Agreed. While vine stress is good for wine grapes, it can’t be overly stressed or it will die, or freak out like some Kosta Browne vines which I have heard have started budbreak already. No rain, warm daytime temperatures, and near-freezing nighttime temperatures, with no water. I can imagine the vines THINK it might be summer, sort of, and it’s time to fruit.
It has been my assumption that while vines are dormant, they are not taking water up from the roots. I could be incorrect on this, but it has been my assumption.
Even though we have seen extremely warm temperatures day after day here, our night time temperatures have been sub-30 each overnight. There is no sign - at least least my ranch - of budbreak or anything close to it.
In a typical year, my vines will see their first drip irrigation during fertigation (organic fish emulsion) - by early May. Then if the soil is sufficiently moist, I won’t irrigate again (or fertigate again) until 30 plus days after berry set. Last year that was early! It has never been a consideration to irrigate in January, or to add water to the soil in the vineyard in any way. Many vineyards around here never, ever irrigate, but of course the soil these vines are planted in do expect some moisture to be delivered naturally during the course of the year, and this year (so far) they are not getting it.
Yikes, I must be a Kosta Browne vine too because I’m freaking out too! ![[swoon.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/f425e8dac3e7344bee264da02e55428971be23a9.gif "swoon"){kind=small}
Merrill, as a grape grower, I would think you would research this - especially this year!
Oh hi, Rick - good to see you over here on this thread. Rick, I do grow grapes, but I am not a trained farmer. I also created my own wine label after never working for another winery. I have grown my business, I enjoy it, and am up front and honest about what I know and don’t know. There are no partners and no Board of Directors - for better or for worse!
I do know what I do, what I like to do, and pretty well how my property works. I know I have a good crop, year after year. I have never seen a year like this - a winter like this - in the 14 years I have owned this tiny, but very beautiful, piece of property. If there is no water naturally occurring on my property, I will deal with that. There is a point at which the cost of purchasing water will outweigh the benefits. IF…IF… there is water available for purchase. At the end of the 2013 growing season (which was real and spectacular ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
),water deliveries became very limited and expensive. There may be a point, and perhaps early on this year, that purchased water is not a viable option.
So, I could have saved a lot of words here. I could have said, “It is what it is.” I am not new at this, and I know the parameters. I don’t know everything, but I know what I need to know to make decisions that are pertinent to my property and my business.
I hope that addresses your question.
Could be they are trying to fill the zone. Could be they are trying to get the cover crop to grow to protect the zone from water sucking winds but then you have the crop sucking water. Rock and hard place. I know that if it doesn’t rain the first week of February we are going to fill the zone. Fingers crossed.
Merrill - I do not think that mid-winter irrigation is an obvious thing to do but is required in some locations in drought years. The following is a UC newsletter that discusses winter irrigation in drought areas of central valley. Starts on p1 and skips to p6-7…http://ucanr.edu/sites/viticulture-fresno/files/157426.pdf . Wish I could ship some of my moisture westward to help out. This year our moisture cycles in New England have been more frequent than recent years…Cheers, Gary
Thanks Gary and Evan…I think much of this stuff is not clear just due to the fact that we don’t typically have to deal with drought in January and February here in Napa.
And for those following along, my reference to “real and spectacular” was a nod to one of my favorite Seinfeld shows…the one where Elaine “confronts” Jerry’s new girlfriend in the gym locker room. Hey, we gotta have some fun around here ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
.
I’m with Merrill, don’t know everything. Each year brings different trials and tribulations.
Mid-winter is the problem. The vines don’t think it is mid-winter. If they fully wake up, and it looks like they are doing so, it will be a big problem to not have any water in the zone. Probably worse than having no water later in the year. Another big issue that I have not heard much about is the pruning during drought. It is a huge no-no for tree pruning(big cuts) and I’d imagine from talking to my vineyard manager it is a big no-no for the vines too as pruning can weaken a drought stricken vine when it is waking up. We watered some 2 weeks before pruning. Another manager I know said he was going to fill the zone early February as this storm is just not going to bring enough moisture. Ah, farming…
If I’m high with these assumptions, please correct me as it would be nice to leave the water in the well.
I have not pruned yet, and have no date in mind. I have heard that the dryness of the wood can cause some issues - again, we don’t know everything. I listen to everything, though.
There is plenty of pruning going on in Napa Valley - and I think more double-pruning (first cuts taken) than in the past couple of years. Vineyards with dozens or hundreds of acres have to start in January or else they won’t get to everything. I have the luxury of being so small that we can get it done in a day. So I am going to wait and see what is going to happen. And continue to pray for rain.
I’m still pruning like we’re not in a drought, but I’m expecting to go back and greatly reduce bud counts on some vines if things don’t change. We planted that 13 acre pinot field last year. I just hope to keep those vines alive and not even thinking about getting them up the stake now. Farmers are probably going to do a bunch of ‘outside-the-box’ techniques this season as we all encounter historic challenges. This is gonna suck.
Yeah Casey, I’m just hoping to keep the replants alive rather than hoping they get on the wire.
Fingers crossed… Storm forecast for next weekend. Line 'em up and send them through.
Ouch. I thought you were referring to a 12 month period. I guess things can get a lot worse than '24 or '77 around these parts.
I found more ‘cracked’ buds on unpruned vines. My crew going to 9 hour days starting tomorrow.
Today’s update from the NWS. Sounds like a significant improvement in terms of keeping things cooler and cloudier, but not much help with precip. Still, less sun and cooler air means less evaporation of what rain does fall.
THE PERSISTENT WEST COAST RIDGE STAYS IN PLACE THROUGH MIDWEEK
BEFORE BREAKING DOWN ALLOWING A SHORT WAVE THROUGH THE AREA. THE
BEST CHANCES OF RAIN THIS WEEK ARE WITH A STORM WEDNESDAY NIGHT
INTO THURSDAY. UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS STILL SOME INCONSISTENCY
BETWEEN MODELS WITH THIS STORM. THE LAST THREE RUNS OF THE NAM
KEEP THE AREA ALMOST ENTIRELY DRY FORCED BY STRONG COLD AIR
ADVECTION. GFS ECMWF AND GEM MODELS ARE SLOWER TO BRING THE COLD
AIR SOUTH HOWEVER AND THE THREE AGREE ON THERE BEING AT LEAST
SOME RAIN.
ANOTHER IMPULSE MOVES THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY WITH
LINGERING SHOWERS POSSIBLE INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. STORM TOTAL PRECIP IS
HIGHEST IN THE COASTAL MOUNTAINS OF THE NORTH BAY WHICH COULD SEE
UP TO 0.75 INCHES WHILE ACROSS THE SF BAY 0.10 TO 0.25 INCHES IS
EXPECTED AND UP TO 0.10 INCHES SOUTH OF THE SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS.
ALONG WITH POSSIBLE RAIN CLOUD COVER WILL MARKEDLY
INCREASE…WHICH ALONG WITH A COOLER AIRMASS WILL BRING DAYTIME
HIGHS BACK DOWN TO NEAR NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.
AS THE SECOND IMPULSE MOVES OUT OF THE AREA A CUT OFF LOW WILL
MOVE SOUTHEAST ALONG THE COAST JUST MISSING THE FORECAST AREA. AT THIS
TIME ANY PRECIPITATION LOOKS TO STAY OFFSHORE HOWEVER THIS TROUGH WILL
KEEP TEMPERATURES COOL. FURTHER AHEAD INTO NEXT WEEK MODELS AGREE
ON A RIDGE BUILDING OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC WHICH LEAVES THE
COAST UNDER A POSSIBLE TROUGH. THIS IS POTENTIALLY GOOD NEWS FOR
NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THE NAEFS MEAN BUILDS THE OCEANIC RIDGE
NORTH THROUGH ALASKA INTO THE ARCTIC HOWEVER POSSIBLY CREATING A
BLOCK UNLESS SOME UNDERCUTTING DEVELOPS. CPC OUTLOOK FOR WEEK TWO
REMAINS BELOW NORMAL.
Yesterday around 8:00 pm we had a few raindrops after a cloudy day. My daughter and I were just coming in from dinner, and we both felt it. But alas, nothing of substance. Still praying for rain and, although we are always very aware of water consumption at my place, we are really watching it these days.
.08 of rain in the past 24 hrs. Sh!t, it can’t even rain good this year!
Since the 2013-14 rain season began (July 31, I believe), we’ve had barely 10% (and dropping) of our normal precip for this date. Even in the two record drought years in Cali, 1924 and 1977, rainfall was eventually about 40% of normal. History suggests that things have to pick up, but all my weather gurus say that there’s no real change on the horizon. Is it possible that two drought records can be surpassed by such an overwhelming margin? I’m thinking no, but time is in fact running out.
FTR the rain season is from July 1 to June 30th.