Breaking temperature records in Chicago...

(The legendary Dandelions of Grayslake, Illinois - Sunday May 8, 2011. Had to lie down on the grass(er, Dandelions) to take this photo of the Dandelions)

This is going to be a bit of a housekeeping entry.

- Bird thought to be injured
- Moon over Chicagoland
- Nest came after the bird
- Video of possibly eery night sky
- Dandelions
- Temperatures in Chicagoland

(I was catching up with the neighbor downstairs the other week and there was this Robin sitting on my front porch. To my eye, the bird looked like it was staring down the last few hours of its life. Why I interrupted the event as such, I have no explanation. Anyway, press the right-facing triangle and notice the bird's nest atop one of the pillars of my front porch. I think it is safe to assume that mama bird's water was about to break. Anyway, every time we come home or leave the apartment, we are greeting with a fleeing bird. She essentially flees the nest because we seem a potential harm to her egg. The bird, despite being with egg, really worked quickly to get that nest put together, and it is amazing engineering. Czech the photo below to bear witness. I haven't heard the sounds of a little baby chick just as yet. Photo taken Thursday April 7 2011.)

And, the bird nest:

(I just took this photo on Wed May 11, 2011. Just as I opened the exterior door to the apartment, the mama Robin immediately flew out of the nest and started chirping at me from a tree branch only 10 feet away. Very cute how dedicated she is. But the photo showcases her craftsmanship on that nest. Wow! The bird has a skill set if I have ever seen one. Just needs a resume and a cover letter.)

Greetings. I realized today, don't know why I would forget this, that I actually have 6 viable grape vines growing in Southeast Logan Square Chicago, Illinois. The varietals are, once again:

-  Mars Seedless
-  Syrah (not supposed to be growing here with temperatures like we get in the winter)
-  Cabernet Sauvignon (not supposed to be growing here either)

Two of these varietals I bought by listening to my heart and not my head (Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon). The Mars Seedless I bought at Lowe's Hardware because it was already a developed vine, unbeknownst to me that it was an inter-specific hybrid brought about in 1986 by the lovely folks at the University of Arkansas (Ar-Kansas as the folk musicians say).

And about that moon...

(Photo taken April 17, 2011 Grayslake, Illinois)

(Photo taken April 17, 2011 Grayslake, Illinois)

Today Tuesday May 10, 2011 in Chicago, the temperatures reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit at O'Hare International airport. Talk about craziness, but it was a lovely day. I even gave some of the plants outside a little drink from the garden hose. This temperature apparently broke a record for April 17, which has not been breached since 1896. Big deal, for sure.

(Mas Dandelions! Sunday May 8, 2011 Grayslake, Illinois)

(Many, many, many Dandelions in Grayslake Illinois Sunday May 8 2011)

As I sign off right now at this ripe hour of dawn, the current temperature is 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The world is alive here in Southeast Logan Square. Birds even like it here at the apartment. The next blogulation is going to involve the most recent photos of the vines on-site here at this urban appellation.

update from the Chicago vines - photos Wed Feb 9, 2011

I am well over a week late with these photos, but I am putting them up anyway. Here are a few photographs of the vines I have planted in Chicago. I took the photos on Wed Feb 9, 2011. Check, check, check them out!

(Syrah Grape vine I - 2009. This is the vine that I knew was going to give me hope last spring. When I saw the buds bursting, I was ecstatic. Actually, in the ground it was still simply just a woody, bark-like grape vine cutting, and the little fella made it through a harsh Chicago winter. I just couldn't believe the potential of these vines until this one showed what possibilities existed. Absolutely, this is not the right vine for the climate, but I don't care. What I am learning now, I will take with me into my future endeavors elsewhere - whether it be as a hobby grower, or as a gainfully employed worker at a vineyard outside of Healdsburg, California, or anywhere else along HWY 101. I was actually forgetful about how large I allowed this vine to grow - for better or worse. I took this still photo and I also took a video on the 9th of Feb 2011. Stepping back a bit, I feel very much that I am in a better place with this vine being the way it is now, as sprawled out as it is, compared to last February 2010. My intention, as I have made clear on this blog, is to extract cuttings from this vine when I prune it. Pruning this vine will occur Monday Feb 28, 2011. Super-excited is the word, folks.)

(Syrah grape vine II 2009. This was the surprising vine. It shocked me to all get-out when I realized something was actually growing where I had planted it in September 2009. And true to form, given that it is Vinifera, this cutting didn't really start growing until about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks after Syrah I. The day I learned it pulled out of winter, I was so overjoyed my neighbor above me thought I was so strange for my enthusiasm over a young cutting pulling through a Chicago winter. I remember when I planted these vines, I didn't know a thing about how to proceed, about placement, climate, or what else to consider, etc. All I knew was that I had ordered Syrah cuttings on EBay - sounds like a terrible idea, doesn't it(it was all based on the success of the 2008 growing season)? I grew the cuttings in the apartment, all 6 of them, and all six of them did very well. I knew I had to get them in the ground. I didn't realize fully why. Anyway, only 40 inches away to the east (another really bad idea) I had another stronger Syrah cutting planted in the ground. The stronger vine seemed to be doing really well at the start of the 2010 growing season, but then it fell victim to wind damage - maybe even some Canine damage, as it was very tender despite being the one of the strongest of the 6 cuttings as I raised them inside the apartment.

(Mars Seedless grape vine. Last year it's growth was greatly stunted by being too near a rat hole. When the city of Chicago came in the yard to put down rat poison, it clearly affected the vine. It was planted in Sept 2009, during the spring of 2010 the vine had tremendous growth and progress. I bought it from a Lowe's hardware store off of Touhy Avenue in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Then it was all "shot to hell...", as my family is fond of reporting, once the city of Chicago Rat/Pest Control Department came in to engage the rats living just on the other side of the fence between my neighbor and my apartment's yard.)

(Cabernet Sauvignon grape vine. One of the first pair that myself, my roommate, and my neighbor downstairs planted. These vines were started from cuttings that were a result of pruning the original Cabernet Sauvignon vine in St. Louis last Feb 2010. When my roommate and I planted these, we were amazed at how fast roots grew from this cutting (the roots encircled the bottoms of the flower pots by the time we planted them in actual soil). This vine and its sibling grew amazingly well in the apartment while resting in soil in a measly flower pot. Planting these was a crazy idea and is still a long shot. This area is, however, the best place for sunlight during the summer months.)

(This is clearly another Cabernet Sauvignon grape vine. This is the second half of the story mentioned above. Also a very hardy cutting, apparently, and it simply took off in the apartment. It will not get great airflow while abutted to the exterior wall of my brick apartment building. But it still won't stop me from growing vines here. To be redundant, if you come upon grape vine cuttings in late February, just go ahead and gamble and put them in a flower pot and see if they do anything in 12 weeks time. There is nothing to lose.)

(Another Cabernet Sauvignon grape vine and a very strong vine at that. I probably planted this in late July or early August 2010. This vine won't do too great because of where it is situated. The soil is quite good, it won't get enough sun, though. The reason for my planting it was because I had too many cuttings and I had to do something with them before the weather started to get cold. Having done so much nursing and coddling of these cuttings while trying to get them started in the apartment during the springtime, I didn't want to see my roommate and I's efforts be for naught. I also wanted this vine to have more time to get acclimated to the soil, than vines I had hastily planted in the past. My aim was to plant it about 5 weeks earlier than I did the previous year with planting the Mars Seedless grape vine in September 2009. I am definitely looking forward to measure its relative growth to the Mars Seedless. As I indicated above, the Mars Seedless pulled out of the winter of 2009/2010 and had an exceptional start to the growing season until the arrival of the rat poison - the poison was desperately needed, though. There seemed to be a shanty town developing down in that rat hole every time I looked near it.

After writing these little blurbs, it came upon me that this is my 4th growing season with grape vines. Amazing. The first two Cabernet Sauvignon grape vine cuttings went into the ground in March 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri.

See you soon!

46 Degrees Fahrenheit for the low temperature last night

Growth cannot be sustained any longer for this particular growing season of 2010. Today is Sept 28 2010 Tuesday. It's been an amazing year. There is a ton to celebrate and there is a ton to look forward to as things proceed into the future, the unknown.

When the temps dip below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, growth ceases for the grape vines. As a result, I think it might be nice to provide some comparisons, at the end of the growing season, of two of the varietals that I am growing at the apartment in Chicago. My Mars Seedless won't be featured in this bulletin, partly because it is recovering from the roots being hammered by rat baits placed about by the landlord, which I have no protest for or against. But let's begin with the photographic comparisons, the emphasis will be on the leaves of the two varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Cabernet Sauvignon starts it off.

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Cabernet Sauvignon grape vine leaves. (All photos taken on Tues Sept 28 2010)

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Syrah grape vine leaves

Syrah grape leaf Tuesday Sept 28 2010

Lead shoot on Syrah grape vine Tues Sept 28 2010

Another view of a Syrah grape leaf Tues Sept 28 2010

The temperature is currently at 69 degrees Fahrenheit in the city of Chicago. The vines and the rest of the fauna are experiencing at least a 23 degree discrepancy between mid-day temps and late-night/early morning temperatures. Actually, the vine by the red stairs seems to be behind the vine along the side of the apartment with respect to how advanced the periderm is developed as the march toward winter carries on. I am very interested in seeing what the impact of my decision to not crop the vine at 5ft tall will be. As well, I am very interested in learning about the prospect of winter injury to the vines and to see if I can possibly get some viable cuttings from these vines. They won't be this long in length by late Marc 2011. I fully intend to prune these back so that I can begin to develop canes that will provide for the cruciform component most readily seen in anyone else's grape vines.

One final note for today. I feel even more certain that August 15 in Chicago, Illinois is probably the best marker to use as the final time to get any young vines in the ground and expect them to be fully acclimated to the soil before the autumn chill arrives.

Overall, I am learning a tremendous amount, and feeling very proud about progress with all of the vines planted in Chicago, Grayslake, southern Indiana, St. Louis, MO and Glen Ellyn, Illinois, with many, many thanks to friends and family, roommates, and building-mates. More to come....Thanks for reading.

Vineyard Pests!!!! - er,...this is where it gets good -

Doing alot of updating on the vines in St. Louis, Missouri. Things are great. Went for a journey into the city with a good buddy of mine, noted plenty of re-development all throughout south St. Louis (not by 'Peppers' south-side bar on Gravois). I only mean south of Olive Blvd and areas southwest of that region, east of the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Anyway, I tried to look again for the pesky Japanese Beetle. Instead I discovered an infestation by what appear to be a kind of Aphid. I have photos to accompany this posting.

The first photograph really sets the stage. I had seen this yesterday when I visited the vine for the first time since March 2010. The first photo displays the end result of what I think is the product of what the bugs in the following photos achieve after dining on a 7 course meal on the grape vine with their friends, families, and the one dude they drank beers with the night before, who also just happened to crash on the couch: he's the kind of person you can't shake with a clean conscience, once you learn more about how far he is gone.  And, as with most short-term acquaintances, there is a certain charm to any human that thinks and acts in a strange, unusual way.  He doesn't do too well at any of the eateries along Division Street just east of Damen Avenue and west of Damen Avenue where all of the copies congregate, talking shapes, sizes, measurements......that's a tangent entirely unrelated to grape vines.




These bugs resemble the size of Aphids. I didn't spy any ladybugs around to counter with an attack. Actually, I kind of expected to see this kind of situation on my Fava Beans in Chicago, IL, not on the grape vine in St. Louis. Either way, this is a good experience. The jury is still out for this household. Surely there is one option of spraying Sevin dust on the vine from Ortho. I just don't want to go there if I can avoid doing so. We took the steps of cutting out as much of the vine that had the infestation as possible (all of which was actually outside of the bird netting, strangely enough and/or convenient, too). By doing this, I actually expect the existing grape clusters to receive greater nutrition from what used to go to the vines that we trimmed. In trimming we were able to fill up a 5-gallon bucket of cuttings. I also lopped a nearly 28 inch long green cutting. Just amazing things have happened to this vine in the past four months. Remarkable.

Either way, Chicago has about 45 heat days left before September 1 2010. For St. Louis, I would wager that they have about 55-60 actual heat days left in their growing season. I might be way off the mark in my estimation here. No matter, when I consider my outdoor vines in Chicago, both of which are Syrah vines that were planted in the soil around Sept 1 2009, and in consideration of how much they have grown in the past 3 weeks, I think I will have a nice sampling as the autumn weather begins to encroach and visit itself upon the Upper Midwest around Chicagoland.

Part of my excitement is that the Syrah vines that are now green will begin to undergo the process of becoming wood-like (I would imagine I'll learn what this process will be called properly when school begins).  As I indicated in the previous two posts, the wood on the Cabernet Sauvignon vine in St. Louis is beautiful and reveals weathering and maturing.

Cabernet Sauvignon 01-2008 St. Louis Missouri

I am on-location at the site of the original Cabernet Sauvignon vine, at my folks' place in St. Louis, MO.  I have a few nice photos and more funny news about the vine(s).  Vines?  "I thought it was only 1 vine from what you shared in previous posts?", the reader might ask.  .......more to come. Pay attention.

Everything featured above in a photographic medium is from the original vine planted in March 2008 (Cabernet Sauvignon 01-2008). Of course it is not well-kempt. This is, after all, the story of a guy trying to figure out how to establish a vineyard from just one vine. Lessons, lessons, lessons. I can only hope that I'll learn as much as I can. Which, by the way, is a nice segue for another bit of news. I am enrolled in a Viticulture Certificate program in a local community college to get some lessons about growing the vines, caring after them, learning everything else I can't even pretend to predict, and to further go into debt. BUT!!!!!! It is all to seize better control of my life and to situate mineself in a setting where I can be fully engaged in job/work kinds of stuff (the material that eats up nearly 52 hours of our weeks, every week - the math is: 52 weeks times 52 hours produces a total of 2,704 hours a year that we spend consumed with work - I added 12 hours to figure in travel times 52-12=40 hrs a week, for citizens of cities as crowded as Chicago you might wish to add upwards of 15-18 hours for commuting if the train doesn't help you all too well).

Anyway, if I am going to work 2,704 hours a year at a place that pays me, I realized that I want to be engaged in activities that I believe in. Life is moving along unexpectedly swift in manner. It's all process, just like these vines.

There are a couple of photos of note. The one photo has the author of the blog standing against the vine, it clearly reveals how tall this vine has gotten. When this vine was pruned on Friday Feb 26, 2010 with my mom and my cousin Mike, the assumption was that the vine would be in better shape. It is better than last year and seems better managed but next Feb 2011 the vine is definitely going under the saw, as it were, to get it to be more cruciform-like.

Also, look at the beautiful wood of the vine, there are a few photos that reveal how mature the vine is getting. Remember, this vine is only 3 years-old. And another item to put in is that when I took the photos yesterday I was trying to spy a few Japanese Beetles, but to no avail. Where are those pesky varmints? Some other bug is clearly getting a meal or two on the leaves, and that can be seen quite clearly in the photography. The star of the show is really my family as they care after this lovely beast with the tending, the watering, the clipping, the bird-netting, etc. My little niece is consumed with quality control as I hear she sneaks a grape every time she stops by to visit grandma and grandpa: the grapes weren't too delectable this weekend, she reports.