VASCM: Seeking custom tillage/ripping for sloped vineyard

[Richard Casale]

Hi Brooke

It's not too late to plant a cover crop but you might be limited on
grass/legume seed choices now that the weather is getting colder. The
grasses with the best chance of success for late Nov and Dec plantings are
cold season, fast growing cereal grains like barley, oats or wheat, all of
which get tall and will need to be knocked down in the spring. Cereal
grains are poor reseeding annual grasses that should not present a problem
in the future if you decide to plant a warmer season, reseeding annual, or
perennial cover crop next year.

Most popular cover crop mixes are warm season plants and typically are slow
to germinate and/or struggle to establish when planted late in the fall.
See attached information on cover crops choices for Santa Cruz County. One
way to ensure success, whether using a warm or cold season grass is to
cover the seed with a 1/2 inch of soil and/or at least cover with weed-free
rice straw mulch (no deeper than 2 inches in depth) to help protect soil
and seedbed from winter rains and runoff; provide warmth to germinating
seed; and for moisture retention for plant growth between rainfall events.
Covering broadcasted seed can also significantly boost seed germination.

Lightly scarifying the surface of the ground, without deeper cultivation,
is best for late season plantings so that you minimize soil disturbance and
don't make the ground more susceptible to erosion. Loose soil has a much
higher likelihood of erosion than non-tilled soil because the soil
structure has been disrupted as well as any remnant soil holding root
systems. Additionally, loose soil has a significant amount of air in it
which quickly fills with water during a rainfall event contributing to soil
particle mobilization. That is why it is always a good idea to cover any
cultivated or scarified soil with straw mulch. See attached information on
the use of vineyard cover crops and use of mulch in vineyards for more
details.

Happy to answer any questions you may have.

All my best and Happy Thanksgiving

Rich Casale, CPESC #3
Certified Professional Erosion and Sediment Control Specialist
Retired Natural Resources/District Conservationist for the USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service
richcasale3 at gmail.com
831-359-1297

On Sun, Nov 19, 2023 at 9:43 PM Brooke Lipman <brookerlip at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> I'm hoping to squeeze a cover crop in this year but need to rip or lightly
> till first now that the ground is workable and do not have the equipment to
> do so. I'm hoping to hire someone with a small tractor and implement that
> can manage a fairly steep slope. The vineyard is about 3/4 of an acre in
> Scotts Valley.
> Anyone up for this or have any ideas about who could do this?
> Thank you!!
> Brooke
>
> --
> Brooke Lipman
> Blue House Vineyard
> 831-435-9547
> brookerlip at gmail.com
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