Alex bought mesh bags to put over the grape clusters and has been tying them on. This is to protect the grapes from the birds as the grapes ripen. Seems like a lot of work to me, but worth it if we get our first harvest.
The weather has been pretty miserable. Chilly, wet and windy. In the first four days of September, Newport Furnace had 51.8mm rain. That's about a third of the monthly average. I hope that doesn't affect the harvest. To pass the time during heavy rain showers, Alex sent me a video to watch. It's pretty badly done but at least it shows that the Rondo grapes grown in the UK do not get much bigger than those we have in our first harvest.
The next thing I am going to learn about is the relationship between fungi below the surface and vines on the surface. A study has shown that trees of distinct genotypes develop relationships with specific fungi that help them survive adverse weather conditions. They form symbiotic relationships which makes so much sense to me and is a great reason not to continually disturb the soil. This study led me to others about vines.
A study from 2018 shows that "Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi associate naturally with grapevines in a symbiosis whose importance for vineyard performance is becoming increasingly clear. Decades of research attest to the role of AM fungi in increasing nutrient supply for host plants and in providing protection from soil-borne pathogens." This I have to study in much greater detail.
