Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Begin to cut back water after veraison unless you see severe signs of drought. You
will surely have a harvest this year. As soon as you have harvested the ripe grapes, give the
plants an ample watering; say, four to eight hours. Then resume your watering schedule.
Again, cease all watering during rainy periods and after leaf fall.
Fourth Year and After
In the fourth year and thereafter, you will have good root growth and the vines are get-
ting water on their own most of the time. You should water during long spells of very hot
weather, and then give a deep watering for three to five hours. Continue to keep an eye on
the shoots to see if there are signs of water deprivation. Begin to cut back on water after
veraison, unless there are signs of drought or extreme water deprivation.
Shoots that start to shrivel at the tips are a sign that the vines are not getting
enough water.
After your harvest, give the vines four to eight hours of water and resume your water
schedule until it rains or leaf fall, then stop watering.
Many mature vineyards are not irrigated except in drought years, and vineyards in
some regions receive all the water they need from rainfall during the growing season. Once
your vineyard is mature, irrigate it according to the water supply and vine needs. But no
matter what, always cut back with approaching harvest and again with vine dormancy to
assure fruit and wood maturity.
