01/30/2017
I realize it may seem a bit early to be talking about frost damage prevention, but it really isn’t. The article on Frost Prevention in this newsletter from Mike White at Iowa State University is the most concise yet comprehensive articles I have seen on the subject: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/wine/sites/www.extension.iastate.edu/files/WineGrowerNews232_11Mar2013.pdf. One of the treatments that is recommended for delaying bud break (and thus minimizing the chance of frost damage to young shoots) is the application of Amigo soybean oil. In the research trials that Mike cites in this article, Amigo oil was sprayed in February, then biweekly until bud break. Other research trials I have seen with this product show good results with a single application in February or March. Understand that research has been limited and the results have varied depending on variety and spray timing. However, if you have any concerns about early bud break and spring frost damage, I encourage you to do a spray trial with Amigo oil between now and mid-March. I wouldn’t be concerned about late breaking varieties such as Cab Sauv and Vidal, but early breaking varieties such as Chardonnay, Seyval, Merlot, Cab Franc, P Verdot stand to benefit from a treatment.
Amigo Oil is only available from Crop Production Services and the Wi******er warehouse has a limited supply. We can order more if there is enough interest, so contact me ASAP if you want to do a spray trial this year. Here’s what I recommend:
now thru mid-March:
o mix 2.5 gal Amigo in 27 gal water in tank with roller pump and hand wand (e.g. 30-gal Femco sprayer)
o hold the hand wand almost parallel to trellis as you drive down the row so that most of the spray lands on the vines (if you hold it perpendicular to the trellis, most of your spray will be lost on the ground
o direct spray at those buds that you will be retaining upon final pruning (those closest to the cordon), soaking the canes as much as possible….it is VERY IMPORTANT to SATURATE the fruiting spurs or canes
if you have established cordons and your spray can be directed right at the cordon, it will probably take about 40 gallons of spray (about 4 gal of Amigo) to treat an acre
if you are cane-pruning or you are establishing new cordons and you haven’t tied your canes to the fruiting wire at the time of application, it will require significantly more time and spray to cover the vertical canes that you will be retaining and tying down as fruiting canes.
o leave at least 1 row untreated in each variety so that you can measure the efficacy of the treatment
o on 1 row per variety, repeat the treatment every 2 weeks until bud break so that you can measure the efficacy of multiple treatments
Amigo oil costs ~$22/gal and comes in a 2.5-gal jug. Please email ( [email protected] ) me ASAP if you want some.
Thanks!
