This is a hopeful time of year. We enjoy warmer days, lovely spring flowers and the promise of a good harvest season.
Grapevine buds are visible and starting to open up. The hopefulness of spring however, is always tempered by the consistent threat of frost.
It is relatively easy to predict frosty events. What is more difficult is to understand how and where the frost will fall in and around a vineyard.
Dr Alistair Nesbitt who has an established expertise on the impact of climate on viticulture said without a frost management plan, the promise of a productive vineyard can come to a quick stop if fresh new buds are burnt by frost.
Alistair works with vineyards to create frost maps to better predict what parts of the vineyard could be impacted by frost.
“Our mapping technology can identify how frost will fall over different parts of the site.
“This informs what forms of frost protection vineyard owners and managers can apply to give new buds the best protection possible.”
There is an increasing number of frost protection technologies available, which can make the decision about what to use quite difficult.
Viticulturist and Vinescapes Operations Manager, Joel Jorgensen said frost mapping is one of the key tools the Vinescapes team use to identify how to manage frost to fit the specific attributes of each site.
“We work with up to eight different forms of first protection – from frost candles to large robotic fan systems. We work with clients to determine the best options available to them within their budget,” Joel said.
“We also revise our frost plans according to the type of frost – a white, black or air frost, which can each have a very different impact on vines in spring time.
Joel said his advice to vineyards yet to have a defined frost protection plan is to start with a frost map of each block, to determine the level of protection and possible investment is required to ensure the vines survive the harsh burns of spring frost events.
If you’d like to talk to the team about your frost management plan, get in touch as soon as you can to avoid any damage to your vines this spring.
Frost has direct impact on the growing potential of vineyards from April through to mid-May. After this time, summer temperatures rise and vines become more established and less prone to frost damage.
The Vinescapes team are directly engaged in developing frost mitigation strategies, including the recent launch of the Bud Burst Hub.
The hub is one element of a project called ‘Smarter Forecasting, Communication and Management of Frost Risk in Vineyards’.