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WYNBOER GUIDELINES
FOR MARCH 2003
1 PLANNING
Short term
- Keep detailed records of each vineyard block e.g. production and pressing records, vigour, irrigation volumes and schedules, occurrence of diseases and pests, problem spots, etc.
- Soil analyses should be done in each block every 3 to 5 years.
- Order fertiliser in good time for post-harvest fertilisation, lime and / or phosphate and / or gypsum for soil preparation as well as poles and wire for trellising of vines.
Long term
- Do a thorough evaluation of each block's profitability and re-evaluate your long term planning.
- Ensure that your cultivar planning is still in line with market requirements and make adjustments, if required, to the planting programme.
Financial
Contact VinPro (SA) agricultural economists for information about:
- Purchase of additional land or farm evaluation
- Feasibility studies and breakeven analyses
- Establishment planning and cost
- Budgets and cash flow statements
Arrange financing for vineyard establishment and order trellis and irrigation equipment.
Compile a budget and cash flow statement for the coming production year.
Compare the budgeted expenditure with the actual expenditure on a monthly basis and make adjustments if required.
If your financial year ends in February and you suspect that the tax burden may be heavy, invest in productive capital such as poles, wire, irrigation equipment or fertiliser and not in verhicles or implements.
2 VINEYARD PROGRAMME
Monitoring ripeness
Take regular bunch or berry samples to monitor the ripening process of each vineyard so that optimal ripeness may be achieved and the harvest programme planned accordingly. Optimal ripeness is determined by factors such as, inter alia, desired wine style, physiological ripeness of the grapes and grape analyses etc.
Disease and pest control
- Keep IPW records up to date.
- Dusting / spraying can only be done in late cultivars if the safety period allows.
- Disease control in young vines should not be neglected.
- A post-harvest spraying programme is very important if any late o‹dium and / or downy mildew infections occur. Healthy foliage is essential to build up optimal reserves.
- Post-harvest is the best time for nematode control in older vineyards.
Irrigation
- Irrigation immediately before the harvest can be just as harmful to grape and wine quality as moisture shortages. Although an attempt should be made to allow the grapes to ripen at a decreasing soil moisture level, at no stage should vines experience a shortage of moisture.
- The post-harvest irrigation is very important for building up of reserves.
- A post-harvest irrigation is recommended to drench the full root depth.
- The water requirement of a vine remains high after the harvest and only diminishes as the climate becomes colder.
Post-harvest fertilisation
- This fertilisation remains the most important by far for a vine. Fertilise in accordance with the vigour of each block - overprolific vineyards do not receive any N-fertiliser.
- In intensive irrigation areas, wait 3 - 4 weeks before applying fertiliser to prevent regrowth.
Weed control
- Spot spraying of perennial weeds (e.g. quick grass) is required - be careful, however, not to spray the green parts of the vines.
- Where the weed situation is problematic, exercise control to eliminate competition with the vine for post-harvest fertiliser.
Pruning of roots
- Only if a loosening action is required to improve root development in the soil should alternative rows be delved with a wiggle plough directly after the harvest, before the start of the next root growth cycle.
A more detailed version may be ordered from Mrs Gerda Kriel at 021-8073027.
Compiled by: VinPro (SA) Consultation Services
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