By Andrew Ritchie
This season has presented grape growers with plenty of new and unfamiliar challenges says the owner of the viticultural contracting company, Practical Vineyard Solutions, Brian Wells.
“After the unusually wet spring, vines have produced an enormous amount of foliage, which has presented a few problems. Because of the shortage of vineyard workers, they have been unable to cope with wire lifting in a timely fashion. Some vines have had only one or two lifts.”
Anyone who has ever lifted vineyard foliage with wires knows that the longer it is left, the heavier the job. Brian has seen up to four workers per bay lifting wires onto the top clip. The excess foliage has meant that leaf trimming has been a very slow operation, so exacerbating the problem.
Vine health has been largely excellent, with the usual problem of keeping powdery mildew at bay. Brian says this can be achieved by using effective chemistry, a maximum of 10-day intervals and travelling slowly, and hopefully neighbours following the same practices. Regular leaf and petiole tests are essential to monitor vine health, and he has found regular applications of seaweed fertiliser a means of keeping the leaves shiny and healthy.
Pests can be kept at bay by providing an abundance of alternative and attractive food between the rows, as an alternative to the vine canopy. Mealybug particularly prefer to be on the ground amongst clover plants. The supply of chemicals has been a problem this season.
Blair Mclean of PGG Wrightson, says some lines have run out, but in most cases alternative products have been found. Previously the company has ordered product three months in advance, but now it is necessary to place orders six months ahead of delivery.
He is encouraging winery managers to order well in advance of their usual delivery time to guarantee supply. Shortage of supply of product can be put down to some Chinese factories being shut down due to Covid amongst the workers. The cost of chemicals has increased with each shipment, and Blair puts this down to the shortage of containers and price gouging by some of the manufacturers. On the positive side, prices for sauvignon blanc are being quoted in excess of $2800/tonne for this season and yields are projected to be well ahead of last year, so overcoming all the challenges of the year will not be in vain.
