Cannon River Vineyard
Plantra Grow Tubes On First Leaf Marquette Vines
Photos Plantra team
Vines planted May 15, 2009, Photos taken June 23, 2009
Longtime customer and (more importantly!) friend John Maloney of Cannon River Winery and Vineyard, Cannon Falls MN, uses Plantra Grow Tubes for all of his new plantings.
Last month he planted a block of Marquette vines and protected them with 24 inch Plantra Grow Tubes. Besides the fact that these vines have grown extremely fast, the important thing to note is the incredible consistency of growth.
Vines growing at the same - very fast - rate make vineyard management much easier; all of the vines will be ready for training to the cordon wire at the same time, saving several trips to the field.
Another shot showing the uniformity and consistency of growth of these first leaf Marquette vines.
Weed control - For Midwestern and Eastern vineyard managers weed control is a constant challenge. Looking down a row you can see how Plantra Grow Tubes protect newly planted grapevines from herbicide spray, making weed control much faster & easier...and a lot more effective. With recent hot, humid weather weed seeds that germinated since the last treatment have gotten started; the block will be treated again soon.
92 degrees and humid...the growing season in Minnesota isn’t long but when it comes you can almost hear the vines growing!
An important point for Upper Midwest and Northeastern growers: Grow tubes are not meant to be "growing season extenders." They do not allow you to plant early by protecting vines from late spring frosts, and they do not protect vines from fall frost or winter injury.
Growth - These Marquette grapevines were about 6 inches tall when planted last month. The Plantra Grow Tubes are 24 inches tall and the vines are, on average, 18 inches above the tubes. They have grown 3+ feet in just over a month.
These vines will be trained to the cordon soon, and John expects to harvest a significant crop from these vines next year - in 2nd leaf!
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