NO Berries - Ask Extension
Good day, thank you so much for being out there. I've got a half-acre of grapes, Pinot & Cab Franc. I've had Mites for the last 2 years on the lea...
Knowledgebase
NO Berries #806791
Asked August 17, 2022, 5:47 PM EDT
Good day, thank you so much for being out there. I've got a half-acre of grapes, Pinot & Cab Franc. I've had Mites for the last 2 years on the leaves, bumps on one side white spots on the other. Internet said they're ugly but don't affect the crop or fruit. 4yr old crop that have produced grapes/wine the last 2 yrs and last year's 1st harvest netted 52 bottles. Sooo, this year before plants started to bud, I sprayed them 2wice with a a fruit tree pesticide and pruned vines back to make a 3x3' bush like Mcmenimen's does. Very clean and looks like an easy harvest. Welll, low and behold plants look great, no mites but also No berries on the cluster's, just brown knubs. all 250 plants. What did I do??? Nursery where I bought the pesticide, not a clue, Directions say can be used up to 1 wk before harvest. Help, I don't want this to happen next year.
Clackamas County Oregon
Expert Response
Based on the images provided, you are describing inflorescence necrosis. That is, the flower clusters aborted the small flowers before fruit set. This most typically happens with own-rooted vines in years with cool springs. Also, this can happen when the vines are pruned too severely on otherwise high-vegetative vigor vines, producing super high vegetative vigor on a few shoots per plant. The vine's nutritional imbalance creates an issue with the competing growth (shoot tips) vs. flowers early in the season.
To avoid this issue next year, reevaluate your pruning methods and stick to a standard time course of pruning during dormancy to an appropriate bud number per plant then starting preventative fungicide sprays in spring (once shoots are 6" long) using products appropriate for grapes. The products you may use are listed in the Pest Management Guide for Wine Grapes in Oregon and in the PNW Disease Management Handbook. Finally, to get some idea of how to manage the vine canopy, see the homeowner's guide for producing table grapes. It still applies for wine grape production.
To avoid this issue next year, reevaluate your pruning methods and stick to a standard time course of pruning during dormancy to an appropriate bud number per plant then starting preventative fungicide sprays in spring (once shoots are 6" long) using products appropriate for grapes. The products you may use are listed in the Pest Management Guide for Wine Grapes in Oregon and in the PNW Disease Management Handbook. Finally, to get some idea of how to manage the vine canopy, see the homeowner's guide for producing table grapes. It still applies for wine grape production.
Thank you so much for the info. I guess I wanted my plants to look like Edgefields I got a bit to enthusiastic, Again, thank you for this information to a beginner..gary
-----Original Message-----
From: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>
To: Gary Mengis Piccola Vigna <<personal data hidden>>
Sent: Mon, Aug 29, 2022 10:52 am
Subject: Re: NO Berries (#0076722)
From: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>
To: Gary Mengis Piccola Vigna <<personal data hidden>>
Sent: Mon, Aug 29, 2022 10:52 am
Subject: Re: NO Berries (#0076722)
Thank you so much for the info. I guess I wanted my plants to look like Edgefields I got a bit to enthusiastic, Again, thank you for this information to a beginner..gary
-----Original Message-----
From: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>
To: Gary Mengis Piccola Vigna <<personal data hidden>>
Sent: Mon, Aug 29, 2022 10:52 am
Subject: Re: NO Berries (#0076722)
You are welcome.
Should the crop come back next year if I don't butcher them?
-----Original Message-----
From: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>
To: Gary Mengis Piccola Vigna <<personal data hidden>>
Sent: Mon, Aug 29, 2022 10:52 am
Subject: Re: NO Berries (#0076722)
From: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>
To: Gary Mengis Piccola Vigna <<personal data hidden>>
Sent: Mon, Aug 29, 2022 10:52 am
Subject: Re: NO Berries (#0076722)
Yes, you should have flower clusters that have berries next year if you take the proper steps in pruning and ensuring the vines have adequate sunlight (not growing in a shady spot). It is important to prune your grapevines in winter, when they are dormant. Maintain one-year old wood when pruning. That is, don't prune back so harshly that you have only older wood left and don't prune back so lightly that there are too many buds left out. Since fruit will grow from buds formed this year, you need to look for the canes that grew this year and keep some of those. You should follow a guide such as the following article and pruning video if you want the vines to look like a commercial vineyard in Oregon:
Grape pruning basics:
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/crop-production/berries/grape-pruning-basics
How to cane prune vines:
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/video/how-cane-prune-grapevines
Grape pruning basics:
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/crop-production/berries/grape-pruning-basics
How to cane prune vines:
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/video/how-cane-prune-grapevines
You're awesome, thank you. gary
-----Original Message-----
From: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>
To: Gary Mengis Piccola Vigna <<personal data hidden>>
Sent: Tue, Sep 6, 2022 8:45 am
Subject: Re: NO Berries (#0076722)
From: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>
To: Gary Mengis Piccola Vigna <<personal data hidden>>
Sent: Tue, Sep 6, 2022 8:45 am
Subject: Re: NO Berries (#0076722)