Bud Necrosis in the Vineyard

  Our temperatures have been flirting on the threshold of our vines tolerance, so.....

     I went out to the vineyard today to take some cuttings to test for bud death.  We have had one of the coldest winters in recent years.  Certainly, it has never been this cold for the vines which we planted in 2008.  Much of the research for grapes in our area warns of primary bud necrosis at temperatures below -5 degrees F.  Our temperatures have been flirting with 0 for several weeks now and I want to see definitively if our buds are suffering.  Hopefully the gradual drop throughout Nov. and early December prepared the vines for this cold snap.  Primary bud death is very difficult to predict because there are many factors involved including type, site aspects, moisture and vine health.  It seems like we are in good shape but I will be sure to follow up with some pictures of the buds I am going to survey.