Vineyard Underground Fritz Westover

In this episode, we are diving into the essential vineyard tasks that you need to complete before bud burst in your vineyard to ensure you're prepared and ready for the growing season. A successful season depends on you and your crew’s preparation. You must have a top-to-bottom plan for your vineyard so it can thrive during the upcoming season.
From knowing when you plan to spray your crops and with what products to how you will manage the floor of your vineyard, a few tasks must be done before bud burst. This episode contains the four essential vineyard tasks and a few bonus tips so you can enter the season confident that your vineyard is healthy and prepared.
Enjoy, and please reach out if you have follow-up vineyard preparation questions after you listen.
In this episode, you will hear:
How to correct pruning mistakes to ensure your shoots grow correctly.
Tips on leaving clear buds on the spur positions.
How to prepare yourself with spray products for the season.
Fertilization tips if you have annual herbicide drift issues.
If mowing or tilling your cover crop is best for your vineyard.
And more!
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We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.
Supporting Resources
Click the “Ask Fritz” button at VineyardUndergroundPodcast.com to get your vineyard question answered.
Book Fritz for your grower organization events.
Learn to Be a Better Grape Grower with VirtualViticultureAcademy.com - save $75 off your first year of membership with the code Underground at checkout.
Episode Resource Links:
View the Pre-Bud Burst Vineyard Preparation Checklist
View the full Grower Guide Library
Episode Credits
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

In today’s episode, we get to listen in as Fritz presents the keynote presentation at the 2023 Ohio Grape & Wine Conference focusing on the holistic approach to vine health, production, and vineyard longevity along with best practice innovations for holistic vineyard management. Embracing a holistic approach entails looking at the complete system from the time you plant your vineyard through the life of your vineyard with focuses on:
Vine Establishment
Soil Quality & Vine Nutrition
Vine Management Practices
Disease Suppression & Exclusion
Vine Longevity & Sustained Yields
In this episode, you will hear:
What a holistic vineyard management approach looks like
Grower innovations to address vineyard challenges
Soil conservation practices
A closed system approach to vine training
Vine training best practices
Why shoot thinning during the green vegetative cycle is important
Use of the Watson System across the country to solve diverse vineyard challenges
Subscribe and Review
Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 
We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.
Supporting Resources:
Click the “Ask Fritz” button at VineyardUndergroundPodcast.com to get your vineyard question answered.
Book Fritz for your grower organization events.
Learn to Be a Better Grape Grower with VirtualViticultureAcademy.com - save $75 off your first year of membership with the code Underground at checkout.
Episode Resource Links:
View the Holistic Approach to Vine Health, Production & Longevity PDF.
View the full Grower Guide Library.
Episode Credits
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

On today’s episode of Vineyard Underground, I'm answering questions from winegrape growers across the country (and the world) on 7 very different topics. Listen in as my answers to these questions just might help you with questions you have had for your vineyard as well. 
If you have questions you need to be answered for your vineyard, remember you can click the Ask Fritz button at VineyardUndergroundPodcast.com
In this episode, you will hear:
How to identify and treat Phomopsis
When and how to decide if struggling young vines should be replaced
How to prevent damage from grape root borer
How to move from a VSP (vertical shoot position) training system to a high-wire system
Approaches for handling weed management
Criteria for determining the best cane to use for trunks
When and how to plant potted vines
Subscribe and Review
Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 
We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and helps spread the word about the podcast.
Supporting Resources:
Click the “Ask Fritz” button at VineyardUndergroundPodcast.com to get your vineyard question answered.
Learn to Be a Better Grape Grower with VirtualViticultureAcademy.com - save $75 off your first year of membership with the code Underground at checkout.
Episode Resource Links:
View the full Grower Guide Library
Episode 12 - Diseases of Pruning Wounds with Kendra Baumgartner
Episode Credits
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Pruning wounds can leave your vines and trunks susceptible to certain disease-causing pathogens. While this is an inevitable part of growing a vineyard, there are certain pruning practices that can mitigate the risks. It’s also useful to familiarize yourself with the different infection processes between diseases so you have better agency to approach these vineyard problems accordingly.
 
Joining today’s conversation is Dr. Kendra Baumgartner, a USDA ARS research plant pathologist, who runs the research program in sustainable viticulture at UC Davis. Kendra focuses on the development of effective and efficient control strategies for fungal diseases of grapes. One of her areas of focus includes pruning wounds that affect trunks and cordons. Listen in as Kendra shares her in-depth knowledge about this topic. 
In this episode, you will hear:
Types of pruning wounds that are at risk of infection Understanding the healing process of pruning wounds Top diseases on vines and trunk - symptoms and prevention Practices and products for dealing with infections Subscribe and Review
Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. 
We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.
Supporting Resources:
Click the “Ask Fritz” button at VineyardUndergroundPodcast.com to get your vineyard question answered.
Learn to Be a Better Grape Grower with VirtualViticultureAcademy.com.
Upcoming FREE Virtual Learning Events:
Using Soil Moisture Monitoring for Irrigation Management - February 9, 2023 | 6:00-7:30 PM CST
Episode Resource Links:
NEW - Pruning Video Course - Top Pruning Mistakes
How-To-Guide - Preventing Grapevine Trunk Disease
Video - Pruning Shear Sharpening
View the full Grower Guide Library
Today’s Guest:
Kendra Baumgartner 
USDA-ARS Research Plant Pathologist 
UC Davis Campus in California
kbaumgartner@ucdavis.edu
Episode Credits
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

This week we are joined by 3 highly successful experts who train and run crews for a living as they share their first-hand experience and advice on training your pruning crew in this informative, in-depth episode.
Our guests today are Ivan Gonzales of Vineyard Professional Services in Paso Robles, California, Jake Busching of Jake Busching Wines in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Rob Warren of Desert Willow Vineyard in Seminole, TX
In this episode, you will hear:
How experts train their crews Strategies for working with crews of different background and experience levels Common challenges for training a pruning crew The most common pruning mistakes crews make (and how to avoid them) Top tips to help you train your pruning crew Subscribe and Review
Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.
We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.
Supporting Resources
Click the “Ask Fritz” button at VineyardUndergroundPodcast.com to get your vineyard question answered.
Learn to Be a Better Grape Grower with VirtualViticultureAcademy.com.
Upcoming FREE Virtual Learning Events:
Using Soil Moisture Monitoring for Irrigation Management - February 9, 2023 | 6:00-7:30 PM CST
Episode Resource Links:
Listen to Episode 6 Why Pruning is the Most Important Vineyard Activity with Marco Tessari
Watch the Pruning Shear Sharpening Grower Guide
View the full Grower Guide Library
Today’s Guests:
Ivan Gonzales
Vineyard Manager
Vineyard Professional Services | Instagram
Paso Robles, California
Jake Busching 
Founder of Jake Busching Wines | Virginia Winery and Vineyard Consultant
Jake Busching Wines | Facebook | Instagram
Charlottesville, Virginia
Rob Warren
Owner – Warren Farms & Desert Willow Vineyard
Facebook | Instagram 
Seminole, Texas
Episode Credits
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.  Let them know we sent you.

You may know how to prune, but does your pruning crew know how YOU prune? Whether you’re getting your friends or neighbors to help you out or you’re hiring a large contracted crew, how they prune your vineyard can impact not only the success of this season but also the long-term health of your vineyard.
In today's episode, we are going to talk about some things you need to consider for hiring a pruning crew, training options for your crew, and my top tips for training your pruning crew.
Pruning is arguably the most critical management task for setting your vineyard up for a successful season so you must plan early. Your goals can change from season to season. Therefore, you need to ensure your vineyard is properly pruned for the age of your vines, the location of your vineyard, and your vineyard goals for the season.
In this episode, you will hear:
Planning the size and timing of your crew The challenge with blending in-house talent with outside labor Why you should invest in trained labor Training the crew - yourself, training videos, or a vineyard consultant Why you need to teach from multiple examples The importance of assigning each worker to their own vine rows Subscribe and Review
Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.
We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.
Supporting Resources:
Click the “Ask Fritz” button at VineyardUndergroundPodcast.com to get your vineyard question answered.
Learn to Be a Better Grape Grower with VirtualViticultureAcademy.com.
Upcoming FREE Virtual Learning Events:
Top 10 Dormant Pruning Mistakes in Your Vineyard - January 19, 2023 | 6:00-7:30 PM CST - https://www.virtualviticultureacademy.com/product/pruning2023/
Using Soil Moisture Monitoring for Irrigation Management - February 9, 2023 | 6:00-7:30 PM CST - https://www.virtualviticultureacademy.com/product/sms/ 
Episode Credits
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.  Let them know we sent you.