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  • April 15th 2013 Issue
  • Story by Richard Lehnert

    • The root of the matter

    What is going on down there?

    This excavated root system is from a 40-year-old Concord own-rooted vine. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALAN LAKSO Grapes, with their flowing vines and lack of inherent structure, are free spirits compared with tree fruits, which have a fairly rigid form and structure. Not surprisingly, grape roots are free spirits as well. So why should anyone care about grape roots and what they do? Since they take up the water and nutrients the vines need, provide carbohydrate and nitrogen reserves for the spring, and help regulate vine growth, they are a critical part of the plant. “Studying them is the hard part,” […]

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    Production, Grapes, Research, Richard Lehnert
    Picture of Richard Lehnert
    Richard Lehnert
    After growing up on a Michigan dairy farm, Richard Lehnert began writing about farming in 1962, while still a junior studying journalism at Michigan State University. He worked at newspapers for a year before joining the staff of Michigan Farmer, where he spent 26 years, the last 15 as chief editor. He was a member of the staff of Good Fruit Grower from 2010 until 2015. Read his stories: Story Index
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