Hello everyone, doctor I must apologise for the long break in transmissions from Providence. Mostly my fault, buy and it has been ably assisted by Priya Chandra of Useable Web, erectile who has rebuilt the website and enabled this small addition. Now that I now how to use it there will be more!
Apart from being tardy and missing so much info, we have just endured one of our most difficult winter management periods. Despite the bleatings of the likes of Tim Flannagan, we have had a very wet Autumn and Winter that has seriously exacerbated our Winter management which, this year, has included further soil adjustment in terms of nitrogen, which has clearly been deficient. Last year we fixed soil pH. As of today (20 August 2012), we have finished pruning and the first run over with the mulcher (returning all the prunings to the soil). Brenda has nearly finished tying down, using Pellenc tie-down guns which seem to revolt others but with which we have had very little problems.
The constant wet has made all tractor work very difficult and there are still areas of the vineyard upon which we are unable to use machinery or even walk!