I’m busy wrapping up pruning. Some varieties sustained a lot of damage in the freeze of January 2024. By waiting until the buds swell, I have a better idea of viability—what is dead and where I can cut back to try and restore the structure.
Some folks I know down Walla Walla way took chainsaws to their vines, cutting them off at the ground to regrow from the ground up. An opportunity to replace an antiquated trellis is the bright side.
Here in Washington, winter damage is part of the equation. I have a chainsaw I bought after the ‘96 freeze, when it was -20 to -25 degrees. A lot of vines went to the ground!
The other approach is to remove a variety and replace it with a more cold-resistant variety. If we weren’t retiring, I’d do that with Temprañillo and Xarel•lo. I’d also plant some of the newer cold-hardy, disease-resistant hybrids!
My experiments with pruning time also support Dr. Clore’s view that pruning after Valentine’s is best. Pruning before cold tends to decrease cold tolerance. I’m rehabbing the cordons of Sémillon today that were pruned before the January 2024 freeze. The other cordon is in much better shape.
Frost or freeze? What is the difference? I cannot find hard and fast rules. Generally, we call 31°F to 25°F a frost, a fairly common night temperature in April. When we Washington viticulture folks talk about a “freeze,” we are usually talking about winter, dormant season temperatures below 10°F, 10°F to -30°F. Below -30°F, we just call it FUBAR!
As we get into bud break, the critical temperature is 29°F, where green tissue freezes. So now we sweat the frosty nights alongside the tree fruit guys. Frost fans, sprinklers, oil heaters, bonfires—all things we hope not to need!
The photo shows me rebuilding a cordon. I had to remove the original cordon because it died due to last year’s freeze damage.
