Week One (June 3rd - 7th)

I have officially been accepted into the "Grape Crew" at the University of MN's Horticulture Research Center. This means that I, along with three other laborers and a manager, am now responsible to care for roughly 10 acres of new research grapes. Since most "cold-hardy" grape varieties which are currently grown the Midwest have originated from this research center, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to join. Though this is only a temporary position, lasting only 67 days since I am not a U of M student, hopefully it will open new doors for me. The drive between Northfield and Chaska may be lengthy, but I am confident that the effort will pay off.

During my first week at the HRC our crew has been securing newly budded vines their trellis systems. Doing this allows the plants to grow uniformily, in an appropriate position that will make the rest of the season's tasks easier. Tying vines in is also important because once the shoots get larger and the fruit sets thrashing wind can lead to whole sections breaking off, which would be devastating.

Spending 35 hours tying this week has allowed me to get to know my crew a little better. Being led by a German-taught expert and a world-renown grape researcher over these few days has allowed me to learn many new things about grapes. In order to record the wealth of this wisdom, I have decided to create this blog. It is going to mostly be a record of my personal new-found knowledge, but feel free to read along and learn with and from me. Here we go!

"Cash" joined the crew (Lauren, Matt, Rayna) in the vineyard on Thursday. He was a good distraction from the rain.

Grape vines can be either male, female or hermaphroditic. Male vines are sought after as ornamental plants as they will not produce juicy grapes which can stain your home and attract insects. Female vines naturally produce grapes, but need to be in the presence of a male plant in order to pollinate the flowers. Domesticated grapes contain both male and female parts which allow them to self-fertilize without the need of insect help. This is done when the cap (calyptra) which fuses the male and female parts together is blown off in the the wind.

Pruning is done so that there are 4-6 shoots/trellis foot. More than this will yield a cordon (the arm the runs along the wire) that is too crowded. A crowded cordon will increase the likelihood of rot as it will trap moisture within the canopy. It will also shield the grape clusters from the sun, which will delay ripening and decrease fruit quality.

Canes (last year's growth of the cordon) do not necessarily need to be tied to the trellis. Allowing these to hang at a downward angle is actually beneficial for the grape grower, as it will decrease the vigor of the last shoot. If canes are tied parallel to the trellis system the flow of vascular fluids (sugars, nutrients, and hormones) will be too great and the last shoot will explode in vegetative growth, while the other shoots will be stunted. As long as the cane isn't whipping in the wind, there's no need to tie it to the trellis.

Cracking in the vine while tying it to the trellis system is a good thing. This creates dams in the vascular tissues which slows down the flow of fluids. This allows for a more uniform distribution of nutrients, while also consequently strengthening the vine. Apparently Germans use a system called "pendelbogen" which utilizes this (as well as my fun fact from the paragraph above). John, the vineyard manager, said that no one in MN has tried this yet, but they definitely should if they want to increase the quality of the grapes.

Beneficial bacterial colonies will sometimes grow on the ends of cut vines. Though these are ultimately feeding on the phloem sap, they also cap the cut so that disease cannot enter the vulnerable site. Yay symbiosis!

High Cordon (HC) trellis systems should always be established with re-bar. This will allow the vine trunks to be grow straight, which will allow the vineyard manager to easily prune, harvest, and maneuver his equipment through the rows in the future. It is apparently worth every penny of the extra cost. 

Some vines are over 30 yrs old!

Mother ducks cover their nest of eggs with their down feathers when they leave to forage for themselves. Also, if they are spooked by a predator they will act wounded and slowly slide sideways away from their nest. This, they hope, will distract the predator from finding their babes. Additionally, the mother will leave unhatched eggs in the nest once the majority of them have hatched. Oh yeah, we have a mother duck on a nest of eggs the vineyard. 

When planting new vines, spacing them two feet apart, cut off all but three or so inches of the roots and all but four or five inches of the shoot. Mound a hump of soil with in the bottom of your hole and splay the roots in all directions around it. Apparently the roots will remain clumped if you never unclump them. Burry the vine so that the pressed down soil is an inch or two above the roots, leaving the top couple of buds exposed above the soil. Create a saucer with the soil around the plant so that water will erode towards it. 

Peter, Lauren, Raina, and Matt planting 450 new vines from last year's crosses.