The season is well under way and the project is keeping us busy. At the beginning of June two interns from Cornell University came down to help in our research vineyard as well as with the maintenance and data taking in the under trellising cover project. Matt Gura and Drew Harner will be helping us through August.

We added three more under trellis sites this summer. One at Palmer, Old Field and Duck Walk Vineyards. Palmer and Duck Walk seeded clover under the trellis and Old Field seeded a low growing fescue mix. We will also be adding a fourth site in the fall at Shinn Estate. We want to see how germination rate and establishment are influenced by a fall seeding. The thought is that establishment of ground covers will be better in the fall when it is cooler, weeds are not actively growing and there is typically more rainfall.

Duck Walk clover just germinating in the Chardonnay on the left and Palmer clover in Syrah on the right.

Quick shot prepping the site for seeding at Old Field. The grass has since germinated so I will have photos up soon of that. 

 

We also have several sites that have since expanded their plantings of under trellis cover this year so I will describe some of those situations in future blog posts.