Protect Your Vines This Spring: 8 Vineyard Tips for Success
- adminintelliculture
- Apr 23
- 5 min read
Spring is here, and with it comes the challenges every vineyard faces—frost, pests, disease. They can be devastating, but continuous preparation goes a long way. Over the years, working side-by-side with vineyard owners and growers, I’ve seen what works (and what doesn’t). The choices you make now will shape the health of your vines and the quality of your harvest.
To make it easier, I’ve pulled together 8 simple, actionable tips (plus a downloadable checklist at the end) to help you protect your vines, save time, and set your vineyard up for success this season.
Here’s to a productive spring,
— Jovany Cruz, MBA Agribusiness & Technology Expert
1. Frost Protection: The First Hurdle
Spring mornings often bring frost – a fast-moving threat. With the right strategies, you can protect vulnerable vines and stay ahead of the cold.
A Lesson from Paso Robles
One April, a grower I worked with lost nearly a third of his crop to frost in low-lying sections, despite using wind machines. The frost settled quickly, a tough reminder that preparation is critical.
What You Can Do:
Monitor frost warnings daily.
Use wind machines or fans to circulate warmer air.
Start sprinklers at 34°F (before the 36°F alert) to form a protective ice layer.
Place smudge pots or propane heaters on frost prone nights.
Delay pruning in frost-prone blocks to push bud break closer to warmer weather.
Pro Tip: Always start sprinklers before temperatures drop below freezing to prevent damage.
2. Disease Prevention: Stay Ahead
As frost risk fades, fungal diseases like powdery mildew and Botrytis emerge. Early prevention is key to saving time, money, and fruit quality.
A Lesson from Sonoma County A grower using IntelliCulture’s spray visualization system realized half the block was missed during spraying. He quickly resprayed the area, showing how real-time spray monitoring helps catch gaps early and makes all the difference.
What You Can Do:
Apply dormant sprays (e.g., lime sulfur) before bud break to eliminate overwintering spores.
Start fungicide treatments at 2–6 inches of shoot growth, rotating between sulfur and systemic fungicides.
Inspect vines regularly for early signs of disease, especially in shaded or high-risk areas.
Remove excess early shoots to improve airflow and reduce canopy humidity.
Pro Tip: Prevention is always easier (and cheaper) than recovery. With thorough monitoring you can catch issues early, avoid missing any areas, and save even more in the long run.
3. Soil and Nutrient Management: Build a Strong Foundation
Healthy vines start with healthy soil. Spring is the time to assess nutrient levels and ensure your vines have what they need to thrive.
A Case from Napa Valley
A grower applied nitrogen across the vineyard, hoping to boost growth. Instead, the vines grew too vigorously, shading fruit and increasing disease risk. A simple tissue test could’ve guided a more balanced approach.
What You Can Do:
Conduct tissue tests early to identify nutrient deficiencies.
Apply zinc and boron to improve fruit set, if needed.
Use nitrogen sparingly to avoid excessive canopy growth.
Maintain proper soil moisture to encourage healthy vine development.
Pro Tip: Keep detailed records of soil tests and nutrient applications to refine your strategy over time.
4. Weed Management: Stay in Control
Weeds compete with your vines for water, nutrients, and sunlight. Tackling them early can make all the difference.
A Challenge from Columbia Valley
After a rainy March, one grower faced an explosion of weeds. Labor shortages delayed their efforts, stressing the vines and attracting pests.
What You Can Do:
Apply pre-emergent herbicides before weed emergence.
Use mechanical methods like mowing or discing between rows.
Introduce livestock, such as sheep, to graze weeds while fertilizing the soil.
Pro Tip: Mow cover crops before they seed to prevent them from becoming weeds later.
5. Shoot Thinning and Sucker Removal: Guide Growth
Managing early growth ensures your vines focus energy on productive shoots.
A Lesson from Willamette Valley
A grower delayed shoot thinning, leading to overgrown canopies and mildew. Restoring balance took weeks, and fruit quality never fully recovered.
What You Can Do:
Thin excess shoots early to improve airflow and balance vigor.
Remove suckers from the vine base to focus energy on productive growth.
Pro Tip: Start thinning when shoots are small—it’s faster, easier, and less stressful for the vines.
6. Smarter Irrigation: Get It Right
Water management is critical in spring growth, but overuse can drain resources.
A Story from Central Valley
A grower over-irrigated early, depleting water reserves by summer. The vines were left stressed during critical stages like veraison.
What You Can Do:
Use soil moisture sensors to track water levels and avoid overwatering.
Adjust schedules to encourage deeper root systems.
Inspect drip systems for leaks to ensure even distribution.
Pro Tip: Water early in the morning or late evening to reduce evaporation.
7. Pest Monitoring and Control: Stay Proactive
Spring pests like mites, cutworms, and leafhoppers can spread quickly if unchecked.
A Challenge from Lodi
A grower delayed pest control for leafhoppers in one block, only to see them spread to neighboring vines.
What You Can Do:
Set sticky traps to monitor pest activity.
Inspect vines weekly, especially along edges.
Apply insecticides only if pest thresholds are exceeded.
Pro Tip: Vineyard edges are often the first line of defense—inspect them closely.
8. Trellis and Infrastructure: Prevent Issues Early
A strong trellis system supports your vines all season long.
A Reminder from Santa Barbara County
Loose trellis wires caused damage during a windy spring. A simple preseason inspection could’ve prevented the problem.
What You Can Do:
Inspect trellis wires, posts, and clips for damage or wear.
Secure vine ties, leaving room for growth.
Check irrigation systems for leaks or clogs before the season ramps up.
Pro Tip: Small fixes now prevent costly problems later.
How Growers Are Taking the Stress Out of Vineyard Management
As vineyards expand and daily operations become more complex, it’s easy for small details to slip through the cracks. Many growers are now turning to technology to bring more clarity and control to their work. With IntelliCulture, you can see where your tractors are in real time using CabView, track spray coverage and spot gaps with CropView, and keep tabs on equipment status and maintenance through ShopView. StatsView pulls together the numbers that matter, so you can quickly understand what’s driving your cost per acre and make informed decisions—all from your phone or computer.
Growers who once relied on whiteboards and notebooks now keep everything in one place. One California ranch supervisor shared that real-time GPS tracking meant less time driving between fields and more time focused on what matters, both in the vineyard and at home.
Digital tools like these are helping teams stay ahead of spring’s most important tasks—monitoring coverage, managing equipment, tracking labor, and catching issues before they escalate. The result is fewer surprises at harvest, more opportunities to spot trends early, and a workflow that’s more efficient and less reactive.
That’s why our team at IntelliCulture has put together a straightforward digital spring checklist—a practical list of tasks to help you stay organized and on track as the season gets underway. Download your copy below and set your vineyard up for a productive spring.
About Jovany Cruz, MBA
Jovany Cruz is the Product Integration Lead at IntelliCulture, where he partners with growers to simplify operations, adopt smarter tools, and turn data into actionable results. With hands-on experience at Scheid Family Wines, Jovany has led initiatives that improved soil health, streamlined workflows, and embraced precision farming practices. He holds an MBA from California State University, Chico, and is passionate about helping growers succeed.