CONOY TOWNSHIP, LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. -- Nissley Vineyards in Lancaster County is making sure their grapes continue to grow healthy after nearly a week of heavy rainfall.
“It’s really important that you get on the spraying right away so you can combat a lot of the molds and and fungi that come about after a high moisture situation and the sooner you can do that after the rainfall, the better," said Jonas Nissley, third generation owner at Nissley Vineyards.
Jonas Nissley, who owns Nissley Vineyards, says that as the grapes begin to ripen, they can absorb moisture faster, and grow mildew.
With about 26 acres and up to a ton of grapes per row, Nissley says they are doing everything that they can to avoid any issues.
“So the actual skins of the grapes can split and once that happens then you really have a serious mold and decay problem," said Nissley.
“It will defoliate if it spreads enough and it can be explosive, once you have it, it can knock out all your leaves, and then your fruit won’t ripen," said Steve Forman, certified integrated pest manager & vineyard manager.
However, Steve Foreman, who is in charge of spraying the vineyard, says that treating for diseases and mold isn’t the only problem after days of heavy rainfall like we've had.
“With the ground being really soft and the amount of weight on the trellis, some of the vines or the posts are starting to lean and break and when one goes, it’ll pull the next one down, so you have to fix them pretty quickly or you lose them all," said Foreman.
"Sometimes you dig and you hit rock and then it takes a good bit to repair those and the end posts with they wires on them, they take a little longer," he added.
“You sort of have to drop everything and take care of the problem or else you’re not going make a good harvest and that then becomes a real financial liability," said Nissley.
Nissley says that they are hoping the sprayings will hold up until the next heavy rainfall.
Events at Nissley Vineyard will go on as scheduled. For more information on their "Saturday Night Music in the Vineyard" click HERE.
