What to Know Before You Plant

March 5th, 2010

Whether you’re planting acres of vineyards or a few vines in your backyard, there are simple tests and checks that will ensure you select the right vines for your project. It‘s all about site analysis. The more you know, the more your vines will thrive.

The French call it terroir, pronounced “ter-whah”.   Terroir is a way of describing the unique aspects of a place that influences and shapes the wine made from it.

Here’s what you need to consider when assessing your site - Soil, Sun, and Water

• Soil - What type of soil will you be planting in?
• Soil types
• Loam
• Clay
• Sandy
• Rocky
• Combination
• Water holding capacity and drainage
• Soil fertility

How to:  It can be as simple as digging down 12 to 24 inches, putting a soil sample in a plastic bag, and sending it to a soils laboratory for analysis. Sunridge can recommend several excellent soils labs.

Sun exposure - how much sun, shade, wind affects your site

• Full or partial sun
• Shade
• Wind

How to:  Take an account of your site - the trees on the property, how tree roots might affect your planting site, how much wind your site is exposed to.

Water - what’s in it influences the success of your vines

• Chemistry - nutrient levels

How to: Pour approximately 12 ounces of water in a bottle or jar and take it to a water analysis laboratory or your local water agency. Important things to test for are boron and iron levels which can be toxic to your vines.

Once you’ve learned more about the soil, sun, and water at your site, you can now make educated decisions about what to plant. The result will be healthy, vigorous grape vines.

Did you know? Why mustard and roses?

• The mustard seed plants you see blooming in the vineyards are there to help add vital supplements to the soil.
• Roses planted at the end of the vine rows are there to give early warning of mildew problems.

Grapevine Rootstocks for Oregon Vineyards

February 10th, 2010

If you are considering a vineyard planting in any of the number of Oregon American Viticultural Areas/Appellations, it is best recommended that a rootstock be considered in your planning.  Rootstocks are one of the most important ways grape growers can better manage for a variety of vineyard problems and improve quality.  Grape rootstocks contribute to pest and disease resistance including phylloxera and resistance to other soil-borne pests, such as nematodes.  Furthermore, the use of rootstocks can help lessen vineyard problems due to soil conditions such as pH extremes, excess salt and nutrients.  They can also improve adaptability to local climatic conditions such as shortened growing seasons, drought and excessively cool or hot growing conditions.

Important Rootstock Considerations

• Phylloxera resistance – Rootstocks are most commonly used to prevent soil pests or diseases, the most important being phylloxera and nematodes.
• Soil Adaption - Rootstocks are selected for their adaptation to particular soil and climate conditions.
• Drought Tolerance – Drought tolerance is an important consideration if irrigation will not be used.
• Modified Vigor –Choosing a rootstock that has the ability to modify the vigor of the scion is an important option.
• Advanced Maturity – The use of rootstocks on fruit ripening is of interest in cool-climate regions such as Oregon.

Rootstock Selections
The following are proven rootstocks in Oregon and perform well under our weather, soil and environmental conditions.

101-14 Mgt

• Vitis Parentage – Riparia x rupestris
• Phylloxera Resistance - High
• Nematode Resistance
  • Root Knot – Medium to High
  • Dagger – Medium to High
  • Ring - High
• Tolerance
  • Drought – Low to Medium
  • Wet Soil - Medium
  • Salinity - High
  • Lime – Low to Medium
• Influence on Scion
  • Vigor – Medium

Comments – Second most used rootstock in Oregon, requires deep soil, moist clay soils, tolerates wet soils, induces low yield-to-pruning ratios, not recommended for dry nonirrigated sites.

3309 C

• Vitis Parentage – Riparia x rupestris
• Phylloxera Resistance - High
• Nematode Resistance
  • Root Knot – Low
  • Dagger – Low
  • Ring – Very Low
• Tolerance
  • Drought – Low to Medium
  • Wet Soil –Low to Medium
  • Salinity – Low to Medium
  • Lime – Low to Medium
• Influence on Scion
  • Vigor – Low to Medium

Comments – Most widely used rootstock in Oregon, prefers deep, well-drained soil with good water-holding capacity, vines on this rootstock tend to over-crop, not recommended for dry nonirrigated sites, sensitive to latent viruses, tolerant of cold injury.

Riparia gloire

• Vitis Parentage – Riparia
• Phylloxera Resistance – Very High
• Nematode Resistance
  • Root Knot – Low
  • Dagger – Low
  • Ring - Low
• Tolerance
  • Drought – Low
  • Wet Soil –Low
  • Salinity – Medium
  • Lime – Low
• Influence on Scion
  • Vigor – Very Low to Medium

Comments – Third most used rootstock in Oregon prefers deep, well-drained, fertile and moist soils, good choice for fertile sites where low yields are desired, not recommended for dry nonirrigated sites, early maturation, scions tend to overbear.

Sunridge Nurseries announces its new Deep Root Green Pot

May 11th, 2009

Sunridge Nurseries is proud to announce its new Deep Root Green Pot. This pot, the largest in the grapevine industry at a volume of 946 cc, was first introduced at the Unified Wine Symposium in Sacramento. The Deep Root Green Pot has almost double the volume of any other green growing potted grapevine available. Green vine quality never looked so good.

This pot promotes proper root orientation, allowing the roots to descend to the bottom of the pot in a straight fashion. The ribs in the side of the pot point the roots downward towards the large opening at the bottom of the pot, which allows for “air pruning.” This process encourages the basal roots to branch  repeatedly, and prevents root balling at the bottom. Sunridge believes that the downward orientation of the roots promote the plant to excel after  field planting. Roots are not tangled or competing, so the natural downward growth continues uninhibited. The resulting root structure in an established vineyard becomes mechanically strong and stable. Sunridge, the leader  in the industry, believes that growers are looking for a healthy, viable plant that will grow fast and be easy to maintain after planting. This new product line should fill or exceed all of your requirements. After all, you only have one chance to get it right the first time, and here it is!