Shoots are growing well. Time to start spraying.

The shoots are growing well and you can see small grape clusters forming.  Time to start spraying.  Below is the regiment I plan to follow.  I didn’t spray enough last year as I thought I didn’t need to because it was first year and no fruit growth.  Major mistake.  The Black Spanish had several issues that I’ll be fighting to fix this year.  Spray all your plants even the newly planted vines to help them get a great start.

Early spraying with fungicides and insecticides will keep disease and pests off your plants.  Use a sprayer with a higher PSI pressure for better leaf penetration.  The PSI should be greater than 60 PSI (80-90 PSI is better).

New shoot sprays:  Begin when shoots are 4-6 inches long and repeat 7 – 10 days later.

• Use Captan at a rate of 2 tbsp per gallon or Mancozeb at a rate of 3-4 tsp per gallon of water in a sprayer
• Also add Malathion to the sprayer at 2-3 tsp per gallon for insects (don’t need much for mites and smaller pest) later in the year when the Japanese Beetles show up I bump up to 1 tbsp).

Pre-bloom:  When first blossoms start to open.  Most damage from black rot occurs from pre-bloom through 4 weeks after bloom.

• Use Mancozeb (better than Captan at this stage) at a rate of 3-4 tsp per gallon of water in a sprayer
• Also add Malathion to the sprayer at 2-3 tsp per gallon

Post-bloom:  When most of the bloom caps have fallen off the vine.

• Use Captan at a rate of 2 tbsp per gallon of water in a sprayer
• Also add Malathion to the sprayer at 2-3 tsp per gallon

Cover sprays:  7 – 10 days later, then at 2 week intervals until harvest

• Use Captan at a rate of 2 tbsp per gallon of water in a sprayer
• Also add Carbaryl 4L (same as Sevin but 2x stronger) to the sprayer at 2 tsp per gallon
• NOTE:  Must wait 7 days after last spraying before harvesting fruit when using Carbarl/Sevin!
• NOTE:  Must wait 66 days after last spraying before harvesting fruit if using Mancozeb!