Field Demonstration: Crop Estimation and Thinning in Concord

July 22, 2013


The FLGP will be hosting a field demonstration focused on how to mechanically estimate Concord crops and to thin them down, if necessary. The meeting will take place on Monday, July 22 at 4:00 PM at the Tones' Lake Farm on West Lake Road in Branchport (look for the 'Grape Meeting' sign), just south of the intersection with Route 54A.

Despite the less than ideal weather conditions during bloom and set, most Concord growers are looking at larger than normal crops this year. A couple of growers in the Finger Lakes took estimates last week of anywhere between 12-18 tons/acre. Unfortunately, the 2013 growing season is not an early one that would likely allow growers to ripen much of this extra crop. This field meeting will show how to do crop estimates and thin excess crop when vines are carrying too much crop in a given season, and how these practices fit into an efficient production system.