Groundcovers for Nebraska Vineyards

In recent years, the use of herbicides and other chemicals to control weeds and pests in the vineyard has become heavily scrutinized as studies continue to show negative health and environmental effects related to these chemicals. The use of herbicides in the vineyard is mainly to control weeds in a three-­ to four-­foot swath directly beneath the grapevines. This practice has been used for many years with the intention of reducing competition between weeds and grapevines. However, an alternative method of controlling weeds in the vineyard is to replace the weed-­free strip with a permanent groundcover. Recent studies have shown less competition between grapevines and neighboring plant species than what was originally thought, especially in areas with higher precipitation (Krohn and Ferree, 2005; Wheeler et al., 2008; Bavougian, 2014; Loseke and Read, 2016).

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