With temperatures hitting +100F (40C) in the Bay area, the vines are growing rapidly and it is time to do some canopy management. As you can see from the before and after photos, the vines are growing in all directions so we need to trim the top shoots and place the canes within the trellis wires. This is all manual work and needs to be done in the morning to avoid the heat. However, the result is very satisfying and the vines now look like hedges – trimmed and growing upwards.
The berries are growing nicely and the bunches have turned and hanging downwards. The berries are filling the cluster (we call it “cluster closure”) but the vines still make more leaves, a phenomenal array of “solar panels” converting sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into sugars.
The biggest challenges are fungal diseases due to morning fog and constraining the shoot growth. At this point, the season looks good – maybe we get another good harvest!
