Mindful management in viticulture - snakes show whether it fits

Otto converted his 12-hectare vineyard to organic farming back in 2000. For Otto, organic viticulture means much more than just not using chemical insecticides, which is impressively demonstrated to the participants on the farm walk: Closely intertwined with his vineyards is a meadow orchard, which Otto only mows with a bar mower in mid-August in order to offer animals such as the green lizard or fawns protected retreats for as long as possible. Otto also creates structural diversity around his vineyard with a pond, stone walls and rows of trees.

But the rows of vines themselves are also strikingly different from many others: You will look in vain for areas devoid of insects and flowers on the short-cut uniform green of the tramlines with Otto Knaus. When mowing the tramlines, he only mows every second row with the mower set high and makes sure that grasses and herbs come into bloom. And that pays off: Comfrey, milfoil, watercress, thistles etc. grow between his vines in a closely interlocking mosaic of mown green areas. This diversity of plants attracts a species-rich community of insects, reptiles and birds to the vineyard - diversity that also pays off for him as a winegrower: a stable ecosystem is created in which predatory mites and other insects, as well as birds, help him to keep vineyard pests such as vine rust mites and spider mites in check. ‘A breeding pair of birds with 8 to 10 nestlings needs 30 kg of insects to raise their offspring,’ says Otto, impressively underlining the active support of birds in pest control, but also how important it is for birds to find enough insects to successfully raise their offspring. Otto has installed nesting boxes in his vineyards so that cavity-nesting bird species not only find food but also breeding opportunities.

Thanks to the variety of structures, it is hardly surprising that Otto has had many nice observations when working in the vineyard, some of which he has also captured in photographs and shared with the participants on the farm walk: Blackbirds hiding their nests in the foliage of the vines, green lizards keeping a close eye on him as he works in the rows of vines or praying mantises attaching their artistically designed egg cocoons to the wooden needles of the rows of vines.

Otto has installed snake nests all over his farm: black pond liner measuring 1 x 1 metre, lying on the ground, fixed in a wooden frame. The ground warms up underneath - an area that snakes then like to use for sleeping. Otto has already discovered grass snakes, smooth snakes and Aesculapian snakes in the nests. One of the nests is located at the end of our tour through Otto's vineyard right next to the ‘ambassador bench’, where the participants of the farm walk pause for a moment to reflect on their impressions. ‘For me, snakes are very sensitive creatures and you have to manage your land just as sensitively so that they feel comfortable. If I, as a winegrower, have snakes on my farm, then that's a good sign for me. It shows me that I'm doing everything right on my land,’ says Otto, explaining the importance of snakes as indicators of intact, healthy and structurally rich habitats.