I can’t believe I’ve never seen a “Tapener” before now. At our most recent viticulture class at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, we used this handy tool to position young grapevines onto trellis wires. A combination staple gun/tape dispenser, the Tapener is ingenious, and as long as it doesn’t get jammed, is fairly simple […]
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Viticulture: Japanese beetles and many, ...
CEDAR RAPIDS – Between the various vineyard diseases, voracious bugs, birds and other predators, I’m amazed that any grape can survive to maturity. At our most recent viticulture class at Kirkwood Community College, we learned about fungal diseases of grapevines, such as anthracnose or
Viticulture: Playing with fire
The past two weeks have been busy ones for the Vineyard Management class at the Kirkwood Vineyard in Cedar Rapids. We’ve planted more than 30 grapevines, learned to string trellis wire, attached grow tubes to the new vines and tonight, had our chance to play with fire.
Viticulture: The Curse of the Vineyard
OK, maybe the vineyard isn’t cursed, but the weather seems to be, prompting our viticulture class (or maybe just me) to wonder if we aren’t somehow jinxed. No matter what the weather the day-before or weekend after, all of our class sessions have been plagued with howling winds, frigid temperatures and drenching rain; sometimes all […]
Viticulture: First look at the Kirkwood ...
We made our first foray into the Kirkwood vineyard during tonight’s viticulture course. Our instructor, Lucas McIntire, warned us of the muddy mess, but once we walked to the hillside, the ground was in better shape. March is prime pruning time for grapevines, especially with the frigid weather we’ve been experiencing this spring in Iowa. […]