When is the best time to prune grapes?
When is it better to prune grapes - in autumn or spring? This is the most common question asked by new gardeners. However, the pruning period does not depend on the season, but on local climatic conditions . The main condition for the procedure is that the plant is in a state of anabiosis - hibernation.
Based on this, theoretically, pruning can be carried out at any time of the year with the exception of summer, when the plant is in the active phase of growth and fruiting. Experienced gardeners have developed a number of rules that will help carry out this painful procedure for grapes with minimal consequences and increase productivity. These include:
- Pruning should be done before or after a hard frost. The optimal temperature for the procedure is -3 – +5°C;
- Autumn pruning of grapes is recommended in regions with moderate winters, 20 - 25 days after the leaves fall. Frost-resistant varieties tolerate treatment best;
- In winter, the procedure is recommended to be carried out in regions with warm winters;
- Spring pruning of grapes is a more delicate procedure. The work must be completed before the sap flows and the plant awakens. Otherwise, the leaking juice will interfere with the healing of the cuts, which may negatively affect the yield. Heat-loving varieties tolerate spring pruning best.
If the favorable moment was missed and the plant has already awakened, then it is better to limit yourself to sanitary pruning of the bush - remove damaged and dried vines.
How to trim green shoots in summer
Pruning of unnecessary green shoots is carried out in several stages:
- pinching;
- stepsoning;
- minting;
- lightening.
In some varieties capable of peas, at the final stage the bunches are “combed” - berries that are too small are removed.
Removing shoots
Throughout the summer, the grapes are regularly inspected and “empty” shoots are removed. First of all, this concerns the growth near the roots. It provides excessive shade and draws a huge amount of nutrients from the bush, preventing it from forming a high-quality harvest.
Pinching
Pinching is carried out almost before flowering. Use your hands to remove the very top of the vine with the leaves still closed. The optimal distance is 10 cm from the first inflorescence.
Important! The result of the procedure lasts for 2 weeks, after which it is repeated.
With the help of pinching, it is possible to reduce the growth of side shoots and increase the formation of flower ovaries.
Stepsoning
During the period of active summer growth, many lateral branches are formed, which are located between the shoot and the green mass.
Above the first leaf at the base, all the stepsons are cut off, leaving small stumps 2 cm in size. All tendrils are cut out if the vine itself is tied to a support. During the procedure, the plant is inspected and tied up. Frequency: once every 7 days.
Coinage
The principle of operation is the same as in pinching, but most of the top is captured, up to 40 cm, in some fast-growing varieties - up to 1 m. The procedure can be carried out manually, but it is better to use a disinfected sharp knife or pruning shears.
They begin to mint when the top of the shoot is completely straightened and about 9 leaves are open. For normal fruiting on the vine, it is enough to leave 14-15 leaves.
Lightening
Lightening is the thinning of the leaf mass in order to improve the flow of sunlight to the grape bunches. To do this, cut off the old foliage and up to 5–7 leaves on the crown. The procedure is carried out at the moment of tying the bunches.
It is important to remove all foliage torn from the grapes outside the site. If you leave it under the bush, pathogenic bacteria will multiply in it and affect all the grapes.
Instructions for pruning grapes
Despite the fact that the pruning process may seem like a fairly simple procedure, it is necessary to understand that any mechanical intervention causes some harm to the plant. An incorrect approach to this work can not only negatively affect the harvest, but also destroy the plant.
People have been growing grapes for 5 thousand years. During this time, gardeners have developed a number of rules, the implementation of which helps to reduce plant injuries during pruning and bush formation, which has a positive effect on productivity.
Rules common to all seasons
There are several basic rules that should be followed regardless of pruning method, season or grape variety. These include:
- Regardless of what tool will be used for processing (knife, pruning shears or hacksaw), it is important that it is sharp - this will minimize damage to the plant. Moreover, if this tool was used for pruning other garden crops, then, in order to avoid the spread of diseases, it is recommended to disinfect it in an alcohol solution or warm it well over a fire;
- make a cut at a right or slight oblique angle - this will reduce the area of the “wound” and speed up healing;
- fungal or damaged vines must be removed regardless of the pruning scheme;
- the distance of the cut from the kidney should be at least 2 cm;
- knot replacement is done below the fruiting vine.
These rules must be followed when performing work at any time of the year. However, it should be understood that each season has its own nuances and requirements. We will look further at how to properly prune grapes in spring, summer and autumn.
in spring
Spring treatment is recommended to be carried out at an ambient temperature of +3 to +5°C and with confidence that the frost period is already behind. If you miss the moment and start the procedure at a higher temperature, the sap flow that has begun will interfere with the healing of the cuts, which can negatively affect the harvest.
Why prune young green shoots in summer?
Grapes have a high ability to form shoots. If you do not control it, the bush will grow, and it will not have the strength to form a crop.
Goals
The main goals of pruning are to use nutrients wisely and keep the plant healthy.
Reasons why it is necessary to carry out summer pruning:
- nutrition is directed to the parts of the bush responsible for the formation of the crop and its growth;
- a properly formed bush looks neater and is easy to care for;
- a thinned bush receives more light and air, which reduces the risk of diseases caused by fungus;
- When berries receive a large amount of light, they retain more nutrients and ripen faster.
If you want to get a large harvest of tasty berries, summer pruning is mandatory. It helps the plant to evenly distribute the load and receive the maximum amount of nutrients.
Bush formation
In different climatic conditions, it is recommended to resort to different types of bush formation. There are only two of them:
- standard;
- without standard.
To understand what the difference is, you need to understand what a standard is. The trunk is the main trunk of the plant, starting from the lowest roots and going to the head of the grape, where the branches begin to branch. It is where all the essential nutrients are concentrated. In fact, this is the thickest, woodiest cutting, with the help of which the bush was planted.
Standard formation
With this method of molding, an adult plant has an above-ground part up to 1 meter high. This method can only be used in warm climates, where there is no need to protect the plant from frost.
With such molding, covering the main trunk completely is quite problematic. Moreover, only one frosty winter is enough to destroy the plant.
Without standard
A more common way of forming a bush is without a trunk. Sometimes it is called fan. Used in all climatic zones. It is convenient because it is easier to protect the trunk, where all the strength of the grapes is concentrated, from frost.
Specifics of the structure and names of parts of the grapevine
Grapes, like the vast majority of plants, have an underground part and an above-ground (green) part. The first consists of roots and an underground trunk, which is a trunk connecting the head of the bush and the roots. The head of the bush is the thickening of the trunk, which is located in its upper part, at the level of the soil surface. The above-ground part of the plant begins from the head.
Grapes can be grown without a standard or on a high standard. It all depends on climatic conditions and the characteristics of a particular variety. The standard, if formed, starts immediately from the head of the bush. When grown without a standard, the vine immediately comes off from the head of the bush. Grape shoots, depending on their age and degree of lignification, as well as the place in which they grow, are divided into the following types:
- shoot - a young, still green annual growth that appears from a bud located on the vine. Only the shoot and stepson are capable of bearing fruit;
- stepson - an annual non-lignified growth coming from the leaf axil of the same green shoot;
- A vine is a woody shoot that has ripened this fall. They also call it the vine next year;
- sleeve – vines that are more than 2 years old are called sleeves;
- standard - when grown using a standard method.
When pruning grapes, work is carried out mainly with the vine.
The nuances of pruning grapes
The first 3 years after planting the plant, the summer resident must devote to the formation of the shape of the bush, sleeves and fruit links. It is on this work that future harvests depend.
1 year of cultivation
In the first year, all efforts must be directed to the formation of the plant’s root system. Also, the summer resident must choose the shape of the bush:
- standard;
- without standard – fan-shaped.
To form the main skeleton, when forming a standard form, the one-year shoot should be shortened to 60 cm, leaving about 6–7 buds on it. If a fan shape was chosen, then the shoot is shortened to 3–4 eyes. If there is a seedling with several shoots, pruning is done symmetrically.
2 years of cultivation
If in the first year all procedures were performed correctly, then in the second year the plant should already have formed from 3 to 5 large branches. They will become the future sleeves.
If there are more of them, then the weak vines and those growing in the wrong direction should be removed. The main sleeves need to be shortened, leaving 3-4 buds.
3 years of cultivation
In the third year, the bush will form several large sleeves with young shoots, on which the first harvest will ripen. For proper pruning, you should select 2–3 large shoots on each sleeve. The rest should be removed completely.
The remaining vines are shortened, leaving 5–10 buds. The lowest one, in relation to the growth of the sleeve, can be shortened to 3 buds and formed as a replacement knot. To fully understand the process, it is better to consider the procedure in pictures.
Damaged
All damaged grape shoots must be removed by cutting below the wound. Even if for some reason a large sleeve, on which many large, fruit-bearing vines are located, was damaged, it should be removed. Otherwise, a significant part of the nutrients will be directed to healing the wound, which will negatively affect the yield and endurance of the entire plant.
Growing grapes on a non-industrial scale is not such a labor-intensive process. However, only detailed and properly organized care for this plant can guarantee a good harvest.
Timing for pruning
Not all new gardeners know how to care for grapes in the summer. You need to remember a few rules and principles of care.
Pruning grapes in June begins with clearing the bush of young shoots. It is better to tie fruiting vines to supporting supports. At this moment, additional knots develop, which can later bring a rich harvest.
July is eventful. After flowering, the best thing to do is to thoroughly fertilize the grapes, process them and remove the shoots. Feeding the plant guarantees a rich and sweet harvest, and pruning in compliance with the rules guarantees new fruitful vines. Pruning grapes in July is a very important action for creating favorable conditions for the development of a fruit bush, and it is at this time that spraying and fertilizing should be done.
The minting of young shoots takes place in August. Experienced winegrowers carefully trim the portion of the root system from above. This process is necessary to stimulate the work of the remaining roots. Some gardeners constantly get rid of the tendrils, although this is not a mandatory procedure. The plant is very similar to a liana, so the tendrils are linked to neighboring objects. If the bush is tied up, the tendrils can be trimmed. Cultivation ends with pruning of the grapes in August.
A short summary: in the summer, the vine should be cared for more carefully. You should strive for the following results:
- The plant will feed the required number of vines without wasting effort.
- Ripening of fruitful shoots that will produce a good harvest.
- The shrub will be protected from bacteria, some diseases and pests.
- Useful elements will tend only to fruitful clusters.
- As a result, the formation of the bush will be correct.
