It's a Jungle Out There

Leaving a vineyard to its own devices for a few months from the beginning of the growing season has its problems.
On our return from overseas we found a jungle growing.
Unseasonably warm weather had pushed the vines and the inter-rows into a substantial growth spurt.
Thank goodness there was little rain so it was not as bad as it could have been.

We have been working feverishly to restore some order with mowing, green pruning, weed spraying and shoot positioning.
The next job was to be getting a protective spray against downy and powdery mildews onto the vines before the rain came.
But too late. We had two days of rain with the some torrential downpours overnight, 160mm (6.5inches) in a few hours.
Our creek came up and the lower parts of the property were flooded.
You just can't win.
At least the bush fires are now out.

Despite all that, we have had the hottest spring on record so far and it looks like 2013 will be the hottest year since records began in Australia.