How are everyone's vines?

[calumscott]

I completely forgot to prune mine during the "proper" winter and as it was showing no signs during that mega cold snap we had at the end of March I thought I'd best do it...

...I wondered if I'd done it damage but no, over the last week and a half the cut ends "bled" and buds have formed and leaves are now evident.

How are everyone else's coming on this year? Is this really late?

 

[evanvine]

Pruned mine on the 4th of February.
My buds started coming into leaf on the 25th of April, expecting flower buds forming any day soon.

 

[screamlead]

Pruned mine nov last year then again feb, main vines now flowering. A red cutting i planted in a pot 2 years back produced a small crop last year but is going for it big time this year and now flowering too - possibly get 5ltr from it.
Had a bad cold snap over winter which almost wiped out my limes,elderberry and blackthorn - they froze in their pots so pruned them all back taking all the dead stuff off and once it started warming up i gave the lot of them a good dose of epsom salts and watered it in to the pots. All now looking very healthy and sprouting like mad. :


PS just about to take off a shed load of leaves to do a Vine leaf wine too - turns out great from the last ones i did too. :thumb:

 

[evanvine]

Just checked my vines......flower buds are forming!

 

[calumscott]

Do the flower buds look different to the leaf ones then?

 

[evanvine]

Do the flower buds look different to the leaf ones then?

Yes, they look like miniature bunches of grapes.

 

[calumscott]

Well I'm off for a look after the next stir of the mash!

 

[evanvine]

just about to take off a shed load of leaves

Don't take too many, it's the leaves that put the sugar into the grapes!

 

[tonyhibbett]

All my established and new vines are up and away, but the transplanted mature ones don't look too enthusiastic. Hopefully all the activity is in the roots. Lack of rain is not helpful. Generally, everything is about 3 weeks later than average, so unless there is an Indian summer, prospects of a good harvest are not great.

 

[evanvine]

Generally, everything is about 3 weeks later than average, so unless there is an Indian summer, prospects of a good harvest are not great.

I agree with the 3 weeks delay, but maybe not all is lost, events seem to be occurring in a shorter space of time.
Bud swell to bud burst took about 3/4 of the normal time and bud burst to flower bud only took 1/3 of the time.
We have until Oct/Nov.

 

[screamlead]

just about to take off a shed load of leaves

Don't take too many, it's the leaves that put the sugar into the grapes!

Not too sure about that Jim, out here once the fruit has set - ie after flowering we tend to use the bigger leaves - me for wines and the turks use them in those rolled dolma stuffed vine leaf things. Also dont take too many anyway but mine does reach up three floors to my roof terrace too.Then once the grapes are about the size of peas we tend to cut all the sprouting shoots off too to enable the vine to use its nutrients and energy into the grapes and not the plant. Not had a problem with sweetness either.
MIne get quite a lot of water too as theres a water ditch running right past one of my vines so its constantly being watered or able to suck it up from now until end October when turned back off and i tend to redirect into the garden too.
Mine tend to be ready mid to end of september but it does vary from area to area here even locally. About 30km away there grapes are ready even in june. :wha:

 

[evanvine]

Not too sure about that Jim

Dave, it was something I read in one of my viniculture books!
I also stop my vines at 4ft as they are in my greenhouse.

 

[screamlead]

You would need to in UK Jim as you dont get the weather we do here - already in the 40+c bracket and only may. My two main white vines are both over 8-10m and i get around 2-300kg from them. My red is in a large planter grown from cuttings 2 years ago not quite 6 foot yet but looking like i will get around 5 kg from them easy this year. These will be planted out end of season at the back of my villa and trained up to my 'back' roof terrace eventually.
All the turks have carport style trellises to which they all train their vines for shade more than anything else then they make 'Pekmez' which is like mollases - boiled down grape juice to which they use in cooking or selling - no good for wines as its too dark apart from sherry style.

 

[tonyhibbett]

Flower buds forming in Notts already! Are they under glass?

 

[evanvine]

Flower buds forming in Notts already! Are they under glass?

Indeed yes!
I know we have the Eglantine Vineyard in South Notts, but I'm in North Notts!

 

[tonyhibbett]

Flower buds now forming on the pinot noirs.

 

[calumscott]

Still none of those on mine yet.

I've got a good crop of leaves so far though...

 

[evanvine]

I've got a good crop of leaves so far though...

That is not good news, are your vines 1st year?
Are they producing "tendrils"?

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Only got one good shoot this year and a couple no bigger than an un-teased clit...

BB

 

[evanvine]

no bigger than an un-teased clit...

You ******? :shock: