Bud Break Has Begun in the Vineyards: The Why’s, How’s & Where

When the cold of winter begins to warm…. A feeling of expectation begins anew in the vineyard.

The beginning stage in the cycle of life lies in budbreak. In a wine grape vineyard, bud break happens each and every spring as the vines awaken from their dormant state and start to grow. Vineyard managers not only smile a lot this time of the year but they also find themselves quite busy tending to this new growth.

Budbreak happens as the days grow longer and the heat rises. Let the grape growing cycle commence!

In the winter, the vines are dormant and storing up energies for the future growth during budbreak. Each step in the growing cycle is critical with this stage being an important one. Below you will learn more about bud break in a wine grape vineyard.

Enjoy!

• The bud break or annual growth cycle of the vines begin in the spring

• The buds pop out and swell larger as shoots starts to grow from the emerging vine

• In warmer climates, it takes about 4 weeks for the growth of the shoots to become more vigorous

• While a vine is sleeping in the winter dormant season, it reserves carbohydrates which are stored in the vines roots and wood from the last growth cycle

• The vines begin ‘bleeding’ right before bud break as soon as the soil begins to be warmer  and the underground water, containing a low concentration of minerals, sugars, etc, is forced up from the ground through the roots of the vine and is expelled from the lacerations made from pruning the vine in Fall

• Soon after the bleeding stops, the vineyard begins to grow and budbreak happens

• Stages of the Vineyard:

  – bud break

  – flowering

  – fruit set

  – veraison

  – harvesting

  – leaf fall

  – dormancy

• Some grape varietals are more vigorous early growers and can be at a higher risk of premature bud break

• Average month for bud break to begin is March here in California’s Wine Country or September in the Southern Hemisphere

• Because the growth cycle has just begun and the emerging greens are very new and delicate, many factors can affect the vines at this point. Some factors that vineyard managers have to consider during bud break are:

  – An Unexpected Storm

  – Frost and Cold Temperatures — Biggest Threat

  – Hail

  – Too Much Rain

  – Bad Pruning Techniques Prior Year

•  The buds that we see have actually been there since summer of the previous growth cycle when the green is covered in scales

• The vineyard workers return to what have been fairly empty fields  during the winter season before

• New leaves start photosynthesis immediately after they emerge from the shoots

• Once bud break has begun, there is no going back now…

The growing season has begun! Chin Chin…