THE SOIL
The vinegrower-farmer adapts his ploughing and decides of the plot's grassing-over according to the state of the soil and the vigour of the vine.
The right moment to work the soil must be chosen, with the help of specific tools coupled to the tractor.
Earthing-up
Earthing-up the vines consists in bringing soil back from the row to the plants, in order to create a mound. This is used on young plants to reinforce the emission of roots, thus helping their growth but also protecting them from the cold.
At the end of winter, frost will have rendered thiner this plough's earth.
Mastered grassing-over
Setting up a cover of vegetation allows :
- a natural loosening and an improved stability of the soil.
- a stimulation of biological activity.
- a reduction of runoff and erosion by enhancing the soil’s water infiltration capacity.
PERMANENT GRASSING-OVER
Cover cropping, through the competition it creates for water and nitrogen, allows us to reduce vine vigor and lower yields.
GREEN MANURE
Green manure is a plant cultivated to increase the soil's fertility.
It rapidly and intensly stimulates the biological activity of the soil during its growth, especially after ploughing-in.
Mechanical weeding
The advantage of mechanical weeding is its respect of the soil's microbial life.
Hoe blades, 50 to 60 cm long, work a few centimeters deep in the soil, beneath the vine row.
These blades cut the adventicious roots, that will then dry out. This enables the soil to break up, and helps seperate the roots from the strip of soil.
In these photos, the work is done in the begining of spring, on a plot of young vines that has been earthed up for the winter. The earth is thin, therefore the work is easier.
Spreading
The vine adapts well to relatively low-fertility soils. However, the addition of organic matter improves soil structure and influences the vigor of the plants by enhancing water availability and nitrogen supply.
Organic matter inputs form the foundation of vine nutrition. Particular attention is given to estimating vine vigor and production potential, as well as recognizing deficiency or toxicity symptoms. Field observations are essential
The soil is important, ok!
But what work needs vine?