How to Control Pest in Your Vineyard

Various types of pests will threaten your vineyard grapes. These types of pests may include animals such as deer and birds as well as insects and disease.

Mildew, fungus, leaf spot, black rot and phomopsis cane are some of the most common diseases of grapevines. If your vine succumbs to a disease, here is a list of symptoms that you should know about. Discoloration of the vines leaves, lesions covering the leaves, a film that covers the leaves and or the decaying of berries are all common symptoms. You can use a fungicide to clear up the problem if your vineyard grapes do show signs of a disease. In order to figure out which is the best solution for them, you the grapevine owner will need to do a lot of research.

There are multitudes of insects eagerly waiting to get a good hold your all your hard work. For instance, the insects that feed on the undersides of the leaves are grape leafhoppers. Grape berry moths will lay eggs on the surface of your grapes and then the larva hatches and begins boring small holes into the grapes, while making a web between the berries, which indicates to you that you do have a problem.

As the Japanese beetle expands across the United States it can drastically reduce the productivity of your vineyard grapes. Rose chafers, a large beetle loves to feed directly on clusters of grapes. Luckily, only exceedingly high populations of these insects can cause damage to your crop. Generally, grape vines can survive low to moderate levels of insect damage. For the most part, it is only necessary to control insects while they are threatening a substantial portion of the fruit or leaf itself. You can use insecticides to control such insect infestations.

Birds can cause considerable damage to a small crop of grapes. Interestingly, you can scare off a large flock of birds much easier than individual birds. You may want to consider placing a physical barrier over your crop, if you are having problems with birds. This netting lasts approximately 30 months, make sure you remove it before wintertime so that ice does not form on it and then damage your vine. Using a net is practical and easy to install, since vineyard grapes grow on a trellis. You may even consider a cannon set on a timer that gives a loud blast at certain times to frighten the birds away during their feeding times. However, if you are growing grapes on your backyard, you might want to consider how your neighbors may feel about the sound from loud cannons. Visual repellents are easy to install and very useful. They can be simple and quiet, such as using pie plates. You may want to consider using artificial snakes, owls or hawks as well.

In the early springtime while new shoots are emerging and food is scarce for deer, they can also become a pest. When it comes to controlling deer, odor repellents are very effective. Some grape growers get great results by using scents such as soap or human and dog hair. Using the scent of coyotes is also highly effective, since coyote are natural predators of deer.

Producing a crop of vineyard grapes, takes a great deal of hard work and dedication, preventing pests from taking your vineyard over is a number one priority.