Bud break is occurring in some vineyards located in the piedmont and lower elevation mountain regions. The frequent rain events have posed a challenge to pruning on several days. Hopefully many are finished, or near finished, pruning their vineyard.
A previous post (https://site.extension.uga.edu/viticulture/2020/03/vineyard-frost-protection-considerations/) discussed frost protection considerations.
Shoot thinning is the first canopy management practice of the season. It will soon be easy to identify fruitful and unfruitful shoots. With this in mind, here is a link to an extension publication on shoot thinning: https://secure.caes.uga.edu/extension/publications/files/pdf/C%201152_1.PDF
Unrelated to bud break, frost protection, and shoot thinning… a reminder of a potentially valuable resource for winemakers. The Winemakers Research Exchange (WRE) is research cooperative that evaluates how various vineyard and winery practices impact sensory attributes and chemical composition of wine. The WRE website contains several educational resources for winemakers: https://www.winemakersresearchexchange.com/
