- Plowing - Plowing is done to open up the soil and ‘turn it over’, bringing the drier upper layer closer to the moist subsoil and vice versa. Plowing also improves the aeration of the soil and prepares it for planting.
- Sub-soiling - Sub-soiling is performed to break apart the pan layer of the plowed land.
- Levelling - Levelling is the final step of preparing the vineyard. The soil is levelled with tractors and is now ready for planting (given that the soil’s pH level and nutrient content has already been adjusted).
Newly prepared vineyards should also be free from the various perennial weeds that are considered pests to grapes. Some known weed pests include:
- Thistle
- Johnsongrass
- Quackgrass
- Dock
- Brambles
- Black medic
- Broadleaf plantain
- Common purslane
- Dandelion
- Ground ivy
- Crabgrass
- Mouse-eared chickweed
- Prostrate knotweed
- Speedwell
- White clover
- Wild onions
- Wild garlic
- Yellow wood sorrel
Many weed pests found in wide open farmlands can survive for years, regardless of inclement weather and change of seasons. Weeds survive by going dormant and by becoming propagules. Examples of propagules are:
- Below-ground rhizomes
- Tubers
- Budding rootstocks
- Budding tap-roots
- Above-ground stolons
Perennial weed pests are much harder to control because the propagules are usually protected by the soil and organic debris usually found in vineyards. Annual weed pests are much easier to deal with.
It is recommended that if perennial weed pests do exist in your land, that you deal with weed pests by using herbicides. Note that many herbicides that are indicated for controlling perennial weed pests can only be safely used during the establishment phase and not during the production and harvesting phases.
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