If your vines or grapes are not looking fully healthy or fruit set or production has been an issue, it could be due to a lack or excess of either major or minor nutrients and minerals. (or over or under irrigation, mildew or poor soil health, etc)
One of the tools to assist with nutrient and mineral adequacy is a petiole (leaf stem) and/or leaf tissue analysis. This test will provide a report of both deficiencies or excesses. And the analysis can be used to improve the future health of your vines and grape quality and/or quantity.
Such vine tissue analysis tests are typically either done during bloom/fruit set or veraison. Since we are just at veraison, if you are interested, now is a good time to do a test. There are several companies who do such tests. One testing company others and I have used is FGL. Here is more info for the FGL analysis:
Request the comprehensive leaf/petiole analysis. They will bill you $58 for this. Follow instructions for sampling at veraison. Make sure to collect your samples in the morning, and cut the stems (petioles) of the leaves right away otherwise nutrients can flow from petiole to leaf, and brown bag them in separate bags instead of using ziplocks. I send them in one usps priority mail box instead of overnight but if you dont mind paying the upcharge you can also send by overnight ups, etc. If you use priority mail, get them to the post office before noon on either monday or tuesday so they get to the lab before the weekend, and send them to the Santa Paula address.
The January LWGA meeting will be focused on viticulture topics, so if you do a tissue analysis and have questions you can bring them to this meeting.
May your grapes be happy and your wines red or white or pink
Gerard van Steyn
Board Member
