The grapevine is the focus of our most intense efforts in the summer. This is when the fruit is ripening and, if we're not careful, we could lose the entire crop if we fail to pay attention.
Our vine is a Ruby Red Seedless that produces delicious, medium size, red berries.
We've chronicled our other efforts at keeping the birds and rodents away from it with our wire and netting barrier. Another problem is fungus.
Ruby Reds are a little more susceptible to fungus than most grapes. When prepping the plant at the beginning of the season, I sprinkle liberally with sulfur dust and then again when the fruit starts really showing, usually in June.
Still, as you can see at the top, the fruit is starting to turn to the ripe color but the dirty black stuff is smut...a type of fungus.
Left untreated, it will split the fruit open before ripening.
So I got some sulfur dust, poured some in a spray bottle, filled with water, and started spraying. And spraying, and spraying. Plant's about soaked in a sulfur solution now.
Keeping my fingers crossed that the fruit will make it to the end of summer harvest...
Darryl
Copyright 2013 - Darryl Musick
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