I keep wondering if this site is going to continue with all of its
spam content now,but hope this still works.
I have a small vineyard (30 vines) in Herefordshire (SW England)
situated on a south facing 15 degrees slope on limestone based
soil.The site is dry at the best of times,but this year it is
exceptionally dry,after having no rainfall in this area at all since
March.I have already lost three apple trees,and several others are
under so much stress that I am watering them in succession 24hrs a
day.
The vines are just about at veraison time,and about three weeks
earlier than usual.The foliage looks healthy and dark green,with not
much growth now from the sideshoots.
During the last week I have been applying the water hosepipe to the
base of each vine for a few minutes(any more water just runs down the
slope)and the grapes seemed to have swelled a little.
Should I be watering vines as I know they are deep rooting-but so are
large apple trees which seemed to have benefitted from the applied
water.I have read somewhere that if one irrigates at all in drought
periods,apply the water before veraison.So do I continue or leave the
grapes now to go through the ripening period?
MIchael