Planting grapes & site selection

Once the choice to go ahead and start a vineyard is reached, it is time to consider the steps that will lead to the actual production of grapes.  After the general prevailing climate trends are considered; and it is determined where the vineyard will be located; and the inherent limitations of the property’s boundaries are identified and ready to be altered and developed; it is now time to get your hands dirty. 

The best time to start planting grapevines is early spring.  Planting during fall is a poor choice because the plants are likely to be lost during the winter.  The first year of planting should be spent preparing the soil and selecting the cultivars.  Also during this time the vines are planted, mulched, fertilized and kept free of weeds, insects and diseases. Broken or dead parts of branches and roots are pruned off.  The top growth of a single cane should also be pruned off.  To keep them off the ground and make spraying more effective, vines are usually tied to a stake. Supplemental watering is advised if the season of planting is dry.  As much as possible, you should do everything to ensure that you achieve the optimum first-year growth by using these practices.
CHOOSING A SITE FOR THE VINEYARD 

Nice Vineyard on a slope

Nice Vineyard on a slope

The goal of establishing an ideal site for your vineyard is to have excellent grape-producing vines.  You can only achieve this if you have the ideal site. As real estate agents have “location, location, location” as their battle-weep, so you should have it too.  You need to know if you have all the right ingredients, such as the optimal altitude for growing, the right angle of the sun for the vine to receive the most benefits of sunlight, adequate availability of water and soil chemistry, to name a few.

 
EVALUATING THE SITE

The elevation of the land will affect the type of grapes you can grow on it.  Grapes are sensitive to frost, thus, altitude should be taken into account. Be prepared to answer the following questions:

Is the land prone to flooding? – The location must be higher than the surrounding area and could be irrigated properly. The site should have excellent internal soil drainage.  Don’t plant in low lying areas that hold water.  Test the drainage by digging a hole and filling it with water.  If the water dissipates after an hour you have excellent drainage.  If it doesn’t drain quick enough, find another area.
Which side does the sun rise and set on the property? Is it on a slope so that you can position the plants in the right orientation to get the right amount and length of exposure to the sun? Watch your area for the sun’s orientation throughout the day to determine where shadows are cast and how much time the area receives sunlight.

A few other things to consider

Irrigation.  If the planting season is dry, supplemental irrigation should be initiated.  It increases plant survival odds in the first two years.  Normally, a vine requires a minimum of 5 gallons per day.  But, a more adequate quantity would be 10 gallons per plant.  This would provide needed water even during high stress.  Mature vines are in constant need of moisture throughout summer for fruit growth.  They also need water for fruit bud development for the following year’s crop. Reckon about how you will get your vines the water they require.  The hose? An irrigation system?

Air drainage.  Spring frost hurt to fruit buds, blossoms and small fruits after bloom will be avoided on vineyards planted on 2 to 3 percent slopes. As cold air moves down, it draws warmer air from higher layers.  A vineyard planted in a low site, such as along a creek or at the bottom of a hill, is more susceptible to low temperature injury than a site in a higher area.

Avoid soil erosion.  Sites having steep slopes will have more soil erosion.  Such steep slopes also present more problems in the operation or use of machinery and other equipments. Cool temperatures on north facing slops may delay vine growth enough in the spring to avoid hurt due to frost.  Earlier spring growth with increased risk of frost injury may be present on a south facing slope.
Once you have planted your vines, it would be very hard to alter and improve the physical properties of the soil. So it is imperative that you ensure that the foregoing have been determined to comply with the requirements of the type of grapes you want to grow. Otherwise, you may need to alter your plans of which types you want to plant or you may have to re-organize the land, or even worse, to relocate to suit your planting needs.
SIZE OF THE VINEYARD

Plotting the size of your vineyard depends on a few things:  The types of grapes you select and what you plot on doing with your grapes.  If the cultivar you select is a light bearer and you want to make wine, you should consider planting as many plants as you have room for.  If you have a high bearing cultivar and you want grapes for eating and canning, you don’t have to plant a large amount of vines.  You should also consider how many vines you will be able to tend to.  This is a leisure activity and you want to delight in your time spent taking care of your vines.  When maintenance turns into a huge chore, you will lose interest in the leisure activity.

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