Sheep wool in vineyards mulching
Hello everyone, I hope you doing fine.
I’m André, the guy in charge by the cultures department at Quinta do Sampayo, located in Vale da Pinta, near Cartaxo, in Portugal.
I want to know more about sheep wool mulching in the vineyards. What quantities are used to mulch the vineyards row´s? How long the mulching is effective in controlling weeds? What are the issues to its application? Is effective for snails control? If someone as that experience and what to share more informations of this practises with me, I´ll be very glad.
Thank you so much,
André
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Hi Andre, it’s great to see you on the forum. I’m going to find someone who knows the answer!
Hi Andre,
I tried fleece as an undervine mulch about 6 years ago in West Wales.
I used dags, unwashed fleece at I fleece per vine.
The grass was showing through by the following year, so annual application would be required. @£1 a fleece.
Being unwashed the fleeces were disturbed and pulled around by badgers and foxes. Thinking it carrion.
At that time I used some light weight machinery in the vineyard, the fleece would often snag in the machines.
I was very concerned with continued use of the build up of lanolin under the vines not a good mix with grape.
For me in West Wales, even with free fleeces it was a non-starter.
I hope that this helps.
Paul
Hi Andre, we’ve found that wool does act as a weed suppressant under vine but a few things to consider are: 1) whether / how you can hold it in place especially if it’s a breezy vineyard site or there are animals present, 2) if you ever intend to strim or cultivate anything that grows through or around it it can snag equipment, 3) it’s labor intensive and, 4) it can act as a propagation bed for leaf/vine litter/debris and seeds overtime. So it needs careful management to be effective and i would also note the other comment about Lanolin … worth looking into.