There is an increase in the number of people who are starting to invest in vineyards nowadays. Vineyards are estate plantations of grapes. There are several reasons why people are investing in a large amount of money in vineyards. Some people simply like the idea of having a property they can visit from time to time. Others would say that they have fallen in love with the process of growing grapes to turn them into wine. That the pleasure in seeing their hard work turn into sweet-tasting wine is satisfying.
On the other hand, some people would say that they grow these grapes because it could give them a big payout. They use the grapes in making wine, raisins, and grape juice that they sell in the market. The market for grape products is big. This type of business could bring you a great amount of wealth.
There are a lot of things to consider when you want to start a vineyard. You must consider a location with lots of sunlight and healthy soil. It is also important to take into consideration the possible prevention of pests because they can cause a great deal of damage to your vineyard.
Here are some things that you can do to prevent pests from doing a significant amount of damage to your vineyard.
Be on the Lookout for Pests
Owning a vineyard comes with great responsibility. You must be aware of the time when certain types of insects come to your place. Insects have their calendar. They fly from one place to another place depending on the season. Because of this, as a vineyard owner, you must be aware of the seasonal movement of insects. By knowing the insects’ movement, you can prepare in advance for their incoming attack.
There are certain ways on how you can prevent insects from infesting your vineyards. There are tips from Organic Lessons that you can do to make the process natural, without using any toxic chemicals. Some of these ways are putting traps around your vineyard. Insects are attracted to the smell of fermented organic matter so placing some containers filled with vinegar can help reduce the number of these pests.
Remove Infested Plants
The removal of infested plants will prevent the infestation from spreading to the other plants. Infested plants will cause a big problem once they are left alone and not removed. The pests residing on them will transfer to other grapevines. Regularly visit your vineyard to keep track of the changes in the plants. This is very important because the disease spreads fast and it would be too late to save the plants.
Put Up a Fence Your Vineyard
Deers are some of the common pests that will potentially cause damage to your vineyard. Deers love the taste of sweet grapes. To prevent deers from destroying your vineyard and eating your grapes, you must erect fences around your orchard. The fences must be high so that deers will not be able to jump over them. You can also build electric fences so deers would never dare to touch or jump over them. You can also make homemade repellents if your vineyard is not that big. You can make this repellant by mixing an amount of hot sauce, raw eggs, and minced garlic. Spray the mixture on your grapes, this will make the deers withdraw back because of the taste.
Putting Up Nets
Netting is an effective way of keeping birds away from your vineyards. Birds are beautiful flying creatures, but looking at them eating your grapes is not a good sight to see. Birds will fly over your vineyards and will make it their feeding ground. The nets are placed over the grapevines to prevent the access of birds. They help cover up the grapes so the birds will not be able to reach them. In winter, you must remove the nets over the grapevines. The nets will prevent the growth of the grapevines and could lessen their productivity in the cold season.
The Use of Pesticides
Pests are everywhere and one of the effective ways of removing it is by using pesticides. Before using the pesticide, you must read the instructions carefully. Observe the proper mixture that you must do. Some pesticides are harmful to crops so you also need to make sure that you are buying a safe pesticide for your grapevines. Do not put too much, this will affect the plants’ growth and can even kill the plants. You must also observe and evaluate the effect of the pesticide on your plant. If the pesticide did not have any effect on the pests, you need to switch to another kind. When using pesticides, you must also take proper precautions for yourself. It could be dangerous to your health.
Keep Your Vineyard Free From Weeds
Weeds will reduce your grapevines’ productivity and could also serve as hiding spots for insects. The pests could reside on the weed and reproduce. These insects can cause harm to your grapevines by eating the fruits and spreading the disease to your plants. Removing the weeds around your grapevines is beneficial because weeds absorb the nutrients for your grapevines. A regular weed removal will help eliminate the pests and guarantee that your plants will stay productive.
Ducks as Pest Controllers
There is an unusual way of controlling pests in other places. Farm owners would often train ducks to eat insects on the plants. The ducks would comply and obey the command when they hear a sound signal. You can also make use of this strategy to protect your vineyards. It is quite effective because they also eat snails and slugs that will lessen the need for pesticides.
Maintaining a vineyard is hard, but it has a lot of benefits. It can either serve as a source of income or a form of hobby. Having a vineyard is also the first step in starting your winery, which can pitch you additional profit. Starting your vineyard requires hard work. You must be ready for the responsibilities and prepare for any disasters that might come.