Notaviva Vineyards Blog

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May 1, 2008

First Spray of the Season

Been working hard in the vineyard the past few days. Doing some last-minute maintenance on the tractor, sprayer and bushhog. Greasing, tightening, sharpening, etc. - lots of little tasks to keep everything running smoothly.

Last week I applied the first round of herbicide, and since some of the vines were already at bud break I wasn't able to use the glyphosate but had to opt for Rely instead. Maybe could have gotten away with it but definitely not worth the risk. Yesterday I mowed all rows and deer fence perimeter to keep the grass down and hopefully the risk for moisture and subsequent fungi. And finally today I put down the first spray of fungicide after spending some time getting the sprayer put back together from last season's storage. Given some of the troubles I've had with sprayers today went particularly well! Since the vines have only just opened, I shut down the tower of the CIMA P50 sprayer and just used the lower nozzles to conserve chemicals. Rates are as follows:

Microthiol Special - rate 3 lb per acre
Dithane DF Rainshield Nt - rate 3 lb per acre

Off to a great start for the year - right on track!

Posted by Stephen at May 1, 2008 9:48 PM