Spring has arrived and with it so has bud break! This is one of our favorite times of the year, as it signifies the official start of a new season! Not to mention it is absolutely beautiful! Read on to learn a little more about bud break!

Why it’s Important

Outside of harvest, bud break is the busiest season in the vineyard. Prior to bud break, it is common practice to prune the vines. When pruning, the vines will “bleed” which is the first sign of the vines waking up from dormancy, and bud break is right around the corner. “Bleeding” refers to the vines priming its system for the upcoming season. Bud break is the vines initiation of new tissue. This new tissue will become the shoots and future clusters of the future crop.

2021 Bud Break

Similar to last season, we had a very dry winter, not enough rain. With this comes certain practices we must implement in order to get our season off to a successful start. This includes beginning irrigation so we have adequate soil moisture to promote even bud-break throughout the vineyard. We started irrigating in January, a first for us as we normally do not have to irrigate until May.  An even bud break ensures even maturity of the fruit come harvest time. We are also in the process of implementing our fungicide program for the 2021 season to prevent fungal infections from things such as powdery mildew. We love the arrival of bud break. It signifies the arrival of the new season.

Have questions? We would love to answer them. You can reach us at [email protected]