North of Peterborough is a small planting of Pinot Gris (8 vines until fall 2002 thought of as Sangiovese). They were planted in June 2000. "Brush Blankets" were installed around each vine (24" by 30") to protect the vines from weed competition. At first the brush blankets were stapled to the ground, without burying the edges. In 2002 limestone tailings were used to hold the edges of the blankets so that a lawnmower could control vegetation. They were overwintered successfully (100% survival) by covering with Arbotex fabric then with a thick layer of straw. This was planned as the correct treatment for the first winter. Over the second winter, the straw was omitted, and the vines came through in beautiful shape. Originally there was a similar planting at Peregrine North Farm.
On the left, the blankets at Peregrine North Farm have been disturbed by working the land between the rows. This has impaired the basic function of the blankets in two ways: the edges are torn up, and dirt has been thrown on the blankets, creating a spot for weeds to grow. On the right, chemical control and hand-weeding of the edges has left the blankets at Chateau Humphreys undisturbed, and they are fully functional. The pictures above were taken pre-burial in December 2001. The pictures below were taken after removal in late March 2002. The close-up in the middle below is Pinot Gris from the Humphreys planting. The 130 pound dog in the center above is "Hugo", Lord Protector of Chateau Humphreys...
The early and easy conclusion is that machine cultivation near the vine rows cannot be used with this type of weed protection within the vine row. The Central Ontario Viniculture Association test plot on the Humphreys property (planted 2002) uses a permanent cover crop and the best system of in-row mulch that can be determined.
It is my sincere belief that a commercial industry must be based on varieties suitably hardy for the climate in which they are grown. They must survive winter in good health, and they must fully ripen the crop (and the vines!) in the growing season. Many of these grape varieties are slowly filtering their way in from the northern U.S. Yet I also believe that some of the early-ripening, tender and disease-sensitive vinifera, particularly from the Pinot family, can be ripened if they can be protected from the winter (Pinot Noir, Blanc, Gris, Meunier). A minority of these varieties blended into wines made from hardier vines (5 to 10%) can make a much more rounded product. This gives incentive to find methods to protect these varieties.
Above left, tender Pinot Gris at Chateau Humphreys has been pruned and pegged to the brush blanket ready for burial. To the top right of the picture, you can see a low wire (10 inches or so above the blanket). After pegging the vines to the blankets, a min-max thermometer was placed beside the vines at ground level. A layer of Arbotex was laid at ground level, and a second layer over the low wire. Both layers were stapled to the ground using the staples from the brush blankets.
To the right is a picture of one end of the same vine row with the two layers before closing it at the end for winter protection. The piece of brush is there to make it easier to see the dead airspace between the layers. A second min-max thermometer was placed on top of the top layer in a plastic ziploc bag, weighed down with heavy stones.
Above left is the row of Pinot Gris at Peregrine North farm, buried under one layer of Arbotex for winter. There is a min-max thermometer under the covering, and another resting on top of it. Note the low wire (and lousy trellis) showing above the blanket.
To the right is the finished row at Chateau Humphreys, under two layers. A further test is being done at the end of the house at 1325 Royal Drive in Peterborough, covering 4 Vidal, 3 Merlot, 1 Cabernet Sauvignon and 1 Pinot Blanc vine that were planted between 1993 and 1995. The hope here is that the fabric will hold in the heat from the house. This test did not have thermometers placed. This is the first year that these vines have been put at risk. In particular, the Merlot vines are too tender for normal Peterborough temperatures.
The single layer of Arbotex at Peregrine North Farm provided about 7o C protection, and the two layers at Chateau Humphreys gave about 11o C of benefit. But is it worth the work??? I think it could only be done commercially for a small portion of a crop, say if a 10% inclusion of Pinot Gris were sufficient to command a suitable increase in retail value of a bottle of Prairie Star / Louise Swenson blend.
We have designed and are working on a foldable trellis and pruning system that will allow removal of aboveground structures in early December for installation of the fabric in mid-December. The cover will be removed in early April, and the trellis system put back up. The purpose of the Arbotex is to mitigate the vinifera-killing temperatures that Peterborough can experience between late December and early April. Before or after this time the fabric would not be necessary, and could in fact cause other problems (vine-eating mice in the fall, too-early budbreak in the spring).
Stay tuned! lfw
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