Grapes and black rot

[Dad1960]

I have a grapevine that is about 12 years old. About 4 years ago it developed black rot that has been killing off the grapes ever since. There has been a lot of talk about sprayes, spurs in the ground, and measures to control the problem. But I am wondering... does once the vine gets the disease, is it there to stay? Or does it concock the disease afresh each year because of the spurs in the surrounding ground? The reason that I am asking is because what if I was to place a barrier on the ground.... my thinking was if the spurs cannot get to the vine, the vine should be safe.

Thoughts?

 

[Mike Vincent]

We have experienced black rot in the past. The key I found is to thin the vines of overgrowth once the grapes are on the clusters. Trim non-producing runners. It is essential that grape vines have good sun and great airflow to reduce moisture buildup in the shaded sections. I eradicated the issue by doing the thinning and spraying a fungicide specifically for grapes. We have a bumper crop each year now and have had no further issues when we thin early.