Bleeding (inset photo) caused by root pressure is associated with bud swell and bud break. Bleeding sap is collected from a potted Merlot grapevine in a Washington State University study looking at the consequences of dry soil during bud swell and bud break. Adequate soil moisture in the spring is even more important for grapevines than previously thought. Washington State University scientists have confirmed that low soil moisture delays bud break and slows shoot growth, but early spring irrigation can overcome problems from dry soils. After an especially dry winter in 2005, where the Pacific Northwest received less than half […]