August is the month to be diligent about a certain four-legged masked bandit.  Our friend, the raccoon, is making his rounds in the vineyard and is plotting how he will destroy your nets and steal your grapes and spoil your fun.

Obviously, raccoons can be a real big problem.  Even one, acting alone, can wreak havoc and cause mayhem.  Diligence and planning is key to eliminating, or at least reducing, the destruction these guys can cause.

First, check around the vineyard for trails or paths that are used by animals.  You can usually find them by end posts or through a surrounding fence.  Buy a cage trap, the kind that catches animals without hurting them, and make sure it is big enough for one or more raccoons.  I have caught as many as three at a time in these traps.

Place the trap close to the trail.   If you can’t find a trail then set it near an end post that is closest to a fence line, road, pond or ditch.   Set the trap and leave a five foot trail of dog food to the trap.  Make sure to put plenty of food in the trap as a tempting reward for the buggers.

Check the trap each morning.  If you don’t catch anything for two or three days then move the trap to a new location.  When you catch the neighbor’s cat (this is almost a certainty) you can let it go, but when you finally catch a raccoon you can dispose of him as regulations allow.  When you stop catching anything, move to a new location and keep this up until harvest is complete.  The ripe grapes will entice raccoons from miles around so you have to keep catching them.   Unfortunately, you’ll need to keep check on it every day, and there is the possibility that you also may catch something you would rather not – like a skunk.

Another way to keep raccoons out of the vineyard is to have an electric fence.  It should be at least two wires.  One about four inches off the ground so that they can’t get under it and another about twelve inches off the ground.  If you use the wide fencing, it will be easier for the raccoons to see and stay away.  Of course, you’ll have to spend time keeping the fence operational, which takes time.  Vegetation will need to be cut or spayed so the fence can keep working correctly.

There are other options as well, including noise makers, cannons, scarecrows, and dogs which can help deter these bandits.  Keep in mind that raccoons are very intelligent and will figure out quickly if something will hurt them.  Once they figure it out, they’ll keep clear or attempt something else.

I absolutely do not condone using poison.  If the raccoon dies where another animal can eat it, the poison can be easily passed on, and you won’t be able to control what other animals may eat the poison, like the neighbor’s cat or dog.

It is very important to keep these varmints out of the vineyard.  They can rip up netting, damage plants, and spoil grapes, which can cause birds or insects to start feeding on the spoilage.  Be sure to follow trapping laws and regulations.  Contact your local DNR for further suggestions.

Of course, if you feel up to the task, you can always sit out in the vineyard at night with Old Yeller.

Watch out!  This is the time of year to keep a good look out for ground squirrels.  These four inch rodents can do such terrible damage that they can kill vines.

Watch for mounds and loose dirt around the base of your vines.   If your vineyard is less vigorous or your vines are wilting it may be a sign that the animals are digging around down there.   These varmints are prolific so getting ahead of the problem is important.

Stay on top of these ground squirrels, because if you don’t you may have other animals trying to do it for you.  That can be almost as bad as the rodents themselves.  Foxes, dogs or other predators will try to dig them out and that can kill a vine or render it useless with mounds of dirt and holes in the vineyard.

If you have just a few varmints, an easy way to control them is to use a rat trap (like a big mousetrap).  Bait the trap with peanut butter.  Come back thirty minutes later and take the dead squirrel out and re-bait the trap.

You may have to drill a hole in the trap and secure it to a post with a wire because a hungry fox or hawk may take the squirrel along with the trap before you get a chance to remove him.

If you have a large infestation you may consider using a device that puts propane into the holes.  When you light the propane.  Kaboom.  No more ground squirrels.  You won’t have to bury them either since they are already in the ground.

Of course, be careful with this method.  Play with fire at your own risk.

I don’t care for poisoned bait since I don’t know for sure that another animal won’t eat it.  I have heard of people putting the exhaust of a motor into the holes.  I haven’t done this myself so I can’t speak to the effectiveness of this technique.

You’ll have to make the final decision how you want to deal with the varmints, in the end.  Unfortunately the Pied Piper doesn’t live around these parts so you’ll have to get your hands dirty.

Staying ahead of the little buggers is the main thing.  They can multiply rapidly and take out several plants before you know it.  Keep your eyes peeled.

Good luck.

It’s not uncommon for people ask me what I believe the best type of trellising method happens to be.  Specifically, people like to know the best way to securely anchor the ends of the trellis.

The best answer I can give in a nutshell: it depends.

I have made a trellis that has the familiar H posts at both ends, and I have made a trellis with single end post held by a guy wire to an anchor.  Both methods have advantages and disadvantages, and in the end it’ll be up to you (the viticulturist) to choose the best method for your vineyard.

The ‘guy wire’ is called a ‘trip wire’ by some as it can be easily caught by equipment and broken or stretched.  But, this potential inconvenience is almost made up for by the fact that you only need one end post and one anchor.  I find that an anchor is easier to screw in the ground then digging a hole or driving a post in the ground.  An anchor also costs less than an end post.  With a guy wire end, there is no horizontal brace to install making installation faster and cheaper.

With an H frame end post system, there are four components.  The two posts, the brace and the brace wire.  There are also two holes to dig, compared to one for the anchor system.  One of the biggest problems I find with the H post system is that raccoons will sit on the brace between the end posts   and use it as a seat to eat grapes and tear up the netting.  Of course, one of the major advantages of this method is that it is incredibly strong and durable (assuming the installation was done properly).

With a guy wire anchored system, there is a bit of wasted space between the end post and the anchor.  If you’re creative, however, this should not be a problem.  I use this space to plant rose bushes or rhubarb.

I have put in both types of systems for my trellis ends but the one I prefer in my vineyard is the anchor system.  It expedites the process of vineyard expansion, and keeps costs low.  But perhaps this method isn’t for you.  If you have a plentiful supply of posts and no raccoons to speak of, then maybe the H system may be best for you.