This spring has just been flying by! I was concerned about how wet April was, but then the rain moderated in May. It was almost a little dry until the Memorial Day weekend when showers occurred across the area for several days. The rain and the warm May weather pushed vine growth about a week or so ahead of a typical year.
Our friends at the Finger Lakes Grape Program recently reported growing degree days are about 10 days ahead for May. Growing degree days are calculated by adding the number of degrees above 50 Fahrenheit each day during the growing season. This is why we are starting to see grape flower growth on some varieties right now.
Remember, grape flowers emerge into the bloom phase, where they self-pollinate and produce grape clusters. This year we were fortunate not to have a hard freeze after initial leaf growth — remember, that occurred May 18, 2023. Mother Nature has been kind to the Finger Lakes grape growers this spring.
With this rapid growth, there is a lot to do in the vineyard. When we prune in late winter or early spring, we leave a few extra buds on each cane just in case we get a late spring freeze. These buds developed into nice shoots, so now we will thin out the number of new shoots on the trellis.
We are looking to balance the vine green growth (canopy) with an appropriate amount of grape clusters. Too many shoots will enlarge the canopy and produce too much fruit. We like to have good airflow through the canopy to minimize mildew from infecting t.
