Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
agement
. It is very helpful, covers all aspects of pest management, and has great photos to
help you compare what may be happening to your vines.
If you are tempted to spot-treat weeds with a propane flamer, exercise extreme
caution. It is easy to damage your grapevines or even start a fire.
If all that fails, I recommend that you take a sample of the leaf, shoot, or other part of
the vine, and send it to a commercial agricultural testing laboratory for evaluation. Many
services will tell you how to package a sample, how to send it, and how much it will cost
for the evaluation and recommended treatment.
4. Treatment
Always choose the least-toxic method of control for any problem. Practice prevention and
good vineyard hygiene, continue to build healthy soil, and encourage beneficial organisms.
You will find that most problems can be dealt with.
Don't overreact or panic when you find a pest in your vineyard. I have found white
flies, large worms, and discoloration or loss of leaves, and determined after research they
were indeed pests but not significant enough to worry about. Organic vineyards never look
perfect because some insects, both beneficial and otherwise, remain in the vineyard.
