Took some photos at Bedell Cellars the other day. They planted no mow and no mow with red clover under the trellis in an acre of Merlot. Here is a photo of the clover just starting to germinate (still very tiny).

I also stopped at Mattebella Vineyards because their newest planting of no mow is just starting to fill in. They will have their whole vineyard seeded with under trellis cover by the fall of 2012.

Went to Martha Clara yesterday to measure shoots in the trial. Shoot growth is one measurement we take to help us gauge if the ground covers are influencing vine growth. We will measure shoots up until they are hedged which is usually 3 times altogether. While we were there I shot a few photos. After all this rain (2.5inches last week) the clover is enormous. We also have some interlopers (weeds) in the plots so will have to trim them back since they are starting to grow up into the fruiting zone. We had hoped the ground covers would outcompete the weeds but I guess there are always a few escapees. We will have to keep an eye on this.

Weeds in the trial -

Very large clover -

"No mow"

On May 10, 2012, we (the CCE-SC Grape Program) hosted an Adobe Connect meeting ‘Innovative Under Vine Management Strategies.’ For those unfamiliar with this format, it is a way to broadcast presentations to a wide audience for minimal cost. The speaker’s powerpoint presentations are posted to a website. We, as the hosts of the meeting, design and organize the meeting website. Then registrants log onto the website at the designated time. The technology allows the speakers to be heard clearly by all – we had registrants in 21 states and 3 countries. Our speakers and their topics:

Dr. Tony Wolf, Virginia Tech

Intrarow cover crops and other practices to favorably alter vine growth and canopy architecture

The presentation will focus on research and grower experience using intrarow or under-trellis cover crops to (a) reduce soil erosion and to (b) suppress vegetative growth of vigorous grapevines under conditions of excess soil moisture. The discussion will also describe how canopy architecture is favorably altered by such treatments which can have a bearing on fruit composition and wine quality attributes such as color density, but also on pest management.

Dr. Ian Merwin, Cornell University

Vineyard Floor Management and Soil Health

Different systems for managing vineyard soils and ground-cover vegetation influence soil fertility and functionality, soil water retention and release, soil biological activity, vine nutrition, vigor and berry composition, and the natural environment around vineyards and wineries. This presentation will describe some long-term effects of mulches, legume ground-covers, mechanical tillage, and different herbicides on important soil attributes that are often called ‘soil health’. In addition, research on pesticide contamination of soils and surface water around vineyards will be reviewed, and suggestions will be made on ground-cover management systems that promote vine and soil health.

To view a recording of these talks go to http://breeze.cce.cornell.edu/p23i2w5lx87