Particularly in regions like McLaren Vale, where El Niño years can bring drier conditions and higher temperatures, fungicide spraying becomes indispensable. These weather patterns can lead to water stress in vineyards, hampering nutrient absorption and growth regulation in vines. Warmer temperatures can also accelerate grape ripening, affecting sugar levels, acidity and aromatic complexity.
This year, the weather has been unusually warm, causing vine development to outpace previous seasons. Recent overcast weather has been favourable for powdery mildew infections, which we’ve seen beginning to form within the vine canopies. If you experienced significant Powdery Mildew infections last year, it’s crucial to monitor your vines closely for flagshoots and leaf infections. Implementing effective spray coverage is essential to prevent further spread! Our commitment to sustainable practices and client well-being drives us to provide specific advice tailored to your vineyard’s needs.
While we’ve recently had some much-needed rainfall, it’s essential to remember that we’re still behind the long-term average for precipitation. This rainfall has boosted soil moisture levels, but we’re nearly 200mm behind last season. As we head into summer, maintaining a vigilant fungicide spraying regimen remains crucial to vineyard health and productivity.
At Pridham Viticulture, our three decades of experience in the wine industry have taught us that adapting to changing conditions and embracing innovative solutions is key to success in vineyard management. Get in touch to learn more about the benefits of a custom fungicide spray program.
A well-maintained bore delivers high-quality water that is crucial for crop health. Contaminated water can introduce pathogens, affecting vineyard health. Effective bore maintenance promotes
efficient water use, reducing wastage and supporting environmental sustainability—a value that aligns well with modern viticulture practices. Regular maintenance helps in early detection of
problems, avoiding the high costs associated with major repairs or replacement.
Periodic visual inspections of the bore, pump, and related equipment help identify issues such as corrosion, blockages, or wear and tear. Over time, mineral deposits and bacterial colonies can form, reducing water flow and quality. Cleaning processes like airlifting, acidizing, or using specialized bore brushes can help address these issues. Frequent water testing for parameters like pH, salinity, and microbial content can help in implementing appropriate treatments or preventive measures. Maintaining a bore log that includes details of maintenance activities, water levels, and test results is valuable for troubleshooting and long-term planning.
Bore maintenance is not just a technical requirement but a strategic activity that impacts productivity, prosperity, and the environment. By adopting a proactive approach, businesses in the
viticulture sector can ensure they reap the rewards of a well-maintained bore system. Take the time today to evaluate the health of your bore system; your vines—and the environment—will thank you.
Should you require assistance in bore maintenance and monitoring, please contact us.
Key advantages associated with the fertigation include: efficient nutrient distribution; cost and time effectiveness; environmentally responsible; flexible and customisable; and improvements in soil structure.
1. Efficient Nutrient Distribution: Fertigation ensures that fertilisers are evenly distributed across the soil and vine area that the irrigation system covers. Combining irrigation with fertilization, nutrients reach the root zone directly, optimizing their absorption and uptake by the vine. This promotes consistent growth and better yield.
2. Cost & Time Effective: Precise control over nutrient and water application means fertigation minimises waste. This reduces the overall usage of fertilisers and water resources, resulting in significant cost savings. Combining irrigation with fertilisation also saves labour and machinery time by automating processes that would require separate applications.
3. Environmental Responsibility: Traditional fertilising methods can lead to excessive nutrient overuse and runoff which can harm sensitive nearby areas such as waterways. On the other hand, fertigation reduces this risk by delivering nutrients directly to the vine roots zone.
4. Flexibility and Customisation: Fertigation allows for flexible adjustments and modifications to the fertiliser program during the growth cycle. Nutrient concentrations can be customised to meet the specific needs of different varieties or variables in growth stages.
5. Improved Soil Structure: By avoiding the overuse of traditional fertiliser applications, fertigation maintains soil health by preventing the build-up of harmful salts, reduces soil compaction, and helps maintain a healthy pH balance. The soils integrity is maintained which encourages long-term productivity and vineyard health.
Fertigation is a modern farming technique which encompasses efficiency, productivity, and environmental care. It aligns with the principles of sustainable agriculture that we highly values at Pridham Viticulture, providing our clients with innovative solutions for the wine, horticultural, and agricultural industries.
Embracing fertigation will contribute to a future of farming that is prosperous, sustainable, cost effective, flexible and environmentally responsible. It’s a worthy investment in the health and success of our vineyards and crops.
Contact our Irrigation Manager Byron at 0420 976 880 to book a time to explore your fertigation options and improve your irrigation systems and operations. We are here to help.
Pridham Viticulture recognizes the shift from wet La Nina conditions to the impending dry cycle of El Nino, leading to hotter and dryer weather conditions affecting the agriculture industry.
To tackle this challenge, we emphasize the importance of proactive planning and investing in robust and reliable irrigation infrastructure, systems, and strategies.
By maintaining irrigation infrastructure, Pridham Viticulture aims to reduce water loss due to system breakdowns and inefficiencies. This approach ensures a steady water supply to crops, even during challenging climatic conditions. Moreover, adopting smarter irrigation schedules will optimize crop water uptake while minimizing water evaporation, maximizing resource efficiency.
With water allocation limits expected to come under pressure, we recognize the need for forward planning and strategizing to make the most out of the limited water resources available. This can involve securing additional water allocations and leveraging weather forecasts to plan irrigation schedules intelligently.
By focusing on sustainable and efficient irrigation practices, Pridham Viticulture aims to mitigate the negative effects of the predicted hot and dry weather conditions, safeguarding their agricultural operations and ensuring a fruitful harvest despite the challenges posed by El Nino.
Contact our Irrigation Manager Byron at 0420 976 880 to book a time with us to explore options to improve your irrigation systems and operations. We are here to help.
Good ecological ideas can spread fast if we want them to – the biggest challenge is operator change management. Operators like the tools and machinery they’re used to – it’s a comport thing. Changing to sustainable electric equipment is becoming more wide spread (the pace is increasing) but there’s a long way to go before it becomes common place.
Why is this? Pridham Viticulture have recognised there are infrastructure concerns in the transition from fossil fuel to electric such as the establishment of efficient charging stations and equipment holding areas. As a supplier and service agent for Pellenc Battery Powered Tools we can assist in the development and implementation of these systems and are passionate about moving towards a green future.
Get in touch to see how we can help you upgrade your fleet.
