After the hail storm I took the time to look through the vines and the Merlot appears to have taken the hardest hit.  Actually, prior to the the storm I had already been through two thirds of the block shoot thinning.  That is removing shoots without bunches and those causing clustering or doubles emerging from buds.  This has now meant that damage to those remaining shoots has resulted in a reduction in potential yield of 15 - 20%.

Shoots as shown were broken off by the shear force of the hail stones. In this case the damage was above the young bunch.

Here the shoot was damaged below the young bunch and as a result potential fruit production has been lost.

The other issue with such damage is the pitting caused by the hail stones hitting the shoot. These are potential sites for fungal attack and a spray will need to be applied at the first opportunity.

I have heard on the grapevine that succulent Shiraz shoots have taken a hamering in the region.  With more weather expected early next week - we must all start saying our prayers.

Vineman  

This entry was posted on Friday, October 6th, 2006 at 8:17 pm and is filed under viticulture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.