Near 70 today and tomorrow. Migratory songbirds are returning and filling the morning air. The mountains are showing some pink softness as tree buds swell. Great tying week.
You afraid of a little bit of freeze damage from the low temps on Tuesday night, since the plants are starting to awaken?
No fears. Plants are quite dormant. Buds are tight. For any possible damage to occur, temps would need to drop into the single digits.
For the last 24 hours we experienced very high winds, upwards to 60 mph. Here’s what happens when someone ignores the law and common sense. This is about a mile south of our farm. It’s burned 1000 acres so far, both private and in Shenandoah National Park.
Fires are still burning, up to 3,000 acres now. Thankfully, 3 to 5 inches of sleet/snow predicted for tonight. Trying to stay focused on pruning and tying while smelling smoke all day long.
Ahhh! the fun of Eastern viticulture! On Friday, February 18, a record high of 73 F and on Saturday wind gusts up to 58 mph. Sustained winds of 40 mph. Monday night we received 4.5 inches of snow and this morning a record low of 5 F in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. No smoke taint though like Jeff in Virginia.
70’s yesterday brought spring peepers out during the evening, twelve days ahead of last year. 32 degrees over night and highs only reaching into the upper 40’s today should quiet them.
Yesterday 60’s and hard blowing rain all day, 2 inches worth. Then temperatures dropped, followed by freezing rain, sleet and finally 4 inches of snow over night. Bitter cold this morning, 25. The battle between winter and spring has commenced. Good day for labeling bottles.
Beautiful weather weekend for tying down canes. Sunny and 50’s. Everything is pruned now and out of 14.5 acres we have 4.7 still to tie. Buds are all quite tight but a little sap is starting to drip.
The ground is soft and muddy in places without ground cover. Compaction would easily happen right now with heavy equipment. Cycles of rain and sun as we approach Spring along Long Island Sound. Having difficulty finishing a tiling project for a test vineyard started at beginning of winter. Will probably get out there this week to finish it in the mud. Croccus are out now and my garlic is pushing up. Also noted the change in the bird population as migration is starting.
Well it’s calm here today after yesterdays internet storm that hit Virginia. Lower 40’s over night with temps climbing into the upper 60’s today and 70’s tomorrow. Buds are still tight, thank you very much. 3.5 acres still to tie.
Well the last day of Winter was a nice Spring day in the 60s and the first Spring day was like an early Winter day in the 20s. Now we have 3 inches of snow along Long Island Sound to remind us of it ain’t over til its over.
All pruned and tied. Now it’s a waiting game and finding other farm work for my crew until budbreak. Near 80 yesterday but 60’s to 70’s the rest of this week and 40’s at night. Buds are still tight with just a little swelling in the merlot and cabernet franc. Looking like a normal to slightly late start this year. Some replanting this week while we wait.
After a dry winter, spring also is seemingly going to be a dry one. Most forecasted systems break up as they move over the Alleghenies to our west and then either travel north or south of here. 100% chance today but only a tenth to a quarter inch is expected. But of course, all this could and probably will change.
Mid 80’s yesterday got things advancing. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Manseng all have swelled, showing a little pink and a few furled tiny leaves at the end of some canes. Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot still hard and tight. Saw just a little cutworm and flea beetle damage, not enough to warrant anything more than continued monitoring for right now. We pick off the cutworms at night instead of spraying. Some rain today and cooler, 60’s. The rest of the week also to be cooler, 60’s and 70’s. Not much will happen at those temps, except maybe more cutworms emerging and feeding. ![[head-bang.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/b1cd199e4b2b2988b5107c3c9598fd28dc92a776.gif "[head-bang.gif]"){kind=small}
Wicked storms here on Saturday. Rain, wind and hail. Luckily the hail storm wasn’t here, I drove through it about a mile from our farm. Not sure about the amount of rain, but creeks were way out of their banks and water was rolling off the surrounding mountains anywhere it could. Fences were destroyed and roads and bridges were blocked for several hours.
Our young, 2008, planting of Cabernet Franc has leafed out. Merlot not too far behind. Everything else has swelled and is about to burst open. Got the moisture, all we need is some heat. 70’s today and tomorrow then back down into the 60’s for the rest of this week.
Our house has a great view west over Charlottesville all the way to the mountains. Saturday was by far the scariest weather system I’ve seen in the 7 years we’ve been here. Before the tornado warnings, the clouds over our house were moving north really fast, while everything to the west over Crozet was almost perfectly still. It was like an episode of Storm Chasers. Fortunately for us the cells were moving north instead of east, because I was seriously contemplating bunkering in. Insane damage in NC, and the one touchdown in the Valley dropped a mile from family.
Event filled last evening. Performed a control burn on a 10 acre native warm season grass field, then up in the vineyards at 1 am to pick climbing cutworms off 4 acres of vines. Collected a couple hundred. With the exception of Cabernet Sauvignon, everything is now out about an inch or two. Cab will be out early next week. Also, one wild turkey now rests quietly in my freezer.
So far so good. Everything is out and shoot thinning starts today in our youngest planting of Cabernet Franc. Another round of violent storms coming through tonight.
Jeff- Are the cutworms a yearly problem for you? Are they easy to miss when they’re on the vines? Is 200 a high or low number for you? …Gary