Project Vitis Rescue Update

fastpat · 08-06-2006, 01:00 PM

Took a couple more photos of the grape vine I'm bringing under cultivation. The grapes are ripening and it's looking pretty good so far.

The clusters are not large, mostly 2-3 grapes per bunch.

This is a typical grape, about 3/4 inch in diameter. They might get a bit larger over the next month.

Looking healthy.

New tendrils poping out to help support the vine up in the trees.

fastpat · 08-06-2006, 06:25 PM

You're welcome, Wayne.

pmajka · 08-07-2006, 05:45 AM

Pat, the japs won! beatles that is......grapes are a total loss.

Where do beatles sleep at night?

I think i am gonna give that milkspore a try.

Also, leaves on my apple trees are discolored and the bottom of leaves have fuzzy spikey spots 2 - 3 mm long.

Dixie · Dixie's Garage

Quote:

Wow, a non-political post!...

Maybe not. Notice they're WHITE grapes.

fastpat · 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by pmajka
Pat, the japs won! beatles that is......grapes are a total loss.

Where do beatles sleep at night?

I think i am gonna give that milkspore a try.

Also, leaves on my apple trees are discolored and the bottom of leaves have fuzzy spikey spots 2 - 3 mm long.

This year I waged war on the beetles with 5% sevin dust and traps. The sevin works very well, but I had to reapply it after every rain storm or if I had a heavy dew fall three or four days in a row. I understand that the liquid is somewhat easier to apply, if the tree that's under attack is more than 10 feet high.

The traps I used were by SpectaCide, and I caught thousands in them. If you've never used traps let me tell you that they're one stinking mess, I collected the trap bags and quickly put them in a second larger trash bag held at arms length. The smell is akin to rotting fish.

The milky spore application is next, and I'm trying to find a liquid version of that too since I bought a sprayer that fits on the back of the ATV that can cover large areas very quickly. It's a FIMCO 25 gallon model, with three spray nozzles on the back and a spraying wand to direct the spray up into trees.

Interestingly, the beetles attacked some wild grape vines, and left others alone. The one in my photos above was untouched by them, but one near the road was devastated by them.

The discoloration is probably one of the fungal infections, like leaf spot or rust; those can be tackled with Daconil fungicide most of the time, or get a recommendation from a local nuseryman. I think Daconil can be applied up to four days before harvesting any fruit, but it usually isn't necessary to do that, applying it early in the season is best.

Edit: The beetles don't appear to sleep, they eat all night too.

fastpat · 08-09-2006, 01:03 PM

Although I had thought these were going to be white, here's the first two beginning to turn purple. I didn't know they turned so late in the season, showing me how much I have to learn.

pmajka · 08-11-2006, 05:22 AM

Hey guys, i got Mint growing like wild fire...should i just dry it or how do I save it fresh??????or What else could i do with it.

fastpat · 08-11-2006, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by pmajka
Hey guys, i got Mint growing like wild fire...should i just dry it or how do I save it fresh??????or What else could i do with it.

I've never saved mint since it grows so fast and spreads, there's seldom a need to preserve any of it. That goes for Spearmint, what you put into iced teas, and peppermint what is used to flavor candy and so forth. Peppermint is pretty strong, but will smell good hung in your house fresh.

You can hang basil or put a large bunch of it in a vase and it smell pretty good too.