Observations

New pictures are on the way. I havent had time this week to upload the pictures we took this past weekend, August 9, 2008.

What we accomplished last Saturday was to install PVC pipe underground that connects the four drip lines so that all can be watered at once. Before we had to hook up the hose to each row individually and water 4 times as long.

We also put down wet newspaper along the cab franc rows in an effort to kill the grass that is growing. We topped the wet newspaper with manure. We suspect that the cab franc rows are fighting a losing battle with the several large oak trees nearby for water and nutrients. Their growth is less vigorous than the vidal, which are further away. Killing the grass underneath the trellis will remove some of the competition from the vine roots and the manure will give them a nutrient boost.

The vidal blanc vines look very healthy. They are almost uniform in their growth with a few exceptions. The cab franc are more spotty. Some look great and others look abysmal. A few cab franc are so pathetic that we may just cut the growth off this winter and let them start over.

We have made two fungicide applications. The first was the stylet oil and mancozeb. The second was agri-fos and stylet oil. So far the new growth looks healthy and free of disease. Hopefully the fungicides will keep it that way.

A few japanese beetles are still flying around and chewing on the leaves. We haven't sprayed sevin in a few weeks and probably wont for the rest of the year. The few beetles that do show up can be taken off by hand and squashed. It will be interesting to see if there are less next year b/c of the milky spore applied in the past.