Spring is here, and Jim Efird reported on April 17: “All vines, including the single Adobe Mission vine, were sprayed with Wettable Sulfur for mildew control. The mix is 2 level tablespoons per gallon of water. It took 2 gallons with spray passes on each side of the row to complete the job…as the vines grow in volume of leaves and shoots, we will simply mix more.
DO NOT mix anything else with this application of sulfur. If we need to kill mildew or certain insects with the organic oil product, we will delay a week between sprays. The sprayer will need to be rinsed at least three times by spraying fresh water through the hose before and after spraying the organic oil to prevent mixing with sulfur. A mixture of oil and sulfur will burn the vines.
All staked vines were sucked, and most twin shoots from the same bud were reduced to one. The few dominant shoots were tipped to slow growth on these shoots and encourage other shoots to even up. Of these shoots, several were tied lightly to the stake to minimize breakage and begin maintaining a challis form.
The Irrigation system is off due to the extent of spring rains that encourage excessive growth of the vines. I will monitor as to when to turn the irrigation back on.
We will continue to water the trellis vines as they do not get as much water due to the stone floors and we do want excessive growth here around the trellis. Rod Gross gave each vine an extra 3 gallons with the hose today. We want to repeat this weekly until we turn the irrigation system back on.”
Len Hoskins is working on the new irrigation system, drip hoses which will be buried. It has a more historic look.
Rod Gross completed 2 full rows following Len’s example of a circular weed guard to control the weeds around each plant.
The Vineyard Team, Jim Efird, Rod Gross and Len Hoskins met on again on Thursday April 25th, again on May 1 and May 23rd to develop new maintenance plans for the vineyard.
Orchard
The Dana Adobe at Historic Rancho Nipomo planted a heritage orchard in May on the bluff overlooking Nipomo Creek. The stone fruit and citrus are located north of the Dana Adobe (ca. 1839) on land once used as part of Captain William Dana’s orchard. The initial 22 trees represent varieties brought to California by the Spanish centuries ago. Apples, peaches, pears, cherries, limes, oranges and pomegranates are all represented in the initially planting. An additional ten trees will include apricots, figs, and lemons grafted from old fruit trees growing on two of Captain Dana’s children’s properties.
The orchard was designed to have a central open space with a spectacular view of the Temattate Ridge to the east. To access the newly planted orchard, a trail descends from the Mission Vineyard funded in part by the Wines History Project of San Luis Obispo County. You can endow one of the trees with a $1,000 tax-deductible donation to the Dana Adobe by visiting DANA’s website at Dana Orchard Naming Opportunity.
Horno
The influence of the Spanish in California can still be seen across the state. The Dana Adobe at Historic Rancho Nipomo brought back a piece of history by recreating an horno, or Spanish outdoor oven, next to the Adobe. Hornos were first used during the Roman Empire and today, are often re-created as pizza ovens. The original Hornos in California were constructed of Spanish tile or adobe block. DANA will be using their horno for cooking demonstrations and special event meals. If you would like to see the Horno and all the attractions at the Dana Adobe at Historic Rancho Nipomo, please schedule a tour by contacting the office at (805) 929-5679 or visit Dana’s website at www.danaadobe.org
Tallow Vat
California’s early economy during the Spanish and Mexican/Rancho era was based on the tallow and hide trade. Across the state are a few tallow vats, from the mission era, what is believed to be the last surviving rancho era tallow vat is located at the Dana Adobe in Nipomo. Tallow is the rendered fat of cattle which makes tallow. The tallow was used for cooking and to produce both soap and candles. It was traded across the Pacific. The Dana Adobe is working to preserve its significant piece of California history and create a functional replica at Historic Rancho Nipomo.
