The Graper
May, 2002
Vol. 1, No.4
Editorial
By now you will have received the previous Memorandum for the April meeting
in which the first page is graced by the presence of our new volunteer Press
Reporters, Jenny Hyndman and Judy Smith (the "Eye Spies"). They will
be interviewing our various intrepid grape-growers, and will reveal the innermost
secrets of the latter in this and future issues of the Graper , complete with
photos of excellent quality. With this, we hope to be able to compete with the
most lurid of the Tabloids, though probably keeping the stars well-dressed (unless
it's John B.). You can't afford to miss "The Inside Story"!
The Graper is now up and running as a sub-section of the VIGGA website for those
of you who don't want to have a hard copy. The web site is: < http://vigga.net/index.htm
> and click on "News and Events". I told Roy, our Director in charge
of the web-site, that as I'm a semi-Ludite I still prefer the old-fashioned
way of reading a Newsletter, but he reminded me that it's a good idea to avoid
wasting paper(!). So, dear reader, read on.......in whichever mode you prefer.
John Says.........
Hello fellow grapers. Spring has finally decided to come to the Island. The
challenge for the next month will be to keep ahead of the weeds, and mowing.
Fertilizers should be applied according to the soil test results if they have
not already been applied. Try to do this on a cloudy day then irrigate, or do
it just before a rain, otherwise the expensive nitrogen blows off into the atmosphere.
Apply 2/3 of the recommended nitrogen at the 2 centimeter bud growth stage.
The remainder of the nitogen should be applied at 80% capfall (just as bloom
is finishing). The first application of Kumulus should be applied at the 2 cm.
growth stage or as soon thereafter as practical. This is to kill any powdery
spores that overwintered in the buds and also to eradicate the Erineum mite.
With the second spray of Kumulus add Epsom-salt to the spray to give a foliar
application of magnesium. Application rate is 45 kilograms/hectare or 45 g/litre
per 10 square meters. If your fertilizer has no boron in the mixture add Solubor
at 1 gram/litre to this spray. Boron is toxic to plants in higher amounts. Symptoms
of boron toxicity are "fanleaf"and flattened internodes.
When the first true leaves appear, walk the vineyard and watch for Œflag
shoots'. These are shoots that have carried the overwintering powdery- mildew
spores. Remove all flag shoots and take them out of the vineyard.
Plan on petiole analysis during bloom. Take the leaf opposite the flower in
a random sampling of the vineyard, and 50-100 petioles per sample. Continue
with suckering and spacing . After capfall, spray for bunch-rot using one of
the anti-Botrytis chemicals eg: Rovral /Captan / Vangard etc. at label rates.
For the powdery-mildew program I prefer to spray Nova just before bloom. As
I don't want to spray during bloom, this leaves a three to four week period
where powdery mildew could get established. Nova has a longer active phase and
should get us over the bloom period.
Irrigate young vineyards as required. Deep watering less regularly is preferred
to prevent shallow rooted plants. Observe your vines for symptoms of water stress.
Warm, limp, leafs indicate the plant is not getting enough water. Control vegetation
in the row as this competes for nutrients and moisture with the vine.
Our Previous Guest Speaker
Robin McNeil, originally from Scotland, presented a talk at the last meeting,
describing his world travels to various wine-producing sites. He emigrated to
Canada in 1965, and has newly retired from the BC Government where he was the
head of the River Forecast Centre. His increased interest in the various facets
of wine production and appreciation stemmed from his early days in Canada when
it was difficult to get a decent bottle of wine. He started making his own wine
in the late 1960s, originally from concentrates, and soon changed to imported
grapes. Now he uses mainly BC grapes. He was one of the founding members of
the BC Guild of Wine Judges and taught Wine Making and then Wine Appreciation
at the Camosun College outreach program for almost 20 years. Robin wrote the
weekly wine column In Vino Veritas for the Times Colonist for 5 years. In 1999
he and his wife took a year off from work and traveled around the world, visiting
most of the major wine producing countries. Some thoughts on these travels were
the subject of his talk.
Quote of the month: "If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something".
Alcohol as Brain Food
We seldom think of alcohol as "brain food", but an item in Sci.
News for Feb. 2 / 02 reports new research that suggests it may reduce aging
drinkers'risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
We have already seen that alcohol in moderation promotes cardio-vascular health
by boosting the concentration of so-called "good cholesterol" and
inhibiting formation of blood clots. Now, researchers in the Netherlands have
found evidence of a brain effect.
They studied 5395 individuals age 55 or older with no initial signs of dementia,
over a period of 6 years. Some were "moderate drinkers"(1 - 3 alc.
beveridges / day), another group had less than one drink per day, and a third
group were total abstainers.
After the test period, 197 had Alzheimer¹s or a similar dementia. When
adjusted for age, sex, weight, blood pressure, smoking, etc., moderate drinkers
showed only 58 % of the risk of dementia calculated for non-drinkers.
A neurologist in Bordeaux, France, had earlier found that French wine-drinkers
over the age of 65 have a reduced risk of dementia (why am I not surprised he's
in Bordeaux?). The new research supports that finding, and shows that beer and
hard liquor...not just wine...are protective as well, in terms of dementia risk.
The Inside Story
"Oh give me land, lots of land under starry skies above. Deer fence me
in!
We are sure we could hear Con and Judi singing this as we drove into their driveway
for the big interview. We sat in their lovely new home sipping peach iced-tea
and taking in the Mt. Newton Valley that spread below us and out to the west.
The view is superb, but it was not the deciding factor in the Sollid's purchasing
this property. More important, Con says, is the fact that with good binoculars
he can easily see John Brickett toiling in his vineyard, shirt off, and muscles
rippling.
Con and Judi both came from Saskatchewan farming backgrounds, and after pursuing
their different careers they have come back to the land.
Judi is retired from teaching and law. The skill she had when owning, operating
and redecorating the famous Beaconsfield B&B in Victoria shows in their
home. Con left the tight confines of the human mouth and a career as a dentist
(Orthodontics) and bought a 45 HP Holmes tractor complete with backhoe and is
playing Tonka Tom. The foundation for their new home plus all the finishing
work was done by hands that once held teeny weenie instruments. "Just give
me some dirt to move and I'm happy", says the backhoe master.
While they were building their home Con tested his mettle and planted 1000 Gewurtztraminer
vines (grafted onto 3309 rootstock) in well-drained, gravelly, loam. He used
standard spacing of 4 ft. between plants, in 8-ft. wide rows, with posts at
20 ft. intervals and a fruiting wire at 30 inches. Seven posts have been used
at intervals to accomodate future overhead bird-netting. Water is courtesy of
Central Saanich through a 2 in. diam. pipe giving 110 gals./min. Delivery to
the plants is through drip tubes with 2 emitters per plant. The deer have been
deprived this year of dining at the Sollid restaurant. They came by last year
one time too many without making a reservation.
The Sollid country home is a gathering place for two married children, and two
(soon to be four!) grandchildren. Con and Judy give great importance to family
togetherness and support. After both had very busy, people-oriented, careers
they want to concentrate on quiet building of these relationships and exploring
other interests that have been put off until now.
Thank you both for the hospitality and time to chat with us. Congratulations
on your new home and vineyard endeavours. Keep an eye on John, that old renegade,
and report any shenanagins to the proper authorities. Cheers to all........Jenny
and Judy, the Eye Spies.
See web site under Events & News for Photos
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The "Graper"is published regularly by the Vancouver Island Grape Growers'Association.
We welcome articles, comments or questions from members and non-members. The
deadline for receiving material is the first of the month in which the newsletter
will be issued.