In the last post I gave you an update about the drought here in California.  The net is we still need a lot of rain in the next 2 months.

2013 our vines were in their 4th leaf (still young and the roots not fully developed) so I was trying to wean them from water to develop the roots better and help the pH of the grapes.  Unfortunately, I went a little to far and the renewal spurs for cane pruning did not fully develop. So, this years crop will be a little smaller than expected…which is OK since we are short of water again and I don’t want to stress the vines so early in their life.  What does that mean for those who don’t know the lingo…in the picture above, the “arms” for his year did not grow enough on some of the vines.  What will I do in 2014?  I’m going to make sure we get enough water until the fruit is “set” which should be enough for 2015.  So much to learn…and I guess you don’t learn unless something happens to you.