Summertime and the living is easy!
Unless you’re on the crew chopping out the competition to young vines on a hot day where you need to drink a liter/quart of water every hour.
Fortunately for me, we are past that point, and management of non-crop plants doesn’t require hoes and shovels. We spend little human labor on that.
We are doing thinning of fruit from vines that are over cropped. (actually, it’s Max and Gabe who are doing the lion’s share). You need a shoot with 13 leaves to produce a cluster of grapes that are yummy. Small shoots? Get those berries on the ground so the plant can store up solar energy for next Spring. Also, we are removing all the little shoots that continually sprout on trunks and cordons. Pretty light work.
Watching a couple of guys hacking away at the jungle in a neighbor’s new planting makes me realize, the living is easy!
Right now, my work is in an air-conditioned room, had to put on a sweater, am testing out our 2017 Sangiovese and writing stuff for Barbara to edit into our newsletter. If you walked in right now, you’d think my living is easy.
When I go out this evening after a great meal from the garden and the herd, (thank you, cow #2344 [Well! Why am I not thankful to the plants? They are sentient beings also! Actually, I do thank them as I pluck their leaves, blossoms, buds, and fruit]) to do irrigation chores with the dogs and enjoy a lovely summer evening, my living is easy, peaceful, joyful, satisfying.
For the fifth time since 2005, when we started planting this vineyard, I drove a spray rig in the vineyard this morning. Lemberger is my difficult child. 100+ degree weather is supposed to stop Powdery Mildew. Apparently, Lemberger is a denier! It’s the only cultivar I’ve sprayed since 2012—Twice now! Aargh! You want to grow Vitis vinifera without pesticides? Don’t plant Lemberger!
I would advise against Vitis vinifera. Plant breeding has given us new cross-breeds that are terrifically disease-resistant and make scrumptious wines.
Besides better genetics, the solution to Powdery Mildew is a solution of water and 1.5% Stylet Oil. Stylet Oil?
Stylet Oil, White Oil, Light Oil, Summer Horticultural Oil, are all described technically as “narrow range” petroleum distillates. Apparently, Arab Al Khemia (alchemists) were distilling it from crude oil over 1,000 years ago. It has been used and ingested as a medicinal treatment all that time. Baby oil, vaginal lubricants, the mineral oil in my kitchen, (I use it on cutting boards and wooden knife handles) the mineral oil used when constipation is a problem.
To meet Organic standards, we are using JMS Stylet Oil, which is basically food grade mineral oil. When I read the label warnings, I wonder if it’s actually possible to drink a fatal dose? Maybe a crazy person or, oh, wait, someone who does something stupid because of social media is a crazy person. The real risk seems to be driving the spray rig without a respirator. An N95 does the job. I remember, as a kid, applying baby oil to my sisters sunbathing. It’s a crappy sunscreen! But right now, my exposed skin is baby-soft. Massage oil! Although, personally, I prefer olive oil, the good stuff tastes better. I don’t like the perfumes added to “baby oil”. Aachoo!
How does Stylet Oil work?
We spray an emulsion of water and oil to create a thin film that smothers the Powdery Mildew, the mycelium of the fungus that is on the leaf surface; the leaf goes from looking dusty to shiny, like polishing your wood table. It can also used to smother small insects like aphids and leafhopper nymphs. The thin film of oil blocks the tubules in the carapace that they use to take in air. Soaps are used the same way, and I think they are more effective on insects. I sort of worry about soap residue in wine when used late in the season, but the oil isn’t an issue after a week or two, and we are over a month till we pick these. They are going to other winemakers this year since we are stopping our wine production. Know anyone who wants to buy a winery and vineyard?
