There is an interesting article in the San Francisco Chronicled titled ‘Turning Water into Wine’ on the merits and or need to irrigate vines. We in the Santa Rita Hills and Santa Barbara County have no option, with rainfall this year around six inches and an annual average of eighteen inches the decision has been made for us.
In other areas, including the Napa Valley, where the rainfall exceeds forty inches, the choice becomes one of vine management. Without irrigation the roots will go deep looking for moisture. With irrigation the roots remain shallow. The theory being that shallow roots can be nourished more easily and rapidly than deep ones. Almost all new plantings in California are provided with drip irrigation, even where abundant rainfall occurs, in Europe the story is different and irrigation is associated with overcropping and strictly controlled by the government.
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