Mother's Day Hail Storm
It happened again... Hail damage- the second year in a row... It was earlier in the season this year, however, most of the buds were out and extremely sensitive. The hail, ranging from pea sized to quarter sized, completely knocked off most of the shoots and buds. While some foliage remains, stems are bruised and leaves are torn leaving the plant open to infection. We are hoping that the secondary buds will be coming out and will be somewhat fruitful for us.
Grapevines are a perennial plant and are not a commodity crop. I have been training these guys since 2010 when we first put their roots in the soil. We won't just be able to replant for the season. The damage that they received this year will affect next year's crop in addition to the 2015 harvest while still trying to recover from the 2014 damage.
Grapevines are a perennial plant and are not a commodity crop. I have been training these guys since 2010 when we first put their roots in the soil. We won't just be able to replant for the season. The damage that they received this year will affect next year's crop in addition to the 2015 harvest while still trying to recover from the 2014 damage.
Torn leaves and bruised shoots.
La Crescent.
Torn leaves and bruised stems in the Frontenac.
Buds knocked completely off.
Thankfully, we do get a second chance. Their secondary buds should be working on coming out as long as they weren't ripped off as well. These buds should be somewhat fruitful and be able to keep the vine going. If we are left with a lot of missing shoots on the cordon we will be looking at replacement from growth lower on the trunk.
A labor of love! Continuing the journey...
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