infect the nearby leaves, canes and bunches.  The higher the temperature, the more spores will be released.  The optimum temperature is mid 80s ° F or mid 20s ° C and higher is the optimum temperature for high spore release.  When the temperature reach the high 90s (+30&#8217;s ° C), the development or spread of powdery mildew will be restricted.</p>
<p><strong>Controlling Powdery Mildew:</strong></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Chemical control:</span>  With the wide range of fungicides now registered for use on vines, the question arises as to which is best and when is the most appropriate time to apply.  Where powdery mildew control is poor this is usually due to inadequate spray  coverage or the interval between sprays being too long rather than reduced fungicide efficacy. </p>
<p>As said earlier, grape berries are most susceptible to powdery mildew during the period from just before flowering to 4 to 5 weeks after fruit set, and failure to control the disease during this period can result in serious crop loss.  The best control is achieved by applying a fungicide with an active ingredient called strobilurin or DMI fungicides during this period.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Organically:</span>  Controlling Powdery Mildew organically is much harder.  The most important point to remember is that moisture and heat is needed for the fungus to spread. </p>
<p>Maintaining <strong>proper airflow and sunlight penetration</strong> into the vine will ensure a &#8220;drier&#8221; micro climate inside the vine.  Direct contact with sunlight will also kill powdery mildew spores and reduce the chances of crop loss.  This can be achieved with good canopy management (suckering, leave pulling, tying of shoots, removing of water shoots etc. (consult the <a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/dlg/sell.php?prodData=cb,11" target="_blank"><strong>Complete Grape Growing System</strong> </a>for details, it&#8217;s all there!).</p>
<p>I hope this article will help you solve Powdery Mildew problems on your grapes.</p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">Remember:</span></strong>  Maintain a proper canopy, keep your spray applications up to date and be on the look-out for the symptoms I&#8217;ve shown you.</p>
<p>Take care</p>
<p>Danie (The Grape Guy)</p>
<p><a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com">www.my-grape-vine.com</a></p>
<div></div>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Lucida Sans Unicode; color: #ff0000;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Was this helpful.  Now learn how to grow your grape vine the correct way.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/dlg/sell.php?prodData=cb,11" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/getnow.gif" alt="" width="250" height="80" /></span></span></a></span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;">For only $47.95, you get instant access to all the grape growing information you need, PLUS get some bonus videos of how to prune and train a grape vine.  The Complete Grape Growing System is a digital product.  You will not receive any physical products.</p>
<p> </p>
<p></span>
<p>Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/howto+grow+wine+grapes" rel="tag">howto grow wine grapes</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+propagate+grape+vines" rel="tag">how to propagate grape vines</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/aglianico+grape+vines" rel="tag">aglianico grape vines</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+grapes+master+gardener" rel="tag">how to grow grapes master gardener</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/caring+for+grape+vines" rel="tag">caring for grape vines</a></p>
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		<title>Speaking The Grape Vine Language</title>
		<link>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/speaking-the-grape-vine-language/</link>
		<comments>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/speaking-the-grape-vine-language/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:43:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Danie</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/?p=402</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
I often receive question from new grape growers to explain the terminology I use in my articles.  After reading this, I hope you will be able to picture or identify all the different parts of the grape vine.

 
 

 
 
 

Cuttings or grafted cuttings: 
A grape vine cutting, is a small piece of wood (4 to 12 buds in [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
<div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I often receive question from new grape growers to explain the terminology I use in my articles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>After reading this, I hope you will be able to picture or identify all the different parts of the grape vine.</p>
<div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </p>
<p></span></span></span></span></p>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Cuttings or grafted cuttings:</strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A grape vine cutting, is a small piece of wood (4 to 12 buds in length), that was pruned from an existing grape vine, in order to propagate a new grape vine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Cuttings can also be grafted onto what we call rootstock grape varieties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>These varieties a purely bred for this purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">   </span>Some grape varieties are more susceptible to diseases and these rootstock varieties are selected from material that proved to be more resistant to disease found in the soil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Grape growers use certain rootstock when they pH imbalanced soil, too wet soil and even for stronger growth, when the grafted variety has known growing problems.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Taking cuttings from an existing grape vine should be done after winter, just before the first signs of bud swell close to spring.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Cuttings are taken from the shoots that hardened off and lost all of it’s leafs, during winter (which we now call canes).</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">This picture shows grafted cuttings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The graft union, where the rootstock and grafted variety is joined, is clearly visible.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/grafted%20cuttings.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="600" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Shoots and Canes:</strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A shoot is the green, one-year-old, growth from buds on a grape vine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>A shoot normally develops from spurs and canes (later described) that was pruned during the winter.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A shoot that is starting to devlop from a spur.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/shoot-from-spur.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="320" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Sometimes, shoots also develop from two-year and older wood; these shoots are called water shoots and normally do not produce grapes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/watershoot.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="320" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">After harvesting the crop, the grape vine will go dormant as winter comes along and the temperatures start to drop below the point where vegetative growth stops and the grape vine starts to prepare for the cold winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The leafs will fall off, and the green shoot, will gradually become a more woody, brown shoot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>At this stage, we call these shoots canes. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Spurs:</strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A grape vine spur, or also known as a short bearer, is a cane that is pruned during the dormant season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>These spurs are the fruit bearers for coming season, and also to renew the grape vine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>A spur is pruned to 2 buds in length.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Cane bearers:</strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">As with a spur or short bearer, some less fruitful varieties are pruned with cane bearers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>A cane bearer (or cane), is pruned back 8 to 12 buds long and tied to the trellis wires.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/cane.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="320" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Buds (1 on the picture):</strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Are undeveloped shoots, located a shoot or cane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>This is the production area, where new shoots develop and every single bud of a grape vine, is actually three buds combined (composite bud).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/buds.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="320" /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Basilar buds (2 on the picture):</strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A basilar bud, is a bud at the bottom of a spur or cane bearer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>These buds are on old pruning wounds or the frame work of the grape vine and are not counted, when deciding on many buds to leave on a spur or cane.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Canopy:</strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The canopy of a grape vine is simple word for the area where the leaves and the fruit are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The canopy is developed on some kind of trellis system, constructed by the grape grower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Managing the canopy growth is critical and of the utmost importance for ANY grape grower – backyard grape grower and commercial grape grower.  </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">The canopy is where new canes and spurs are pruned in dormant season.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Lateral shoots (laterals):</strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A lateral shoot is a “side shoot”, that develop from a bud on a green shoot, one-year-old shoot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>When training a grape vine, these shoots use nutrients needed for young grape vine to reach the trellis wires, and should be removed according to the training methods I teach.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">On the other hand, once the training shoot reach the trellis wires, these laterals are used to construct the cordon or arms of the grape vine (see next explination).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Once these lateral shoots become during the winter, they are pruned and tied on the trellis wire where the cordons will be developed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">This will form the basic structure from where all pruning will be done in the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>You need to ensure you develop the cordon (arms) the correct way and in the right position to ensure easy pruning and canopy management in the future – REMEMBER, this is extremely important!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/lateral_shoot.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="320" /></p>
<div></div>
<div><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Cordon, structure or the frame work of the grape vine:</strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The arms, or cordons of a grape vine is a two-year and older permanent framework of a grape vine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Spurs and cane bearers are pruned on this framework.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The framework is developed needs to be kept under control, to ensure a proper harvest, and is sometimes pruned back to the main stem of the grape vine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>This is what we call renewal pruning (from a renewal spur, close the stem of the vine).</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/cordon2.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="320" /> </p>
<div></div>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Lucida Sans Unicode; color: #ff0000;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Was this helpful.  Now learn how to grow your grape vine the correct way.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/dlg/sell.php?prodData=cb,11" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/getnow.gif" alt="" width="250" height="80" /></span></span></a></span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;">For only $47.95, you get instant access to all the grape growing information you need, PLUS get some bonus videos of how to prune and train a grape vine.  The Complete Grape Growing System is a digital product.  You will not receive any physical products.</p>
<p></span></p>
<p></span></span></p>
<p></span></div>
<p></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<p>Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/table+grapes+to+grow+at+home" rel="tag">table grapes to grow at home</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+grapes" rel="tag">how to grow grapes</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+start+a+grape+vines" rel="tag">how to start a grape vines</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+valiant+grapes" rel="tag">how to grow valiant grapes</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/grape+vine" rel="tag">grape vine</a></p>
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		<title>Rick&#8217;s Grape Vines</title>
		<link>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/ricks-grape-vines/</link>
		<comments>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/ricks-grape-vines/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2009 05:43:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Danie</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[constructing a grape vine]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[grape vine pruning]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[grape vine training]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[growing grapes]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[how to plant grapes]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[how to prune grapes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/?p=384</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Hi Grape Friends,
I received this email from Rick, a member of the Complete Grape Growing System.  From the email he send me, it seems like he knows what to do - how to start constructing the framework of the grape vines, however he ran into some difficulties along the way.
By the way, Rick&#8217;s grape vines [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div style="text-align: left;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Hi Grape Friends,</p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I received this email from Rick, a member of the <a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com" target="_blank">Complete Grape Growing System</a>.  From the email he send me, it seems like he knows what to do - how to start constructing the framework of the grape vines, however he ran into some difficulties along the way.</p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">By the way, Rick&#8217;s grape vines look great, and it&#8217;s always a pleasure to assist you guys wherever (whenever <img src='http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_neutral.gif' alt=':-|' class='wp-smiley' /> ) I can.</p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">NOTE:  The text in red, are my replies.</span></strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Background info:</span></strong>  I live in _________ , Arizona, USA. We live in a desert and summer temps are extreme. Temps of 110-115 degrees (F) are common in July &amp; August. Our growing season is long lasting from March-November. I just got my first grape plants and I&#8217;m hoping to get &#8220;first year growth&#8221; before night time temps get cold in November.</p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I just got some grape plants and bought your system last week. I&#8217;ve modified an existing arbor to accommodate the grapes. The arbor was built to provide mid-day and afternoon shade. I decided to plant grapes there last minute. The plants I was given are very young and some don&#8217;t appear to be in very good condition. I have a few questions:(since I took these pictures I&#8217;ve pulled the wires tight.)</p>
<p style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/Rick3.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="300" /></p>
<ol>
<li>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The vine (training shoot) had no growing point when I got it. It&#8217;s long enough to reach the first two wires and in the few days since I planted, the buds have begun to sprout. These are going  to be lateral shoots? correct? This is what I want to be happening, correct?</div>
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</ol>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">Rick, that is absolutely correct.  These lateral shoots will one day be the cordon or arms on which you will prune the spurs or canes - depending on what pruning method you will choose. I zoomed in on the picture (below), to show you guys what Rick was referring to.  See those small leafs, they will develop into shoots that must be trained on the horizontal trellis wires.</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/Rick3_1.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="573" /></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I&#8217;m hoping to get lateral shoots to grow out in the next 8 weeks before temps fall. Do you think I&#8217;m too late in the season?</p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">No, I don&#8217;t think so.  Since your growing season will be over in November, much growth can still be expected - if you stick to the methods I show in the </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">Grape Growing System.</span></strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">2. The training shoot in the photo (below) had a nice growing point and had added two inches in just a couple days. This morning it was damaged. Will this give me any lateral shoots this season? Or will I have to prune this back in winter and begin again next spring?</p>
<p style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/Rick2.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="300" /> </p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">Yes.  See where the red arrow is; this tiny shoot that is developing here, can be used as a new growing point to train your grape vine to the trellis wires.  New lateral shoots below this point will also develop, and can either be removed or used for developing a cordon on the pipe - if that is what you want to do.  Personally I think it is too close to the ground to develop arm here.</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/Rick1.JPG" alt="" width="400" height="300" /> </p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">3. Photo shows a nice training shoot with good growing point that has added 2+ inches in the few days since I planted it. The first two wires are 8 &amp; 16 inches above the bar. Should I let it grow taller or pinch off the growing point and hope to develop a few lateral shoots in the next 8 weeks?</p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">Rick, as shown in the Complete Grape Growing System, you will have to let the vine grow pass the top wire and then remove the growing point, so lateral shoots can develop.  These lateral shoots will be used to cover the trellis wires.</span></strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Thanks for any info/advice you can give me.</p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I&#8217;ve spent hours reading and re-reading your e-book this past week and I&#8217;m really excited to begin my little vineyard.</p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Rick</p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">Thanks Rick for sharing your pictures with us.  If there are any questions, feel free to post a comment on this blog post.</span></strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">Take care everyone</span></strong></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">Danie</span></strong></p>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Lucida Sans Unicode; color: #ff0000;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Did you find this tips useful?  The Complete Grape Growing System has many more!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/dlg/sell.php?prodData=cb,11" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/getnow.gif" alt="" width="250" height="80" /></span></span></a></span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: center;">For only $47.95, you get instant access to all the grape growing information you need, PLUS get some bonus videos of how to prune and train a grape vine.  The Complete Grape Growing System is a digital product.  You will not receive any physical products.</p>
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<p>Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+grapes" rel="tag">how to grow grapes</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/grape+vines+for+sale" rel="tag">grape vines for sale</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+seedless+grapes" rel="tag">how to grow seedless grapes</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/best+grapes+to+grow+in+eastern+ky" rel="tag">best grapes to grow in eastern ky</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/grape+growing" rel="tag">grape growing</a></p>
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		<title>Protecting Young Grape Vines From Weed-killers</title>
		<link>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/protecting-young-grape-vines-from-weed-killers/</link>
		<comments>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/protecting-young-grape-vines-from-weed-killers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:51:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Danie</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/?p=381</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With this article, I want to show you how you can protect your young grape vines, while spraying weed-killer.
But before we move on:

Remember that weed-killer can be harmful.
Take note of what weed-killer you use, (contact or systematic)
Use properly maintained and calibrated spray equipment
Read the instructions on the container label,
Ensure that you will not contaminate primary [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>With this article, I want to show you how you can protect your young grape vines, while spraying weed-killer.</p>
<p>But before we move on:</p>
<ul>
<li>Remember that weed-killer can be harmful.</li>
<li>Take note of what weed-killer you use, (contact or systematic)</li>
<li>Use properly maintained and calibrated spray equipment</li>
<li><strong>Read the instructions on the container label</strong>,</li>
<li>Ensure that you will not contaminate primary water and food sources</li>
<li>Use protective clothing.</li>
</ul>
<p>With that said &#8230;</p>
<p>Weeds are the number one enemy for any young grape vine and we all know that, taking care of unwanted weeds in a newly planted vineyard, can be headache. </p>
<p>If you allow the young grape vine to come in contact with the weed-killer you spray, it will also die or get badly damaged.  The fact remains; we still need to control weeds in newly planted vineyards- period! </p>
<p>Easier said than done, isn&#8217;t it!</p>
<p>However, there are a few tricks I will show you how to protect your grape vines while spraying weed-killer.</p>
<p>The first and probably the most important thing to remember, is to kill the weeds <strong>before</strong> you plant your grape vines.  This will ensure that for the first couple of weeks, your vineyard and young grape vines, will grow without competition for food and water.</p>
<p>However; as the growing season progress, the weeds will start to grow again and this is where the problems start.  With your new vines well established, you cannot simply go out and spray weed-killer again; you need to protect the young grape vines first.</p>
<p>If you grow grapes on small scale, you can simply protect the vines by covering it with a plastic carry-bag, while you spray the weed-killer.  Ensure that the outside of the bag (the area where the weed-killer came in contact with the bag), never touch the vegetative growth of the young grape vine.</p>
<p>The problem starts when you grow grapes on a larger scale.  It is simply impossible to cover every single grape vine with a bag, unless you have the these:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/trunk0.jpg" alt="" width="388" height="435" /> </p>
<p>These are called trunk protecting tubes.  Normal growing tubes can also be used, but I personally don&#8217;t fancy the use of growing tubes, especially if you are going to leave them on the grape vines.  In our climate, I found that the micro-climate inside the tube, often gets too hot or humid and may damage the foliage or could lead to unwanted diseases.</p>
<p>Once the grape vines are planted and pruned back as described in the <a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com" target="_blank"><strong>Complete Grape Growing System</strong></a>, you simply cut a tube of about 500 to 700mm in length.  Fold the tube into a small circle, that will go around the cutting.  When placing the tube over the cutting, ensure not to damage any buds and new shoots that may have developed from the cutting. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/trunk3.jpg" alt="" width="472" height="406" /></p>
<p>After you have placed the tubes at the base of the cutting, you can tie your training strings to the bottom trellis wire.</p>
<p>When it is time for the weed-killer application, later on in the season, you simply unfold or extract the tube to it&#8217;s full length.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/trunk1.jpg" alt="" width="348" height="438" /></p>
<p>Once the spray application is complete, you need to wait a few hours for the weed-killer to dry off, and then again you fold down the tube into a circle and again place it at the base of the cutting.</p>
<p>You can also use plastic covers to keep the weeds away from the cuttings, but I will discuss this in more detail in another blog post.</p>
<p>Neat little trick, isn&#8217;t it?</p>
<p>Take care, and happy grape growing&#8230;</p>
<p>Danie</p>
<p><a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com">www.my-grape-vine.com</a></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></p>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Lucida Sans Unicode; color: #ff0000;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Did you like this tip?  The Complete Grape Growing System has many more!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/dlg/sell.php?prodData=cb,11" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/getnow.gif" alt="" width="250" height="80" /></span></a></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<p> </p>
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<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">For only $47.95, you get instant access to all the grape growing information you need, PLUS get some bonus videos of how to prune and train a grape vine.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The Complete Grape Growing System is a digital product.  You will not receive any physical products.</p>
<p>Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/pruning+grape+vines" rel="tag">pruning grape vines</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+grapes+in+florida" rel="tag">how to grow grapes in florida</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/care+for+grape+vines" rel="tag">care for grape vines</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/grape+vines+for+sale" rel="tag">grape vines for sale</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+make+grapes+grow+better" rel="tag">how to make grapes grow better</a></p>
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		<title>Will pruning a grape vine earlier, advance bud break?</title>
		<link>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/will-pruning-a-grape-vine-earlier-advance-bud-bread/</link>
		<comments>http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/will-pruning-a-grape-vine-earlier-advance-bud-bread/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:34:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Danie</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.my-grape-vine.com/blog/?p=377</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Being working online and offline with thousands of vineyard owners from all over the world, the past four years, I know that this question still remains a mystery.  Well, I&#8217;m about to show you proof that early pruning will for sure influence the time of bud break.
During the past dormant season, we started pruning before [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;">Being working online and offline with thousands of vineyard owners from all over the world, the past four years, I know that this question still remains a mystery.  Well, I&#8217;m about to show you proof that early pruning will for sure influence the time of bud break.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">During the past dormant season, we started pruning before my staff took their annual vacation.  We stopped pruning one of my Flame Seedless vineyards, halfway through the vineyard, when it was time for them to take their vacation.  After two weeks, we came back and pruned the rest of the vineyard, as well as the rest of my farm.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Now from the pictures below, you can clearly see that the grape vines in the section we pruned two weeks earlier, have develop more leaves and that the shoot length is much longer.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/earlier%20pruning1.jpg" alt="" width="448" height="307" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/earlier%20pruning2.jpg" alt="" width="441" height="321" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Why? </p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The buds at the tip of the canes come out of dormancy first.  This is the point where all the enzymes are transported to, as the sap flow in the vine increase.  Obviously, if there are less buds on the cane, more enzymes are available per bud and therefore, the buds will break earlier.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> Early pruning will not necessarily advance the harvest date.  The later vines will catch up, as the season progress, but one thing is for sure; it absolutely does advance bud break.  This is extremely important to know, if you live in a climate where early spring frost is a problem.  If you prune your grape vine too early, your grape vines will break bud too early and will increase the chance of frost damage. </p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Now the question remains: &#8220;When is the best time to prune a grape vine?&#8221;  A rule of thumb is, to prune just before natural bud break, but this isn&#8217;t always feasible if you have acres of grape vines.   You need to know when bud break occurs in each of the vineyards or on each of your grape vines.  Each year, write down the dates of bud break, as this will give you more or less an idea of when you can expect it next year.  Although the annual climate, snowfall, rain and so on, will influence the actual date of bud break, it will give you more or less an idea of when this will happen.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">On the other hand, pruning too late, also has it disadvantages.  If you start pruning too late (after bud bread), you will damage the cracked buds, and new shoots that developed.  If you damage the bud, the secondary bud will have to break to reveal a new shoot, and this will influence your crop size. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/bud%20break.jpg" alt="" width="445" height="281" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Remember; after pruning, the canes are twisted and secured around the trellis wires.  If there are small shoots and cracked buds on this cane, you will damage them, no matter how careful you work.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">To sum up this article:</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Early pruning does advance bud break, but not necessarily harvest date</li>
<li>Do not prune too early if your location is known for heavy spring frost</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Write down the dates of bud break so you will know when to expect it</li>
<li>Do not prune too late as well, as the chances of you damaging the buds and shoots is much higher.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: left;">Know you vineyard, know your climate and you will know when to prune.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Good luck and hopefully this article shed some light on the correct pruning date for your vineyard.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Danie</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/">www.my-grape-vine.com</a> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;"></div>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></p>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Lucida Sans Unicode; color: #ff0000;">Pruning your grape vine is one of the most important aspects of growing a grape vine the correct way.  Learn how, with the Complete Grape Growing System.</span></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/dlg/sell.php?prodData=cb,11" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.my-grape-vine.com/images/getnow.gif" alt="" width="250" height="80" /></span></a></span></span></span></span></span></h4>
<p> </p>
<p></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">For only $47.95, you get instant access to all the grape growing information you need, PLUS get some bonus videos of how to prune and train a grape vine.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The Complete Grape Growing System is a digital product.  You will not receive any physical products.</p>
<p>Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/caring+for+grape+vines" rel="tag">caring for grape vines</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+plant+grape+vines" rel="tag">how to plant grape vines</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/grape+vines+for+sale" rel="tag">grape vines for sale</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+grow+concord+grapes" rel="tag">how to grow concord grapes</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how+to+propagate+grape+vines" rel="tag">how to propagate grape vines</a></p>
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