Is There Hope for my Backyard Grapes?

I just happened to notice the Niagara grapes in my backyard. They have increased in size and are definitely much larger than the few vines of Dornfeilder I have planted. What was even more encouraging was the lack of black or brown circles on the grapes. During the last two years we lost our grape crop due to black rot. I’ve tried to be more aggressive with spraying this spring and it may have paid off.

While visiting wineries and vineyards in Mendocino County, I met Charlie Barra. Charlie is a walking encyclopedia for vineyards and grapes. His knowledge extends through 64 harvests. Charlie suggested spraying copper sulfate on the grapes to control the black rot. So far, so good. It is nice to see a cluster of grapes hanging on the vines. Of course if they ever make it to harvest time, I’ll have to decide what to do with them, but after two years of crop failure, I’ll cross the bridge when I get there. In the meantime, I’ll continue to spray at ten to fourteen day intervals and keep a watchful eye for problems.