Viticulturist Graham Fisher, provides you with some expert tips on how you can help to create a vineyard with healthy soil structures and vitality.
1. Conduct a Soil Health Check
I think it is important to carry out a soil health check early in the season so you can plan ahead for what is needed before springtime.
You’d be surprised how many people just apply soil amendments because that’s what they have always done. Once you get the results from your health check, you’ll know exactly where to focus your time, effort and money.
2. Keep Your Tractor in the Shed
Winter is not the time to be driving a tractor around and causing compaction.
We make sure our clients get their fertiliser additions done well before winter really kicks in. In the Southwest, winter tends to be mild and wet, so its important to get any tractor operations done well in advance.
3. Introduce livestock to your vineyard
Where possible I advocate for incorporating livestock into the vineyard over cooler months. Letting sheep roam through the vines is so beneficial from tidying up the undervine area. They not only keep the grass grazed, they are also add beneficial organic matter and fertiliser. The only downside is they will find any weak or broken posts in the vineyard.
If you are going to use sheep make sure you remove or better still mulch your pruning’s in advance otherwise they will get stuck in the fleece of the sheep.
4. Time your springtime to perfection
Like with most things in life timing is important, especially when to comes to soil health.
Seize the day! I suggest not to put off a job that needs doing as the weather is bound to change for the worse and you will wish you would have done it when you had the chance.
There is little point in applying fertilisers, composts or sowing a cover crop over winter as you won’t see the benefit, but that doesn’t stop you from planning what is needed.