Growth Reference Guide

Modified E-L System Phenology Guide

 MAJOR STAGES  E-L number     ALL STAGES 
4 – Budburst
Shoot and inflorescence development
1 Winter bud
2 Bud scales opening
3 Wooly bud ± green showing
4 Budburst; leaf tips visible
12 –  Shoots 10 cm
Inflorescence clear,
5 leaves separated
7 First leaf separated from shoot tip
9 2 to 3 leaves separated; shoots 2-4 cm long
11 4 leaves separated
12 5 leaves separated; shoots about 10 cm long; inflorescence clear
13 6 leaves separated
14 7 leaves separated
15 8 leaves separated, shoot elongating rapidly; single flowers in compact groups
16 10 leaves separated
17 12 leaves separated; inflorescence well developed, single flowers separated
 18  14 leaves separated; flower caps still in place, but cap colour fading from green
19 – Flowering begins
Flowering
19 About 16 leaves separated; beginning of flowering (first flower caps loosening)
20 10% caps off
21 30% caps off
23 –  Flowering
50% caps off
23 17-20 leaves separated; 50% caps off (= flowering)
25 80% caps off
 26  Cap-fall complete
27 – Setting
Young berries growing
Bunch at right angles to stem
Berry formation
27 Setting; young berries enlarging (>2 mm diam.), bunch at right angles to stem
29 Berries pepper-corn size (4 mm diam.); bunches tending downwards
31 – Berries pea-size
Bunches hanging down
31 Berries pea-size (7 mm diam.)
32 Beginning of bunch closure, berries touching (if bunches are tight)
33 Berries still hard and green
35 – Veraison
Berry softening continues
Berry colouring begins

38 – Harvest
Berries ripe
Berry ripening 
34 Berries begin to soften; Sugar starts increasing
35 Berries begin to colour and enlarge
36 Berries with intermediate sugar values
37 Berries not quite ripe
38 Berries harvest-ripe
39 Berries over-ripe
 
Senescence
41 After harvest; cane maturation complete
43 Beginning of leaf fall
47 End of leaf fall
Modified E-L system for identifying major and intermediate grapevine growth stages (revised from Coombe 1995). Note that not all varieties show a woolly bud or a green tip stage (May 2000) hence the five budburst stages in the modified original 1995 system have been changed slightly by removing stage 4 and allocating the definition of budburst to what was formerly stage 5. Revised version of “Grapevine growth stages – The modified E-L system” Viticulture 1 – Resources. 2nd edition 2004. Eds. Dry, P. and Coombe, B. (Winetitles)

Weather (currently, more or less)

Eola Amity AVA
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