Green ground covers let us: minimize soil erosion and water runoff, improve soil structure, help to control vines’ vigour and grow better fruit.
Benefits on soil characteristics:
- Improve soil structure thanks to its roots.
- Suppress soil erosion in winter and minimize summer erosion.
- Improve the level of organic matter.
- Drain extremely humit soils, “mulch effect” at summer time.
- Increase soil microflora, fertility and consistency.
However the benefits are not just on soil characteristics, the vines can enjoy many benefits from green cover: help to control vines’ vigour, help grape ripening, increase grape polyphenols and reduce the risk of illnesses.
In short, the main advantages of green cover are : improvement of soil fertility, reduce the risk of erosin an water runoff, pest control,better water holding capacity and soil structure, and more benefits related to microbial communities.
“We work with different cover crops tailored to the specific needs on each single vineyard. In this way, we increase the biodiversity and biological natural processes. As a result, we optimize water reserves and nutrients,” says Daniel Pérez, Director of Viticulture an Agronomic Projects. Third generation of Pérez Pascuas family.
Shrubs and trees plantation and the preservation of compensatory areas -as diversity hotspot both within and on the perimeter of the vineyard- are farming practices implemented in Viña Pedrosa. And all of them, together with green cover crops are very effective actions to grow top quality grapes and reduce carbon footprint.
