Journal | July 14, 2025
Hot and Humid
Hot and humid with a chance of thunderstorms.
Hot and humid with a chance of thunderstorms.
Hot and humid with a chance of thunderstorms.
The rhythm seems to be never ending. We are about worn out but what about the vines?The vines are OK. Actually they are very happy. Too happy. Heat, sun and water grow big lush vines, but we are in the business of growing grapes, not leaves. This could soon be a problem. An important shift will start in about three weeks. Veraison, the grape’s change in color, marks the beginning of ripening. This is when the vines need to get serious. The party is over. No more exuberant growth. Time to put the energy into the grapes, not leaves.
But for this to happen, the soil has to dry out and restrict water availability to the roots. Right now there is still quite a lot of moisture in the soil. This will take a lot of dry days.
It's not the heat. It’s the humidity. Dew points above 70F make it feel uncomfortably steamy for us, but for the vines the problem is a combination of late day thunderstorms combined with heavy dews. This is a perfect storm for Downy Mildew infections that can turn leaves from deep green to yellow/brown in a matter of days. We are spraying copper on the upper canopy to protect the most susceptible young leaves.
Quality and style are determined more by August, September and October. This is not our first rodeo. Our job right now is to keep the vines healthy and in balance.
Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Hardscrabble Journal: July 14, 2025