Post-harvest management: vine nutrition and strengthening

The harvest is over. What now?

Between mid-September and early October, once the harvest is over, the vine enters a transitional phase. Although the grape clusters have already been picked, the plant remains active as long as the leaves stay green and functional, and its root system continues to function.

It is an important period to reinforce the nutritional reserves that will be mobilized at the beginning of the next campaign.

Carlos Placas states that “it is during this phase that we should begin preparing the vine for the following year. The best way to do this is to help the plant build up reserves and boost its defenses.”

From this point on, the strategy depends heavily on the condition of the vineyard and the stage it is currently in.

Are the leaves still green? It’s time to build up reserves

As long as the vine has active leaves, it still has the capacity to absorb and mobilize nutrients.

At this stage, NPK macronutrients and micronutrients such as boron and zinc become particularly important, as they play a role in the vine’s development and fertility.

Fertifol Flow Apex: Taking Advantage of Leaf Activity

“While the leaves are still green and active, we have room to work on nutrition and help the vine build up reserves for the next cycle” notes the consultant.

This is the goal at this stage: to take advantage of the activity that the plant still maintains after the harvest to bolster reserves before it enters dormancy.

Fertifol Flow Apex is the recommended solution for this strategy. It is a foliar NPK fertilizer that is particularly rich in potassium and enriched with boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc. The gel formulation helps distribute the product evenly across the leaf surface and improves its adhesion.

The potassium plays an important role in in sugar transport and fruit quality, while nitrogen contributes to metabolic activity and phosphorus participates in energy transfer processes.

When the vine begins to slow down

As temperatures drop and the photoperiod shortens, the vine begins to lose activity and approaches vegetative dormancy.

It is an important phase to assess the conditions under which the vineyard ends the growing season, particularly in plots that were subject to greater phytosanitary pressure.

In vineyards most affected by powdery mildew, downy mildew or wood diseases, Carlos emphasizes the importance of supporting the plant’s recovery and strengthening its natural defenses.

Here, the goal is not to treat what has already happened during the growing season, but to help the vine finish the cycle in better condition and minimize the presence of fungal spores.

Heptacobre: Strengthening Before Dormancy

Carlos explains that “in vineyards that end the growing season more depleted, especially after greater disease pressure, it is important to help the plant recover and enter dormancy in a stronger state.”

For this phase, he suggests Heptacobre, a copper-based fertilizer complexed with heptagluconic acid whose formulation favors the absorption and mobilization of copper and contributes to the synthesis of natural defense substances, such as phytoalexins and phenols.