I am looking to install wine-producing grapes in my back yard, but I want to purchase vines from a reputable company, especially since I want to minimize the chance of exposure to Phylloxera. Where would you recommend I shop for the 12-20 vines I would like to install in my back yard?
While I cannot guarantee that any of these nurseries sell stock that is free of Phylloxera, here are three reputable nurseries that may have what you are looking for:
Raintree Nursery
Burnt Ridge Nursery & Orchards
Cloud Mountain Farm
Source: Susan Hill. The Pacific Northwest Plant Locator 2000-2001.
If you would like to know more about Phylloxera, the Northwest Berry & Grape Information Center may provide additional information.
Season
All Season
Date 2006-12-08
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We've got an established grapevine that has acquired erineum
mites, and a horticulturalist advised us to use dormant
spray this fall. The dormant sprays are rather nasty things, and I recently ran across
Neem oil, which says it acts as a miticide. It sounds like the
concentrated Neem oil is pretty nasty, too, but I'm wondering: (1) will
Neem oil work to get rid of the mites; and (2) is it any less harmful to
the environment than the traditional dormant sprays?
According to the University of California, Davis Integrated Pest Management program, Erineum mites will not adversely affect your grape crop, they merely cause an aesthetic problem (disfigured leaves).
Washington State University Extension does mention using dormant-season horticultural oils or wettable sulfur. Excerpt:
The grape erineum mite, Collomerus vitus, is actually a type of
eriophyid mite. They are very tiny, whitish, worm-like, and
spindle-shaped. Their bodies have definite annulations or rings, and only
two pairs of legs directly behind the mouthparts. They overwinter under
outer bud scales and feed on leaves during summer. The upper leaf surface
becomes blistered, and blisters on the lower leaf surface turn white,
yellow, or brown. Colonies of mites live inside the blisters (erinea)
formed by their feeding on the lower surfaces. The blisters contain
masses of enlarged leaf hairs. Large infestations can cause major stress
on young vines. From mid-August to leaf drop, the mites migrate back to
the overwintering sites beneath bud scales.
Apply according to label instructions. Dormant-season horticultural oils
or wettable sulfur applications may be helpful. If you choose to use a pesticide, some examples of products that are legal in Washington are listed below.
Always read and follow all label directions.
- Bonide All Seasons Horticultural & Dormant Spray Oil
- Bonide Lime Sulfur Spray
- ferti-lome SCALECIDE
- R-T-U Year-Round Spray Oil
- Sunspray Ultra-Fine Year-Round Pesticidal Oil
- This list may not include all products registered for this use.
I have only seen references to serious damage from this pest when the
grapevine affected is very young, so you may be able to do nothing at
all. Neem's effectiveness as a miticide is as yet unproven, and when
selecting a Neem-based product, you have to make sure it actually
contains the active ingredient said to affect insects, Azadirachtin--some
"Neem" products do not. (Also, Azadirachtin affects good bugs as well as
the ones you may be trying to control, so it is definitely not
risk-free).
New York State Agricultural Experiment Station: Neem Factsheet
Paghat's Garden website article on the "Myth and Reality of Neem Worship"
Although most horticultural oils are petroleum-based, there are
supposedly a few out there which are being made with vegetable oil, which
would be a preferable alternative if you really needed to spray for the erineum mites. Colorado State University Extension has an article on dormant oil.
Season
All Season
Date 2007-09-19
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