Trim last years growth
Our vines are cordon/spur pruned leaving 2 buds per spur and about 40 buds
per vine.
January
- February
First Swell
Sap is starting to flow and the
buds have a fuzzy look called woolybud. New vines are planted if needed.
Late
March - April
Bud Burst
Watching for frost damage until
April 15th. Chardonnay is usually first to pop out in early April.
April
First Leaf
Growth speeds as temperatures
rise. Shoots are easy to knock off accidentally in this stage.
April-May
Fourth Leaf
Massive vegetative growth.
Time to trim suckers and unwanted growth from the trunk.
May
Flowering
Usually 6-8 weeks after budbreak
when shoots have 15 leaves.
May - June
Summer
Pruning
Leaf
plucking to remove leaves from
around the fruit.
This promotes better flavors in the fruit. Shoot thinning and positioning to
orient the shoots for best sunlight and air flow. A properly arranged canopy
is less susceptible to disease.
June-July
Berry Development
Shoot growth slows and berries
take shape.
June-July
Ripening
Hard berries start to take on
color and begin Véraison or rapid ripening. Berries increase in
size and begin to soften. Good time to hedge the vines if they grow
beyond 15 leaves or create lateral shoots. Crop yield is estimated and
a 'green harvest' may be done to remove the excess fruit.
July-August
Harvest
Fruit is examined daily to
monitor flavor changes, increases in sugar levels and decreases in acidity.
The optimal timeframe for harvest is usually only 3 or 4 days long.
Late August - September
Entering Dormancy
Photoperiodism is the mechanism
that plants use to regulate their life processes. After the Summer Solstice
(Sept. 22) the daylight hours shorten and it is a signal for the plant to
begin senescence - a term for the process that leads to leaf aging, trunks thickening and
vines changing their metabolism rates for winter.
October
Fall colors appear as the vines
prepare for winter.
Dormant
Very little activity. In
preparation for dormancy the
vines have dried out their leaves and
produced sugars and amino acids, which act as antifreeze.
Time to work on trellis, deer
fencing and machinery.
