Here we go!
Our first in series of "SETTING UP A VINEYARD" begins with MARKING, TRENCHING & DRIP IRRIGATION.
Our first in series of "SETTING UP A VINEYARD" begins with MARKING, TRENCHING & DRIP IRRIGATION.
Marking is more to design the way, how the futuristic Vineyard will take its course! We use white chalk powder to draw lines run in North-South direction, so that the vines (plants) take maximum day heat which is crucial in deciding the brix (sugar) value of grapes. These lines are usually drawn with a gap of 8 feet between them, so that it will give enough breathing space between rows and tractor or a weed remover can easily move in between, on a later date. The white line you see, shows the way it's drawn and a JCB machine digging the trench all along that way!
Trenching is an immediate activity done after marking the land with lines defined to grow grape vines. We dig trenches of 1-2 feet deep all along the line marked for 2 good reasons.
1) It helps to clear up the entire row for any unforeseen blockages.
2) It opens up the soil - row wise, hence enabling proper root development.
These trenches are kept open for a week at least to allow the soil to bathe in sun and hence killing harmful pests/bacteria on way.
Trenching also paves way to Vineyard design in terms setting up the Drip Irrigation as we draw the water pipes and the way the drip pumps need to be set up.
Drip Irrigation is crucial at this stage, because the Root stocks only source of water will be through drips! Hence laying the main line and its drips plays a vital role, as we will see in more detail later.
Generally, we set the drip such that - one liter of water is supplied every hour. The best part is water is supplied right to the plant, without wastage.
The other best practice with Drip Irrigation in place is even the water soluble fertilizers like 19-ALL (N:P:K), UREA can be pumped, which again feeds the roots directly.
1) It helps to clear up the entire row for any unforeseen blockages.
2) It opens up the soil - row wise, hence enabling proper root development.
These trenches are kept open for a week at least to allow the soil to bathe in sun and hence killing harmful pests/bacteria on way.
Trenching also paves way to Vineyard design in terms setting up the Drip Irrigation as we draw the water pipes and the way the drip pumps need to be set up.Drip Irrigation is crucial at this stage, because the Root stocks only source of water will be through drips! Hence laying the main line and its drips plays a vital role, as we will see in more detail later.
Generally, we set the drip such that - one liter of water is supplied every hour. The best part is water is supplied right to the plant, without wastage.
The other best practice with Drip Irrigation in place is even the water soluble fertilizers like 19-ALL (N:P:K), UREA can be pumped, which again feeds the roots directly.
