Things got pretty chilly on Friday night and Saturday morning in the Finger Lakes. Most of the weather stations in the region recorded temperatures in the vicinity of -10°F or colder (Table 1). Several locations recorded temperatures near that level for four or more hours as well. Based on the most recent results of our DTA sampling from last week, it’s likely that most vineyards had at least some damage to dormant buds over the weekend, with the possible exception of very hardy varieties like Marechal Foch, Concord and Marquette (Table 2).
| Location | Low Temp on Jan. 22 (°F) |
| Branchport | -10.4 |
| Dundee | -13.1 |
| Geneva (AgriTech) | -9.8 |
| Geneva (Bejo) | -11.5 |
| Hammondsport | -9.4 |
| Interlaken | -11.0 |
| Lakemont | -10.4 |
| Romulus | -5.2 |
| Williamson | -10.4 |
Table 1. Lowest temperatures recorded at FLX NEWA stations on Jan. 22
| Variety | LT10 (oF) | LT50 (oF) | LT90 (oF) |
| Cabernet Franc | -1.5 | -4.4 | -8.5 |
| Cabernet Sauvignon | -3.8 | -7.3 | -9.0 |
| Cayuga White | 4.4 | -8.1 | -14.7 |
| Chardonnay | -8.0 | -10.1 | -11.4 |
| Concord | -7.1 | -13.5 | -16.0 |
| Gewürztraminer | -2.3 | -8.1 | -10.7 |
| Lemberger | -2.5 | -9.4 | -11.0 |
| Marechal Foch | -12.7 | -15.5 | -17.2 |
| Marquette | -12.0 | -16.6 | -17.9 |
| Merlot | 2.7 | -1.1 | -9.4 |
| Riesling | -8.4 | -12.1 | -14.2 |
| Sauvignon blanc | 0.8 | -5.4 | -9.1 |
Table 2. DTA results for samples collected the week of Jan. 17
Because of this, I suggest growers start making plans to sample their vineyards for bud damage so that any necessary adjustments to the number of buds retained can be made during pruning. One suggested rule of thumb for making these adjustments is[1]:
- 0-15% primary bud damage – No adjustment
- 15-35% primary bud damage – Keep an additional 30% of buds
- 35-50% primary bud damage – Double the amount of buds normally retained.
- Over 50% primary bud damage – Minimal pruning
In the case of the last two categories, it will likely be better to spur prune the vines instead of trying to leave more and longer canes in order to accommodate the increased number of buds needed.
We will be collecting buds from several locations and varieties this week and starting to assess bud injury. We will communicate those results when we have them. Don has also created a Google spreadsheet where growers can input their own results from their winter injury sampling (we’ll put our results in here also). There is no identifying information gathered other than general location (e.g., Dresden, NW Keuka Lake, etc.). We would like to see results from other locations if possible, so please feel free to enter your information in the spreadsheet.
Winter 2021-2022 FLGP Bud Injury Spreadsheet
Here are a few resources to help with assessing your own buds for winter injury as well.
Videos
Evaluating Bud Injury Prior to Pruning, Part 1 – Finger Lakes Grape Program
Evaluation Bud Injury Prior to Pruning, Part 2 – Finger Lakes Grape Program
Sampling and Dissecting Buds to Determine Winter Injury – Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
Pruning Grapevines That Have Been Winter Injured – Michigan State Extension
Publications
Assessing and managing cold damage in vineyards – Washington State University
[1] Zabadal, T.J., Dami, I.E., Goffinet, M.C., Martinson, T.E., and Chien, M.L. 2007. Winter injury to grapevines and methods of protection. Extension Bulletin E, 2030, p. 106.
