Winetech Technical Yearbook 2022

MULCH AT PLANTING Mulching can be employed as early as the planting stage. The use of black plastic strips is very effective and Van der Westhuizen (1980) found that the vines had three times more roots than the uncovered vines over a depth of 80 cm. It was further found that

this advantage persisted for up to five years after establishment. The cane and crop mass also improved in cases where a cover was used. Myburgh (2020) also found that soil water was significantly higher under the covered berm during the growing season, compared to the middle of the row. The major drawback of plastic

Possible scenario

Treatment

Cost (Rand per ha)

Treatment of weak patches, due to e.g. soil compaction, in a vineyard.

R63 000 every two to three years.

Purchase and application of compost (100 m 3 per ha).

Purchase and laying out of weed-free hay (1 000 small bales per ha).

R30 000 every three to four years.

High-value vineyards in water-scarce, drier areas.

High-value vineyards in water-scarce, drier areas.

Purchase and spreading of wood chips (150 m 3 per ha).

R40 000 every four to five years.

Vineyards with higher nutritional needs in areas with low summer weed pressure. Sufficient water available to meet irrigation requirement.

Sowing of cover crop in the work row, mechanical chopping and spreading on berm.

R1 900 per year.

Vineyards with sufficient water available for irrigation and high summer weed pressure.

Establishment of medics on the berm.

R1 600 per year.

is that it is very expensive and difficult to ultimately remove from the vineyard. A very exciting technology is biodegradable plastic (photo 6), which disappears completely after a few years. The cost of establishment is notably higher than the conventional plastic strips (approximately four times more expensive), but it does make sense when considering the labour required to remove the plastic from the vineyard. SUMMARY Mulching on berms has many advantages, but the cost of purchasing materials is becoming too expensive for most wine grape producers. By self-cultivating the organic material and placing it on the berms, or establishing a living mulch, this practice is made more cost effective and a viable consideration for more producers. REFERENCE https://www.wineland.co.za/mulching-on-berms/

PHOTO 6. This first-leaf vineyard was established with biodegradable plastic. The producer will be satisfied if it lasts for two years, which at this stage appears likely.

For more information, contact Hanno van Schalkwyk at hanno@vinpro.co.za.

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WINETECH TECHNICAL YEARBOOK 2022