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Connecticut

This may not be a new app, but, I think this offers growers a good way to document and estimate their total plant size for more consistent year to year comparisons.

Instead of measuring just main vine length this estimated total leaf area offers a more accurate idea of what the entire plant is doing. It works well for a Christmas tree style of pruning but can work with some other pruning strategies once you understand the basic concept. For Christmas tree it works best up to when you start terminating your first secondaries and goes like this...

1.    Measure the length of the ‘left hand’ side secondary = L
2.    Measure the length of the main = M
3.    Measure the length of the ‘right hand’ side secondary = R
4.    Add L + R = B (base)
5.    Do B*M*1/2 = A (area) which is the estimated leaf area

Example
•    Plant#1        6’    10’    5’        55.0 ft2
1.    6ft. = L
2.    10ft. = M
3.    5ft. = R
4.    L + R = 11ft. = B
5.    [B*M*1/2 = A] 11ft. * 10ft. * 1/2 = 55ft.sq.

So Plant#1 has an estimated leaf area of 55ft. sq. (this will also work for the metric system also;-)

It is basically the area of a triangle and is the reason why it works up until you start terminating secondaries for a Christmas tree vine pattern.

Hope this is easy to follow and will help with documentation of plant performance.

-(Mad Scientist) Matt D.

6/26/2011 8:24:41 PM

Bristol R.I. USA

Pretty cool. Mad scientist!

6/27/2011 11:13:57 AM