Wine-Grower-News #2

May 21, 2007

Information included in this issue includes:

Information included in this issue includes:
 
Avoiding Gumpuckerooney
Cuprofix Ultra 40 Disperse Receives Organic Certification
Iowa Soils Suitable For Vineyards-by-County Now Online.
Spray Drift Season Is Back
Screw Cap Statistics
8 of Top 10 Wine Blogs are in U.S
Skunk Story Worth Repeating
Neeto-Keeno WWW Stuff
 
Avoiding Gumpuckerooney
 
“Gumpuckerooney” This is the term I often use to represent what happens when you mix two or more pesticides and/or adjuvants in a spray tank that result in an insoluble goopy, slimy or dough-like mixture that will not go into solution. There are some simple rules of thumb you can follow to avoid this situation. Knowing your pesticide formulations and their mixing order is the first step. Generally speaking this is the typical pesticide formulation mixing order:
 
            First: Water-Dispersible Granules (WDG), Dry Flowables (DF), Wettable Powders (WP),
                     Water Soluable Packets (WSP)
            Second: Flowables (F), Emulsified Concentrates (EC’s)
            Third: Soluble Powders (SP), Soluble Granules (SG), Solutions (S)
            Last: Surfactants or Crop Oils
 
Each product should be thoroughly mixed before the next one is added. Before adding dry formulations, you should make them into a slurry by mixing them with a little water.  Always refer to the pesticide labels for exact mixing instructions.  The usual method for tank mixing pesticides is to fill the tank 1/4 to 1/3 full of water with good agitation.  In most cases it is best to add any required ammonium sulfate, nitrogen solutions or other fertilizer additives before the addition of the pesticides. This is not always true and the labels should be read carefully. In any case, these  fertilizers need to be in complete solution before the pesticides are added.
 
The success of getting everything into solution and keeping them in solution will increase if these additional steps are taken:
           
            1. Premixing the pesticides into a smaller premix tank before adding to the spray tank.
            2. Warm water will hold more pesticide in solution than cold water.
            3. A good spray tank agitation system will keep everything in solution.
            4. Pre-test the mixture by premixing a small amount of each pesticide into a quart jar.
          
More information on pesticide formulations and mixing can be found in the Iowa Private Pesticide Applicator Guide found here: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PAT1.pdf.
 
Cuprofix Ultra 40 Disperse Receives Organic Certification
 
Cerexagri-Nisso LLC recently announced that its copper formulation of Cuprofix Ultra 40 Disperss received organic status. All components of the formulation are now on the USDA National Organics Program approved list. Application has been made for inclusion on the Organic Materials Review Institute’s product list. 
 
This is good news for organic grape growers.  Cuprofix Ultra 40 Disperss is a Bordeaux-type mixture that has long been used for disease control. The original Bordeaux mixture (copper sulfate & hydrated lime) was first used in France to control downy mildew in 1865.  Cuprofix Ultra 40 Disperss offers several benefits over the common Bordeaux mixture. Each particle is coated with surfactants and wetting and anti-foaming agents, creating a superior dry flowable granule formulation. The result is a pH neutral, very stable, highly dispersible formulation that is nearly dust free.  This product should provide excellent control of  Powdery Mildew and Downy Mildew, good control of phomopsis and partial control of Black Rot. 
 
Cuprofix Ultra Disperss  can be purchased in 10 or 30 lb. bags and retails for approximately $5/lb.
The labeled rate ranges from 1.25 to 3 lbs/acre. The entire Cuprofix Ultra 40 label can be found here: http://www.cdms.net/LDat/ld7BU000.pdf
 
Iowa Soils Suitable For Vineyards-by-County Now Online

Dr. Gerald Miller and staff at Iowa State University have identified those soils in Iowa that are suitable for vineyards. There are approximately 450 different soil series (types) that have been identified in Iowa via our Iowa Cooperative Soil Survey program. The properties that differentiate these different soil series have been identified in the "Iowa Soil Properties and Interpretation Database" (ISPAID).   Dr. Miller and his staff were able to identify favorable vineyard soil properties and select individual soil map units in each county that are suitable for vineyards.  The soil map units in each county in Iowa that are suitable (favorable) for vineyards can be found at this ISU Extension Soils & Land Use WWW site: http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/soils/interpretations.html
 
Spray Drift Season is Back
 
I received several calls this week regarding phenoxy herbicide spray drift on grapes. 2,4-D and dicamba are the two primary herbicides in this group that cause most of our problems in vineyards.
2,4-D, Banvel, Clarity, Marksman, Crossbow, MecaMine-D, Weed-G-Bone, Brush Killer, Northstar, and Distinct are some of more common herbicides containing either 2,4-D and/or dicamba used in Iowa. Phenoxy  herbicides can volatize into the air even after their application is made. Temperatures above 80F will increase their potential to volatize.
 
 Phenoxy herbicides are growth regulators that act similar to a growth hormone. It takes very little to cause an effect.  Light doses will normally only distort young leaf growth. Higher dosages can distort shoots, future leaf growth, fruit set, fruit ripening and winter hardening. Very seldom will phenoxy spray drift kill grape plants, but the effect of a heavy dosage can affect the plant for several years. It is very difficult to determine the full damage of one spray drift occurrence.
 
It is against the law to drift pesticides onto another’s property and cause damage. Most drift problems are settled between neighbors and friends without being officially reported to the Iowa Department of Agriculture.  Though, when the need arises, Iowa law specifies that spray drift complaints need to be filed with the Secretary of Agriculture within 60 days of the occurrence.  One needs to call the Pesticide Bureau at 515-281-8591 to file a damage complaint.  A pesticide investigator will then come to your vineyard, take foliage samples, pictures and interview all who are involved. Any fines or formal warnings will be levied after the formal report is completed.  There is no charge for this service.
 
Being proactive is your best defense against phenoxy spray drift.  A simple sign with the word “GRAPES” speaks a 1,000 words.  Most private and commercial pesticide applicators want to know where grapes are located so that they plan accordingly.  Informing your neighbors and local ag- dealers of your vineyard is also recommended.
 
 Additional Resources:
            1. Iowa Dept. Ag Pesticide Bureau: http://www.agriculture.state.ia.us/pesticidestaff.htm
            2. “Questions & Answers About Vineyard Injury from Herbicide Drift” Kansas State Univ.
                  http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/hort2/samplers/MF2588.asp
            3. “Preventing Herbicide Drift & Injury to Grape” 8p, Oregon State University:
                http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/em/em8860.pdf
 
Screw Cap Statistics
          ( “George Tabor – to cork or not cork” interview in 5-15-07 Wine Business monthly Daily News.)
 
New Zealand Wineries – 80% use screw caps
Australia Wineries– 50% use screw caps
USA Wineries – 20% use screw caps
France/Portugal/Italy/Spain – 100% cork (often mandated by law)
 
8 of Top 10 Wine Blogs are in U.S.   (5-5-07 Wein-Plus.com)
 
According to an analysis performed by the real-time search engine Technorati, the most important wine weblogs in the world originate in the USA. There are no less than eight US American blogs among the Top Ten, headed up by http://vinography.com.

1. Vinography, http://vinography.com
2. Stormhoek, http://www.stormhoek.com (South Africa)
3. Fermentation, http://fermentation.typepad.com
4. Winelibrary TV, http://tv.winelibrary.com
5. Wine Outlook, http://www.wineoutlook.com
6. Bainbridge on Wine, http://www.stephenbainbridge.com
7. Dr. Vino, http://drvino.com
8. Winecast, http://winecast.net
9. Spittoon, http://www.spittoon.biz
10. Lenndevours, http://lennthompson.typepad.com/lenndevours
 

Skunk Story Worth Repeating

There will be a time when the inevitable will happen if you have dogs or cats and live in the country.  The first day they run into that skunk will be a memorable one.  Believe me!  My first time was back in the mid-90's in the middle of winter when our miniature Dachshund chased one down into a road culvert.  P.....U...., this event temporarily blinded poor little Humphry and took my breath away.  Being a novice at this, I quickly took the advice of friends and neighbors.   Tomato juice, apple juice, baking soda, hot water, vinegar, apple shampoo, Masengill, Selsun Blue shampoo, etc, etc. etc......  We ended up washing Humphry outside in a wheel barrow with a solution of hot water, tomato juice and apple shampoo.  We scrubbed and scrubbed.  I think we washed and rinsed that dog 4-5 times.   Approximately 70% of the P.U. came off.  It took several weeks and several more scrubbings before all of the P.U. was gone.

A new and better "Skunk P.U. Remover" is now available and I was given the opportunity to test it out on "Millie" our newest miniature Dachshund this past fall when she cornered a skunk in my brush pile.   P.... U...., the memories returned.  This time I was ready. I was listening to WHO Radio one day and had heard of a new formula developed by Illinois chemist Paul Krebaum.   This is his formula:
                1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide,
                1/4 cup of baking soda
                1 teaspoon of liquid soap.
Mix together and apply it to the sprayed areas, then wash off with tap water. The solution must be mixed as needed. This mix cannot be contained in a bottle.

End Result.... It worked GREAT!  I highly recommend it.  --  Mike White
 
You can learn more about this recipe here: http://home.earthlink.net/~skunkremedy/home/

Neeto-Keeno WWW Stuff

        1. “Wine Rating Wizard” freeware software for rating wines:
             http://www.aboriginemundi.com/wrw/
        2. “Vineyard Mechanization Systems” Univ. of Arkansas:
             http://www.uark.edu/depts/ifse/grapeprog/vinemech.htm
        3. Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) Searchable Database:
             http://omri.org/OMRI_datatable.htm
        4. “Vineyard Calendar for Scouting Key Pests” Michigan State Univ:
             http://grapes.msu.edu/calendar.htm
 
Past issues archived here: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/ag/newsletters/winegrowers.html




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