Rutgers University | New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station | Pesticide User Responsibility

October 21, 2022 and

Hill-Up your Grapevines to Prevent Winter Injury

Freeze injury on grape flower buds and canes can cause crop loss and increased disease problems, but freeze damage at the graft union can kill the entire vine! The most effective technique for limiting freeze injury to the graft union is hilling up soil around the vines high enough to cover the graft union with 3 to 4 inches of soil. This practice is especially important for vines less than 5 years old. Now, before temperatures drop and the ground freezes is the time to get out there and hill up your vines. Factsheet 1264 https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1264/ details the following important aspects of hilling-up to protect the graft union from cold damage.

  • Dead grapevinesThe principle of Hilling-up – How the soil works, both as a thermal mass that holds the heat and an insulator that slows heat loss.
  • How to perform effective hilling-up using available and specialized implements.
  • Cost benefits of using the implements.
  • Challenges such as timing, preventing damage to the drip lines and trunks during hilling-up; and how to address those challenges.
  • The process of hilling down in the spring to prevent root formation above the graft union and proper weed management.
Filed Under: Fruit, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , ,
October 4, 2019

Hilling-Up Demonstration and Post-harvest Vineyard Management

Where – Monday, October 14, 3:30 PM

When – Coia Vineyards – 3650 Oak Rd., Vineland, NJ 08360

  • On-farm demonstration of hilling-up and the discussions on hilling-down (Larry Coia and Hemant Gohil)
  • Understanding the Cold hardiness (Daniel Ward)
  • Post-harvest Disease Management including understanding of trunk diseases (Peter Oudemans)
  • Weed Management for hilling-up and for fall and winter (Thierry Besancon)
  • Vineyard fertility Management (Gary Pavlis)

There is no registration fees, however please let Joan Medany know if you are planning, by email jmedany@co.gloucester.nj.us or call 856-224-8030

This site is accessible to the physically impaired. If an additional assistance is needed, please contact Hemant Gohil (Program Organizer) at 856-224-8029 prior to the meeting.

With Support from the New Jersey Center for Wine Research and Education (NJCWRE)

Filed Under: Blueberry, Fruit, Nursery, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , ,
October 31, 2018

Time to Hill-Up your Grapevines is NOW!

Winter injury is a crucial limiting factor to wine grape production in the New Jersey. Following the harsh winter of 2013-14, almost 85% of vineyards reported various degrees of cold damage. Often, the cold injury results in the development of Crown gall disease, which causes gall formation around the trunk and graft unions, which can lead to vine decline or death. One particularly useful way to reduce winter injury is to protect the graft union from the cold by covering, or Hilling-up, the base of the vines with soil to protect the graft union. Right time to hill-up is after the harvest and before the ground is hard frozen – that is now!

Factsheet 1264 https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1264/ details the following important aspects of hilling-up to protect the graft union from cold damage.

  • The principle of Hilling-up – How the soil works, both as a thermal mass that holds the heat and insulator that slows heat loss.
  • How to perform effective hilling-up using available and specialized implements.
  • Cost benefits of using the implements.
  • Challenges such as, timing, preventing damage to the drip lines and to trunks during hilling-up; and how to address those challenges.
  • The process of hilling down in the spring to prevent root formation above the graft union and proper weed management.
Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , ,