SPRING 2002 |
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SUMMER 2002 |
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FALL 2002 |
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Winter 2002 |
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The 2002 growing season started of with a bud swell in the middle of May. But then came a late spring frost/snow on the Friday before Memorial Day. Because of the poor hardening of canes in the fall of 2001, many varieties died to the ground even though the winter temperatures never got below zero. The late frost/snow episode killed buds on many canes that did survive the winter. Only Foch, GR7, Lucy Kuhlmann, DeChaunac, Espirit, St. Pepin, Seyval, E.S. 8-5-68, and Chancellor sprouted shoots from above ground canes.
The spring weather warmed up quickly and shoots expanded rapidly. Spring 2002 was one of the warmest on record. Also one of the driest. Irrigation was done regularly throughout the dry spring. Trellis wires were put in place and the vines grew up them quickly. Many vines had reached the top trellis wire by the end of spring. Varietal differences were beginning to become evident in the spring of 2002 and data collection for future research had begun. An SQL database was made to aid in future analysis of this data.
The summer of 2002 turned out to be one of the driest on record. This made irrigation essential while disease was kept to a bare minimum with no spraying. The fire danger in the area kept me worried all summer. A few varieties produced flowers which pollinated in July, just in time for the fourth. This was something which I didn't expect until 2003. Verasion occurred on most varieties in mid-August. About this time some varieties began to harden off. After the delayed hardening in 2001, this was welcomed.
Hardening proceeded and with verasion came the birds. I eventually bagged up clusters that remained so that Brix readings could be taken as fall approached. By mid-August the vineyard was actually looking like a vineyard. One deer gained entry in the beginning of August but was quickly detected before any major damage could be done. An inner barrier fence was built to deal with further intrusions.
Fall of 2002 brought an increase in the number of varieties hardening off and the speed at which they hardened. Irrigation was stopped on Labor Day which aided with this. No significant moisture has been recieved since Memorial Day weekend. This has definitly been a drought year. Plans are being laid for 2003 growing season research. Two trellis systems will be researched to determine their impact on winter hardiness. Sodium alginate will be used for bud delay for late frost protection. See 
Winter started out with a good 8 inch snowfall in October. A second snow of 3 inches occurred in November but the drought has continued since then. Record warm temperatures have predominated the winter so far. We have experienced the third low snowfall winter in a row. Temperatures have been in the 50-70F range through all of the holiday season. Even with the warm weather, the grapes remain in a hardened state. Differential Thermal Analysis of selected buds during the first week in January 2003 show that Fronenac can withstand -33C, GR7 can go as low as -26C, while varieties like Baco can tolerate -20C. Burdin 11042, one of my tenderest varieties, isn't as hardy and shows that -9C will kill it to the ground. The vineyard had an exceptional hardening period in the fall and it is expected that it will come through in fine shape. Crop load will depend on the spring frosts and what they will bring.