To produce healthy wine grape clusters… pruning is a critical component in the growing process.
Grape vines should be pruned every year.
The basics of pruning vineyards are relatively simple. In order to grow the vines… one needs to cut them.
Similar to human hair, the end product is healthier when it is trimmed regularly and on a schedule.
How exactly the vines are trimmed depends on a variety of factors like which varietal you are growing or if you are growing organic or not or perhaps can depend on the age of that vine.
But they ALL need to be cut.
Would you like to learn more about the how’s and why’s of pruning? You have come to the right place.
FUN FACTS ABOUT GRAPEVINES & PRUNING
-
Pruning is a vital part of the health of the vine
-
Grapes should ONLY be pruned when they are dormant
-
Most vines are normally dormant by early winter
-
The trimming can make the difference between a good crop and a bad one
-
You can manipulate the quantity of fruit produced per vine when pruning -
Grapevines are able to grow to enormous proportions without proper pruning
-
When the vines awakens in spring, the new wood growth will be encouraged through the pruning from the winter months
-
The vines require this cutting during cold months for winter protection against frost
-
Technically, it can be done at any time between leaf drop in the fall and budbreak in the spring
-
Timing on the pruning varies due to climates (i.e.: prune in late fall for regions with frost in beginning of winter) -
Most of the time, when cutting, you trim back as much of the old wood as possible
-
The new wood growth the following spring is where the fruit is produced
-
It is a skill that is easy to learn, most gardeners take to it right away, similar to pruning fruit trees seasonally -
A pair of good pruning shears and gloves are really the only tools necessary to complete the job
-
A clean cut is important so sharp shears are a must
-
Less stress is placed on the plant with a clean cut that exposes less surface area to the elements
-
Vine ‘Balance’ is the strategy for most pruning…. just like in the wine glass – balance is important -
Grapevines produce fruit on one-year old wood
-
Some wine growers burn piles of the ‘trimmings’ while others sell them or use them to compost back into the soil
-
Sterilizing pruning equipment is a must to prevent disease -
When pruning, any diseased wood from that years growth also needs to be cut back as much as possible
-
You want to form the vine into a shape that is conducive to harvest
-
Each year, you begin the trimming process anew in the wine vineyards
-
Several differents techniques are used to prune grape vines, Two main methods: cane pruning and spur pruning
-
Pruning assures the health of the vine and the quality of the fruit and the end product… THE WINE!!!