Our first subzero temperatures of the winter hit the Finger Lakes this past Saturday morning. Low temperatures at NEWA weather stations located at area vineyards ranged from about -2°F near Lake Ontario to -9°F at Hammondsport. This was cold enough to raise some concern about possible injury to buds, especially in more cold-tender varieties.
Temperatures dipped low enough to approach the measured LT50 values of a few cultivars like Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon blanc, Merlot, Lemberger and even Cayuga White. In many cases, however, the temperatures were lower than the measured LT10 values (temperature at which 10% of buds die), so there is at least the potential for some level of bud injury in those varieties.
| Measured LT10 | Measured LT50 | Modeled LT50 | |
| Cab Franc | -6.0 | -8.9 | -10.8 |
| Cayuga White | -3.6 | -7.4 | -11.4 |
| Chardonnay | -4.1 | -9.0 | -11.4 |
| Concord | -10.3 | -14.4 | -18.4 |
| Gewürztraminer | -1.5 | -4.5 | -9.2 |
| Lemberger | -2.6 | -8.1 | -12.3 |
| Merlot | -5.1 | -8.7 | -7.6 |
| NY81.0315.17 | — | -10.5 | — |
| Riesling | -6.5 | -9.8 | -12.5 |
| Sauvignon blanc | -4.7 | -7.8 | -9.0 |
Measured LT values at Geneva as of Jan. 30. Modeled LT values at Geneva as of Feb. 5
Growers in locations with temperatures that got close to the LT10 values here would be wise to do some sampling of buds in their own vineyards to get an idea of how much damage they might be looking at so that appropriate adjustments can be made when pruning those blocks.
Share your bud cutting results with the FLGP and your peers
FLX Bud Injury Results spreadsheet: https://tinyurl.com/3s9s3ewx
We would really appreciate hearing from growers about any bud injury assessments that you do this year. Don Caldwell has once again put together a Google spreadsheet where growers can enter the results from their bud cutting. The link for the spreadsheet is https://tinyurl.com/3s9s3ewx. There are separate data sheets for Cab Franc, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Lemberger, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, and Riesling, plus one for other varieties. If you do any bud cutting this winter, we would like to know what you found in your own vineyards.
