See, im similar with you there. I think its all about the soil health but that directly effects the root health.
Is that compost bin under there or soil? Love the cover you’ve got on it, lots of good organic matter
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Terroir is unique, so are out techniques are different than what you find anywhere. Texas wines used to be shit 30 years ago. Today they are some of the best in the world. One Viognier from Becker Vineyards was entered with others from France in a France competition and got a double Gold as an example.
The Vermentino white we do here is similar but different in some respects than other regions. Take my Tannat, huge clusters, fine juice, but not near as tannic as those grown in S. France. It’s one of the best reds for Texas.
UB
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Thats awesome! I agree with the terroir statement very much! I also think terroir is a concept we don’t push enough in cannabis for outdoor grows. I know some places are working on it, but I’ve got tons of ideas on this subject that I’m sure will be a little controversial, lol!!
Do you think the increase in quality is more education and experience making wines over the years, or is it now having grapes that grow better in the climate?
Big wine fan, do TX vineyards only/mostly sell in state or are they available elsewhere? Would def be interested in trying some
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Endophytic fungi and symbiotic relationships with their host plants seems a likely contributing factor. Some are said to be able to mimic their host plants by manufacturing secondary metabolites.
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Shit, we are just at the tip of the endophytic iceberg! More and more is coming out each year about how important they are! We’ve only just recently learned that some endophytes are passed from mother plant to seed, they are maternally inherited!!
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I grow large (10 -16’) avocado, citrus, and mango trees and dragon fruit, etc. in a large greenhouse. They are permanently planted, meaning they are grown in (expandable), bottomless RootBuilder pots. They root into native tight clay loam. I mulch with their own leaves and if I have it, pine needles, the best mulch IMO.
I also have a high powered pump for 3.600 gals. of rainwater I collect, 2 tanks. There’s nothing better than rain water. It contains small amounts of nitrates and beneficial microbes.
In 2015 I cut the ties holding the RootBuilder ends together to add a few more 13"W panels on a Moro blood orange which I planted in 2012. . Note the lack of root spin out. The lower large white roots have rooted into native soil. Point being…many years ago I went on a mission to increase root mass with whatever means I could, on any plant material including weed… It started with Griffin’s Spin-Out. Some of the old timers may remember this journal. How can I use Spin-Out for chemical root pruning?
I mixed this batch of soil about a week ago. Note the inclusion of the meals, bone and blood. If I have it I moisturize my bulk batches with a slop made of horse nuggets (alfalfa) for the humus and triacontanol, a stimulator. I also soaked my little ones in mychorrizae, those being pure indicas.
I germed C99 backcrosses @DougDawson (think I gave some of these to you) and germed 4 of one of my crosses done around 22 years ago - C99 X (C99 X Peak19). Yes, they germed after all those years. I store seeds cold.
When I get around to it I’ll start a journal at IC Mag where I hang out.
Dec. 22
Just now, Dec. 31.
Uncle Ben
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Experience. If you’re a wine club member that ship. Kicker is Texas wines are really expensive now. I live in an area in which it’s just one winery after another. Glad I bought when I did cause you can’t touch land around here for under a million an acre. That’s along what they call “winery row”. Lots of great wineries. My girlfriend and I belong to Becker’s and The Wine Collective.
UB
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We’ve got very similar styles of soil mixing. I have access to high quality horse manure compost (inlaws) so add that. Otherwise its the meals, organic matter, and maybe some slow release if the soil needs some recharge. I try to use little of the fertilizer.
You ever do anything high density? I focus more on the soil than the plant, so I try to leverage plantings that feed my soil then cycle organic material back in.
Have to get over to IC and check your stuff out!
I don’t defoliate hah hah I just let the plants grow. Everything is used, including shit buds, because they yield gram for gram the same quantity of hash.
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Have you ever noticed metal flakes in the bottom of your res when using Jacks?
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Love hearing why different people either do or don’t defoliate! Out of curiosity, what kind of system you run?
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Deep water culture… of the unique kind.
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Baco Noir? Lots of uneven ripening. Great wine usually comes from good hang time, which comes after the grapes have reached the right T/A and brix.
Tasted some of Canada’s wines at Whistler years ago. Pretty damn good. Ya’ll are limited to the cold hardy French hybrids though as opposed to straight viniferas which we grow.
I have the best Merlot clone from Beaucastel, 50 vines. Merlot 181 (FPS 15)
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I just had a rather delicious Bordeaux red from Pomerol that was an absolute steal of a deal.
Between the wine, the cannabis, and the fruit trees, I bet you throw one hell of a dinner party
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I have and other people have mentioned to me that they have too. Get some glassy looking shit at the bottom of the res. Not much but it’s def noticeable. Was a bit annoying but never stopped me from using it before moving onto individual salts / micros.
I prob posted here before but I don’t defoliate. I used to do it but reading plant empowerment kinda convinced me otherwise. They kinda hammered the importance of source/sink balance among other things. That and the insane amount of labour it takes for a decent sized room 
I’d recommend anyone interested to check out the book and if not there’s some good info on their site/ on youtube. I found it to be very interesting.
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Going to definitely have to look for that book! Thanks for the rec!
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Sounds delish, love Pomerol.
We try. Just made a batch of lime bars, Paula Deen’s lemon bars recipe. I still have a few of about 200 limes picked this year on the kitchen counter, key (Mexican) and Persian. Meyer lemons are next. One tree, 233 this year for about 3 months.
I’ve done about 150 grafts on my key lime tree of every kind of citrus you can imagine. Oranges are unreal.
Few Meyers.
Cara cara (red navel) T-bud graft pushing.
RICH, sweet, juicy flavor. Big bad ass.
Alright, enough of my off topic BS.
Carry on boyz, time to yank some of them leaves LOL.
UB
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No way. Used Jack’s since the 70’s. Pure as the driven snow.
For water culture it’s hard to beat Dyna-Gro products.
That wasn’t my experience, but maybe I got a couple fluke bags.
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