News about grapes and the vine nursery
Here we present the latest News about our work in the vine nursery, new trends in vine nursery and grapes and other interesting topics.
Newspaper report from the newspaper - inFranken
The Lord of the Grapes
"I'm an addict," admits Hartmut Schmidt bluntly. He collects grapes from all over the world. Customers appreciate that. The latest part of our series on local businesses all over the world.
To the newspaper article...
Article in the magazine Gartenflora
Grapevines from Unterfranken
The magezine Gartenflora has interviewd Hartmut Schmidt and has published an 5 page article in their Oktober-edition 2014 about our work in the vine nursery.
Cite Gartenflora: "Hartmut Schmidt zieht in jedem Jahr viele Tausend Tafelrebenpflanzen heran. Nicht der einzige Grund, ihn in seiner Rebschule zu besuchen."
The article as PDF ...
table grapes in fourth place
Table grapes are in fourth place among the types of fruit bought in Germany.
Apples, bananas and oranges are, in that order, the most frequently bought fruits in Germany. This did not change in 2008. Table grapes moved into fourth place ahead of clementines because the European grape supply was larger last year, whereas clementines were scarce and expensive. Overall, a household in Germany bought an average of 83.6 kilograms of fresh fruit last year - 3% less than last year. Due to higher prices, consumers had to spend almost 6% more money on the smaller quantity. Apples, bananas and oranges no longer made it into the shopping basket as frequently as clementines, pears, strawberries and nectarines.
Source: "German Tree Nursery", February 2009 edition
Phylloxera sucks at the roots again
An article in the MAIN-POST of June 1, 2006, entitled "Phylloxera sucks back to the roots" warns against the purchase of ungrafted vines.
The phylloxera is back. The dreaded pest, which began to destroy Europe's vineyards about 130 years ago, is once again appearing more frequently in Germany, explains Peter Schwappach, Commissioner for Official Vine Protection at the Bavarian State Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture in Veitshöchheim, in a press release. "Root-true vines, which instead of grafted vines were only recently offered in the garden centre of a large DIY chain in Franconia, favour the advance of this pest," he explains. An ordinance from 1989 prohibits the planting of ungrafted vines, but not their sale. Once before - around 100 years ago - the massive spread of root phylloxera almost brought viticulture in Bavaria to a standstill. Because there is currently no possibility of directly controlling this pest. It is only in the last 60 years or so that Bavarian vineyards have been rebuilt with considerable financial and human resources - both from the state and from the winegrowers. Strict compliance with the requirements of the phylloxera ordinance is therefore important.
"Since more and more wine is being grown and even in Holland vineyards are being planted in the polders, ungrafted vines have been sold again and again", Schwappach found out. Holland, for example, has never been a wine-growing country and has never had problems with phylloxera. Therefore, grafting is not carried out there for cost reasons. It is cheaper to simply put a cutting in the pot and let it form roots. But leftovers of the plants produced for this purpose also end up on the German market. Germinated plants are easy to recognize: At the point on the stem where the rootstock is joined to the scion - about 10 to 15 cm above the ground - the plant forms a thick bulge. Usually a layer of wax protects the wound from drying out. If this bulge is missing, the vine has roots that are susceptible to phylloxera and should therefore not be planted. "As a rule, there is no intention on the part of the seller if he has ungrafted vines in his offer. It is simply ignorance," emphasizes Schwappach. Nevertheless, he asks to be contacted if ungrafted vines are offered for sale somewhere (Tel.: 0931/9801572). Anyone who has bought vines should check whether they have been grafted. Unprocessed plants should be returned to the trader with reference to paragraph 2(1) of the Bavarian Ordinance on the Implementation of the Phylloxera Ordinance of 13 July 1989
