Page 53 - Grapevine July-August 2019

Around The Vineyard

the lines with chemical treatment and flushing. electronic cables. Wrap monitoring systems with a
Pressure sensors installed at strategic locations in wire screen to protect them from animals and pass-
the field can tell us almost immediately if we’ve ing farming equipment.”
improved the pressure in the drip hoses and pro-
vide a ‘heads-up’ during the irrigation season that He also recommended that growers “bury five-gal-
we’re beginning to have a problem that can be lon buckets at the downstream ends of some of the
addressed before it becomes serious.” hoses and allow water from emitters to keep the
buckets full during the summer to provide an easy
Purvins suggested growers ease inadequate vol- water source.”
ume issues with proper emitter spacing. “During
extreme drought conditions, my system doesn’t Hewitt told The Grapevine Magazine that setting
supply enough water. Fortunately, I’ve only expe- out water is a good idea, plus using more natural
rienced one such year out of 20. I would spec control methods. “For larger animals—such as
the next system with twice the number of emit- coyotes and foxes—simply put a large 2” high pan
ters—48” spacing vs. 96”—and adjust zones accord- under your drip tubing. The water will overflow and
ingly.” still get water to your plants, and the critters can
get the drink of water they want without chewing
He also pointed out the value of developing on the drip tubing.”
partnerships with equipment vendors who under-
stand what you’re trying to accomplish. “When I “It’s a bit tougher to combat gophers and ground
purchased my system, the rep was knowledgeable squirrels, especially with buried hose systems,”
about sizing the system but had no experience with Hewitt said. “One grower I know uses trained fal-
vineyards. Such experience would have been use- cons that he releases into the area to help control
ful.” these pesky critters.”

Hewitt said his company is trying to assist vine-
yard operators with water management through
technology products, such as Rain Bird IQ Water.
“Real-time sensors and remote web-access allow
growers to monitor every aspect of their irrigation
system from the water source to the emission
device. They can focus in on a single irrigation sys-
tem part, or see the big picture across every system
they manage,” he said.

What About Those Critters?

Since we don’t grow in a biosphere, there will
always be wildlife control issues. Often, our experts
said, it’s easier to anticipate their actions with
some preventative measures.

Purvins of The Vineyard at Lawton Hall has had a
critter or two chew tubing, but since that damage is
easy to spot and repair—and the vines and grapes
aren’t bothered—he feels he doesn’t need to con-
trol wildlife.

Hernandez of JH Ag Consulting said, “As we install
more sensors and monitoring technology, we’re
seeing that animals like to chew on sensor wire and

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