Wire Raising
Our big summer job has begun: wire raising! It is always so nice to get those wires lifted and really makes the vineyard look nice and clean.
Reasons for Wire Raising
There are several reasons to wire raise. Wire raising:
- increases air flow through the vines so that the vines stay nice and dry.
- helps prevent bugs from crawling up from the ground because the vine shoots are no longer touching the dirt.
- allows us to maintain a nice, clean floor under the vines (weed free).
- helps us to harvest much cleaner fruit (because the shoots aren't in the way).
- makes the vineyard look much better!
The Crew
We use the Pellenc wire raiser to wire raise. It sure saves us a lot of time using the Pellenc instead of raising by hand.
Two people walk in front of the Pellenc. They make sure the wires are not tangled (we have two sets that we raise), look for any fallen cordon arms and also make sure the shoots will get picked up. This is a great way to get your daily steps in!
Along with the two people in front, we have the driver and sometimes a person walking behind the Pellenc tucking in the shoots that escape the wires.
Once we hook the wires onto the wire raising arm, the wire raiser then holds the wires and picks the shoots up. It has wheels that help the vine shoots to stand up and then it clips the wires together, using a plastic clip.
Sometimes, the little fellas get to "help"! They love riding in the Pellenc and honking the horn. Having them around makes work extra fun!
Wire Raised Rows
As you can see, the vines are picked up and the grapes will have good air flow, hopefully keeping the fungi away!
Now we will let the vines grow more before we come back through to raise the second wire. We will probably raise the second wire in the middle of August.
While we wait for veraison (and cluster counts), be sure to check out the links below!
2016 Veraison and Cluster Counts = Ripening Grapes!
RV Camping in Texas - RV Winery