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Pocatello ([email protected])

Just wondering if anyone has done this. Like right now, middle of August, do you track soil temperatures and try correlating that with fruit growth? Soil content, and leaf canopy can have a large effect on soil temp.

Why do we prune tertiaries? Is it to avoid sending growth into unnecessary foliage, or to allow more sunlight to hit the soil? I'm thinking that it's BOTH of these things.

This could lead to a different way to do vine management, the "spider" pattern. Send the vines out in circular patterns, leaving LOTS of space between the vines for the sun to reach the ground. Just imagine a spider.

I'm still looking for the "missing link". This is just my latest theory into why I can't move into the big-time.

Please post your thoughts.

8/18/2008 12:21:09 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

We might need to compare notes to learn something. That is, we will all experience drops in soil temp as the season moves toward fall. That, and certainly other factors are at play. But maybe we can learn something if we can eliminate most variables and just look at soil temp as a function of fruit growth.

8/18/2008 12:29:16 PM

Salem, OR

You know how organic material puts off heat while it's composting--well,what do you think of covering vines with it to warm the soil during September? Either that, or plug the heating cables in again. Maybe I'll do that (cables)when temps fall below 48 or so at night.

8/18/2008 11:58:53 PM

[email protected]

My heating cables are on all the time. I have them on a thermostat and they are 8-10 inches in the ground. They come on almost everytime I water, or about 8 hrs after I water, and stay on for about an hour, The temp is set at 72 degrees.
Does this make a difference, absolutely, On an average day I can get 25-30 pounds in peak growing with the cables, and without, it drops to 10-15.
I did this after reading JD's diary's, If he can grow 1000 pounds in Alaska, he's got to be doing something right, and it worked well for me last year.

as another note, it was about the 10th of July when the cables finally had the ground warm enough to shut off for any length of time.

8/19/2008 1:02:41 AM

Pocatello ([email protected])

Very interesting post, thanks.

8/19/2008 3:10:12 PM

Salem, OR

Iceman, how much do you figure you pay for electricity to keep the cables going so much? I've been hesitant to run mine too much since my patch is at my friend's house. I slipped him a twenty, but maybe that's not enough!

8/20/2008 12:02:41 AM

Wi

I believe I figured EACH cable costs about 40 cents a day to run.

8/20/2008 9:11:31 AM