What does a dry post harvest mean for grapevines?
Continued photosynthesis and nutrient uptake during the post-harvest period allow vines to store carbohydrate and nutrient reserves for use in the next season.
Recommended practice is to apply irrigation at the end of the season to avoid entering vine dormancy with a dry soil profile.
What if dry conditions continue into winter?
Recommended practice is to bring the main part of the rootzone back into the readily available water range in late winter, or several weeks before bud-break, may
also suffice and will also assist in leaching applied salts from the rootzone. Vines that reach bud-break with a dry soil profile can have uneven and reduced shoot growth, possibly as a result of a decline in root function.
Also dry soils through bud-break appear to have a greater effect on canopy growth than yield.
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