Home Forums EXPERIENCE CHIEDI CONSIGLIO – ASK FOR ADVICE Chardonnay Grape Variety 23 year old Vineyard – Lodi, California, USA Reply To: Chardonnay Grape Variety 23 year old Vineyard – Lodi, California, USA

  • Simone

    Member
    31 Agosto 2021 at 22:40

    Hi, in fact there are some things you can do now:

    1 – check the dead plants and estirpate them.

    2- check the esca sympthomatic plants and mark them (prune separately). Keep them marked all the years then you will decide.

    3- according with the local practice, you can distribute the organic fertilizer (ex. compost, manure or other organic fertilizer and\or PK fertilizers if needed).

    4 – according with the local practice : work the soil and eventually seed the cover crop (dont’ know if this practice is good in CA).

    5- How big is your vineyard? do you have problems with frost? It would be good to delay the pruning and not cut just after the leaf falling (for ex. in November, but delay in the second half of January or even february or march, if it is possible). In this way you will delay the budding. Of course that it’s possible only if you can do it quickly.

    6- Dead Cordons/lost spurs: you should understand if the plant has a trunk disease. If you have spurs with weak shoots coming from a point with crown head it is possible that you just have to start the branching (use the S&S method). If the cordon is almost lost and doesn’t have trunk diseases, you can renew it using a shoot from its base and, in some years make a new trunk. Than you can cut the old one with a long spare wood.