Strong rains, hail, and frost present similar risks to disrupting this delicate pollination process. Because grape blossoms aren’t protected by flower petals once open, strong winds (like those that often accompany early summer thunderstorms) can shake the pollen from vines, preventing some flowers from pollinating. Each green pea eventually ripens into the grapes we know and love, but a multitude of weather factors can disrupt this fragile process and taint an entire year’s work.Īs I write this, ominous clouds are rolling across Northern California, carrying enough rain and wind to completely disrupt the flowering process. Once pollinated, each flower gives way to a tiny, hard green berry the size of a small pea.

Slowly, the petals from the cap fall to the ground along with bits of pollen. Over a few weeks, pollen from the stamen is gently transferred to the pistil, and little by little each flower is pollinated. There’s no fluffy, colorful flower petals here – just off-white strings smaller than your pinky nail. When the vine is ready, the caps bursts open with a pop to reveal the bare basics of a flower: a pistil and several pollen-carrying stamen. At this point, the vines look like they’re covered with grape bunches that have been hit by a shrink ray, but these mini-bunches simply serve as a convenient protective package for future grapes. Hidden beneath the vine’s leafy canopy flowering begins with the development of tiny green spheres known as a “calyptras.” Called caps for short, these miniature green balls encircle the delicate, pollen-carrying parts of the flower. About a month after this leafy invasion(and two to three months after initial bud break) the flowering frenzy begins underneath the vine’s massive leaves. Unlike Washington D.C.’s famed cherry blossoms, or the apple and pear blooms that cover swaths of the Pacific Northwest each spring, grapevines do a more subtle dance to pollinate their tiny flowers.Īfter spring’s initial bud break, vines go on a rapid vegetative growth spree – often growing up to an inch per day – and their leafy tendrils expand wildly.

Look after my vineyard while im away