Grape Pruning & Training In the Vineyard
Grape growing has been in the history books since the early development of farming practices. The techniques that are used today to manage and maintain a grapevine, have been perfected over centuries of trial and error. Like in any plant-growing process, weeding, pruning and pest control are required regularly to maintain a healthy vine, and to tame your plant to grow at a certain pace, and in the right directions. This process can take a few years, since the vine wont be fully mature until the third year of growth when it gives fruit. However, this enables the grape grower to tame the plant effectively for the very first harvest, and to obtain a top quality wine making grape in the very first picking.
Pruning is simply getting the plant growth to encourage more growth
Pruning is the action of clipping back shoots and cutting excess foliage to control the plants growth and to ensure that no energy is being spent feeding dry or unnecessary plant sections. Grapevines are trained to maintain a consistent plant shape, size and productivity; a process that takes about the time it takes to grow your first harvest.
How to Prune: The Standard Pruning Method
After the trellis is set up and the grapevine is planted, vines will be permitted to grow from one main shoot that is tied vertically to the trellis. Any other shoots must be clipped back to prevent their growth. After the following dormant period, you must establish what will be the arms of the grapevine where your fruit will grow on. To do this, you tie two of the shoots that emerge from main shoot, horizontally onto the trellis. Make sure to trim back all other shoots to prevent their growth. After this step, the grapevine will begin to take shape on its own, with a pruning during the dormant season to help the plant. Pruning during dormant seasons is crucial to the harvest of healthy and flavorful grapes.
Benefits of Pruning
An important aspect of pruning is that this process will rid your grapevines of old canes and spuds that no longer produce fruit. Grapevines canes are only productive during their first year of growth, making it absolutely necessary to generate canes every growing season to lock-in a future harvest. Pruning will also aid in plant size management, since the grapevine will adapt to the size and productivity that you establish when you prune.
Pruning will rid your grapevines of fruiting canes or spurs from prior years that are now not productive. Vines’ canes only produce fruit during the first year of growth, so new, healthy canes must be grown constantly to secure your next harvest
Tool for Pruning
Hand tools like loppers, hand pruners, and handsaws are typically used to prune grapevines. The goal for the grapevine owner is to avoid unnecessary injury to the plant. Most likely, when removing shoots that are one-year-old, hand pruners can be used effectively. On the other hand, larger wood should be cut with either the lopper or a handsaw.
The desire to grow grapes results in the necessary steps of getting down into the dirt and getting dirty. Pruning is a relatively simple concept in which grapevine growers seem to grasp quickly. The time and dedication over the years results in a healthy and plentiful crop
Pierre Duponte is a wine making enthusiast. He spends his time teaching others how to make fine wines. For more great tips on pruning grapes or you can get his free mini course on grape growing and how to make wine visit http://www.grapegrowingwinemakingtips.com/.
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