RAIN and MORE RAIN

It keeps raining. This photo was taken in my backyard earlier this week after yet another torrential, sub-tropical downpour. This lovely silver birch could no longer support itself in such sodden ground. It seems that the weight of water on the leaves and branches caused it to topple over. There may be more to come.
I have been visiting vineyards in Central Victoria during the week. Everywhere, it's the same story--floods, crop damage, ground too wet to get tractors on and more rain coming. Mildew, both powdery and downy, threaten every vineyard. We have already seen some growers abandon their grapes--unable to sell their fruit, they are not willing to pay for the sprays needed to combat disease. It looks like being the toughest season for many, many years. One grower, who planted his vines more than 20 years ago, told me it was the worst he had ever seen.
So far, the Squitchy Lane vineyard has coped well. There are some very isolated outbreaks of mildew  but they have not spread and will dry up once we get some sunny, warm weather. The vines have been thinned to increase air flow and it's working. 
But it isn't just a matter of keeping the mildew under control. Poor weather at flowering can have a significant effect on final crop load. Flowering is just about complete in most varieties so next week we will be able to see what damage the weatehr has caused. I expect that crops will be smaller than anticipated because of the rainy weather--the grape berries do not form properly and many are aborted from the bunch in such conditions.
I will post some photos early next week after we have a close look through the vines. In the meantime, let's hope we have seen the end of the rain.