Show Notes
In this episode, we are joined by a friend and repeat guest, Paul Crout. Paul is a leading pest control advisor, certified crop control advisor, and one of the foremost experts on wine grape nutrition, spray adjuvants, and more in the ag and viticulture realm. He currently works as a leading agronomist with Helena Agra Enterprises in California, and he has the honor of being the only guest we've had on the podcast three times! Adjuvants can be a dry topic, but we promise this discussion provides a lot of valuable take-home information. It's one of those episodes where you will want to take notes. Listen in and don't forget to download the Spray Adjuvants to Increase Pesticide Efficacy Grower Guide. In this episode, you will hear: What adjuvants are, when to use them, and which ones to use
The two main categories of adjuvants - surfactants and special purpose
When to use buffers and drift control agents
The importance of knowing your water's pH before adding an adjuvant
Differences between non-ionic surfactants and organosilicone surfactants
Understanding the use of methylated seed oils for tank mixing and pesticide application
Follow and Review: We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click the '+ Follow' button in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review," then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second, and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Resources: Download Fritz's member-only Spray Adjuvants to Increase Pesticide Efficacy Grower Guide available to podcast listeners through August 2025. If you are starting a vineyard or thinking about starting a vineyard, apply to be on the podcast for Fritz's help planning your vineyard - https://www.vineyardundergroundpodcast.com/contact/ Come grow with Fritz through VirtualViticultureAcademy.com! Save $75 off your first year of membership with the code Underground at checkout. Today's Guest: Paul Crout is a Pest Control Advisor and Certified Crop Advisor, and one of the foremost experts on wine grape nutrition and spray adjuvants. He currently works as an Agronomist with Helena Agri-Enterprises in California. Connect with Paul on LinkedIn and learn more about being Grape Wise with Helena. Episode Sponsor: Today's episode was brought to you by SensorInsight and by Vigneron Toy Store. Thank you to SensorInsight for sponsoring today's episode. SensorInsight is a leader in vineyard soil moisture and weather monitoring. SensorInsight designs state-of-the-art, remote satellite monitoring of soil moisture and weather, bringing actionable information for your vineyard operations straight to your phone, with real-time data so you can best decide when to turn on your irrigation, how long to run the system, and learn how the dynamics of soil moisture can change over a given season. Visit them today at https://sensorinsight.io. And don't forget to mention the code Underground to receive a discount on your SensorInsight solution. Thank you to Vigneron Toy Store for sponsoring today's episode. Vigneron Toy Store specializes in Harvesters, Sprayers, Frost Mitigation Equipment, Canopy Management Trimmers, and more. As grape growers themselves, they can expertly help you determine the best equipment for your specific vineyard needs. And, as a special offer for our podcast listeners, you can save 5% off in-stock machines by entering the promo code Underground on the contact form at vignerontoystore.com. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com. Let them know we sent you.
More from Vineyard Underground
In this bonus episode, Fritz explains why he founded the Virtual Viticulture Academy in 2018. He describes three motivations: consulting travel limited how many growers he could serve; some growers couldn't afford or find individual advice; and vineyard management could feel isolating without nearby peers. The academy was created as a trusted source for research-based vineyard information and a community where growers can ask questions, share vineyard photos and challenges, and learn from one another. Fritz discusses how the academy now connects growers across the United States and around the world. Listen in to learn about the free grower guides, and listeners can take advantage of a membership discount: $75 off the first year with code Underground. In this episode, you will hear: Founding the Virtual Viticulture Academy in 2018
Fritz welcomes Penn State entomologist Dr. Julie Urban for a look back at ten years of spotted lanternfly research — and what vineyard owners have learned along the way. Julie explains why grapevines are especially vulnerable: late-season feeding can disrupt resource flow and drain the carbohydrate reserves vines need for winter. They walk through the lanternfly's life cycle, its unpredictable movement among host plants, and why spring nymph counts don't necessarily tell growers where adults will show up later. They also talk scouting, insecticide timing, tree of heaven, and research into gentler controls, parasitoid wasps, and even vibrations sent through trellis wires. There's no single fix yet, but Julie shares why she's hopeful — and why growers' help matters. In this episode, you will hear: A decade of spotted lanternfly research in the United States
Leading microbial ecologist from UC San Diego, Dr. Jack Gilbert joins us to talk about how soil and management decisions shape the vine and wine microbiome. We start by defining what a microbiome is in plain vineyard terms, and Dr. Gilbert explains how vines "select" specific microbes from the surrounding soil to support nutrient uptake, stress tolerance, and overall vine health. We then walk through Dr. Gilbert's Merlot study that showed roughly 95% of the vine microbiome originates from the soil, and we discuss how these early microbial reactions can influence wine character before commercial yeast ever goes in. The conversation then turns to real-world vineyard practices. We cover how herbicides, tillage, compaction, and inputs can suppress or reshape soil biology. Listeners also hear about emerging work at the UCSD Soil Health Center, including using soil "prebiotics" and "probiotics" together and developing digital twins of vineyards to time interventions more precisely. In this episode, you will hear: Vines actively recruit microbes from the soil to support health, nutrient uptake, and stress tolerance
A big life change is brewing as Fritz shares a personal update from his new home base in Denver, Colorado! After nearly two decades in Houston, he and his family have moved to be closer to the mountains, cooler weather, and an outdoor lifestyle, while still staying near a major airport so he can keep serving growers across the Americas. Nothing about the support, education, or consulting listeners receive is changing; if anything, Fritz feels more energized and inspired to bring fresh ideas to the podcast and the Virtual Viticulture Academy community. In this episode, you will hear: Reasons for relocating to Colorado and the outdoor-focused lifestyle
Fritz welcomes back Dr. Kendra Baumgartner, a longtime friend and one of his very first podcast guests, to tackle a question every grower eventually faces: when does an aging vineyard block cross from struggling to done? Kendra walks through the trunk diseases, root pathogens, and viruses that build up in vines over decades, explaining which problems a vine can carry for years and which ones signal it's time to act. Fritz and Kendra cover how to sample and diagnose these issues in the field, when retraining a vine still makes sense, and when replanting is the smarter call. Kendra brings decades of USDA plant pathology experience and now runs her own vineyard consulting practice, giving growers a clear framework for reading the signs before decline spreads across a whole block. Growers walking their older vineyards this fall will find plenty to take back into the rows. In this episode, you will hear: Trunk diseases like esca, Eutypa, and Botryosphaeria dieback, and how fast each one actually kills a vine