Grape Abuse

This morning I realized if things keep going the way they are by the end of August, I might be the only one reading my blog. And I probably won’t leave a comment.

Between home improvement projects, the wedding, and grapes you might be pretty bored by August. Anyway . . .

. . . last night I took a stroll into the vineyard. All three grape plants are doing remarkably well, maybe, to well. I severely pruned them back a couple of weeks ago and since then they have put on three to four feet of new growth and form quite a few new clusters. The vines to the left and right of the black trellis is all new growth. The grapes have started to form and are now the size of peas.

While I was pruning them back, I got thinking about Fred. Fred was a vineyard keeper. I met him eight years ago. When I met him he was seventy-three years old. He was out working in the vineyard when the lady working the tasting room called him so I could meet him. He came marching into the tasting room like a man on a mission. He went up to the lady in the tasting room and blurted out, “Where’s the guy that wants to know about grapes?” He smiled all the time I told him what I wanted to do. Yes, Fred loves grapes.

We spent the next couple of hours walking through the vineyard and Fred gave me advice about planting, watering, cane pruning, fertilization, verasion (the coloring), pushing the sugar, harvesting, and a lot more.

Then he told the most important thing. He said, “I know you are a forester and you probably have a lot of plants in your yard, but forget everything you have ever learned about trees, shrubs, and plants. None of it applies to grapes. Grapes love abuse.”

A couple weeks ago, when I abused my grapes by cutting them back so severely I actually felt quite bad. But, as usual, Fred had given me good advice.