Pruning of grapes should be done in the cool season - autumn or spring. Grapes grow quickly; if not properly cared for, the plant will waste its energy on growing fruit-bearing branches. Thus, you can grow low-quality berries. By cultivating a grape bush throughout the summer, you will be able to avoid its intensive growth and wait for an excellent harvest. There are few sunny days in the middle zone, so problems with growing grapes are solved by cleaning the vines.
Why is summer pruning needed?
Many novice winegrowers doubt the need to prune grapes in the summer, when the vine is buried in lush greenery. Thus, they thicken the plantings and weaken the plant’s immunity. Against this background, the vineyard becomes defenseless against infectious diseases and pests. The bunches wither without having time to fully ripen.
Summer pruning of grapes increases yield
Summer pruning is done for preventive purposes in order to maintain the crop throughout the growing season.
Benefits of summer pruning:
- improves the quality of ripening berries (taste, size);
- increases harvest volume;
- helps strengthen inflorescences;
- provides unhindered access of light and air to the vine;
- accelerates the ripening process of bunches;
- allows the plant to evenly distribute the load;
- reduces the risk of various diseases.
Useful tips
Summer green operations are conditional pruning, as they are performed without tools. At the same time, the vine receives a very light load.
However, in order not to harm, but to strengthen the bush, you need to take into account several important points:
- All stages of pruning must be carried out in due time, otherwise they lose their meaning and will not be useful.
- No matter how pruning is done - by breaking off shoots or cutting with pruning shears - it can weaken the vine's immunity. Therefore, after the procedure, it is advisable to treat the plant with a fungicidal agent to prevent diseases. If traces of gray rot are noticed, the bush should be sprayed with a solution of potassium permanganate, and the bunches with a solution of baking soda.
- The regime of watering, fertilizing and weeding does not differ from the usual.
- After a hurricane or hail, you need to remove all damaged shoots. If the damage is extensive, it may be necessary to prune all primary branches back to the base.
To get tasty grapes, you need to take good care of the vine, trim it on time and correctly. By listening to the advice of experienced winegrowers, even beginners can cope with this task.
Dates
Summer pruning times vary depending on regional weather conditions.
It is impossible to specifically indicate the timing of this or that procedure, since it depends on the climatic conditions of the region . They also take into account the growth rate of grapes depending on the variety. Therefore, it is recommended to rely on the following time steps:
- fragments of excess growth - late May - early June, when the shoots reach a length of at least 15 cm;
- pinching - when dropping the caps to stimulate flowering (in July);
- stepsoning - throughout the summer season as needed;
- chasing - in August when the upper part of the shoots is straightened;
- removal of excess leaves - 2-3 weeks before harvesting;
- thinning of clusters - in the phase of inflorescence formation or after full pollination.
In the Urals, due to the short and unstable summer, it is advisable not to touch the plants in the first two years after planting. They are given time to build up the root system and grow the vine (it should stretch a meter in length).
How to prune grapes in autumn
Autumn pruning of grapes should be carried out at least 1-2 weeks after harvest, so that the bush has time to regain some strength. If by this time there is a lot of foliage left on the bushes, you need to arrange artificial leaf fall to make it more convenient to trim the grapes. General recommendations for pruning grapes for the winter:
- The vine is pruned to living wood (it has a light green color when cut).
- When pruning, you need to ensure that 1-2 cm of shoot remains above the living bud.
You will learn how to properly prune an adult grape bush in the fall so that it overwinters well in the video:
Pruning grapes in the fall means that a certain number of eyes should be left on each fruit arrow. This number depends on the growth rate of the bush and the thickness of the shoot:
- diameter 5 mm – 5 eyes;
- diameter 6 mm – 5-6 eyes;
- diameter 7 mm – 7-8 eyes;
- diameter 8 mm – 8-9 eyes;
- diameter 9 mm – 9-11 eyes;
- diameter 10 mm – 11-13 eyes;
- diameter 11 mm – 12-14 eyes;
- diameter 12 mm – 13-15 eyes.
Often the first 2-3 eyes from the base turn out to be barren. To know for sure how much to leave, proceed from the average weight of the bunch per bush:
- bunch weighing more than 500 g – minimum of eyes (according to our list),
- bunch less than 500 g - leave the maximum number of eyes.
For example: if the average weight of a bunch is 400 g, then on a shoot with a diameter of 10 mm you need to leave 13 eyes.
You will find more useful information on how to prune grapes for the winter and how to prepare a vineyard for cold weather in our material:
- Autumn care for grapes - preparing for wintering
Vineyard to-do list for October.
Step-by-step guide to pruning grapes in summer
Grape pruning is also called green operation. It includes a whole range of events, delimited by timing from late spring to early autumn. This procedure does not always require a sharp instrument. For example, to remove growth you will have to work with your hands.
Bush formation
For better ventilation of the grape crown, it is necessary to resort to its formation during the first 3–4 years . There are two types of this procedure:
- without stamps;
- standard
Besstambovaya
This option is suitable for areas with cold climates where it is necessary to cover the vines for the winter. For this purpose, hoses older than two years are laid on the ground. But in warm regions there is no need for this, so standard molding is used. With standardless or fan-shaped formation of bushes, they strive to obtain a limited number of sleeves (2–5) of different lengths, extending on both sides.
Vineyard subject to Guyot molding
What actions are implied:
- First (second) year . With proper care, it grows up to four shoots about a meter long and up to 5–6 mm in diameter. Otherwise, achieving similar results is possible only in the second year. In the spring, they inspect the vine, select 2 branches and cut them into 3 eyes. The remaining shoots are removed completely. A little later, the vine is tied to a vertical support.
- Third year . The most developed shoots (up to 4 pcs.), diverging in different directions, are selected, cut (leaving a length of 50–60 cm) and tied at an angle to the trellis. Anything that grows in the future is cut off.
- Fourth year . The vine is cut at the level of the replacement knot, and the higher part is broken off at the level of 2–3 buds. There should be a fruit-bearing vine with ovaries in the amount of 12–15 pieces.
As a result of these manipulations, four strong shoots remain.
When pruning without a standard, 4 shoots remain
Stambovaya
Thanks to standard molding, it is possible to increase the yield of grape crops by 40% . As a result, large and massive clusters ripen, which is due to the laying of fruit buds closer to the shoots. It also makes caring for the plant easier. This method also has disadvantages - late fruiting and the need for a strong support that can hold the vines. Only tall grape varieties can be grown this way.
In the first year after planting the seedlings, the root system and two shoots actively grow. Actions to be taken:
- a one and a half meter stake is dug next to the grape plantings, to which the growing shoots are fixed during the summer season;
- when the central stem extends to 60 cm, pinch the top of the second;
- in the fall they knock together a trellis and stretch wire on it with an indentation of 100 and 30 cm;
- in the spring the main shoot is cut off at the level of the trunk, and everything else is broken down to the base;
- in the summer, the vine is cut so that only two eyes remain, and other shoots are cut off;
- As they grow, the shoots are attached to the trellis and the tops are pinched.
In the third year, stepsons grow, from which a fruit vine is formed. They are also tied up, but to the higher tier.
Standard pruning is used for open viticulture
Debris shoots
First and until the end of summer, the grapes are systematically inspected and excess branches are removed. Do not leave numerous wild shoots growing from the roots. It takes away the vital resources of the plant and shades the plantings, which affects the quality of fruiting.
Numerous side shoots take away most of the nutritional components and prevent large grapes from ripening
For this procedure it is not necessary to use pruners; you can break off the shoots with your hands.
Pinching
An event held shortly before flowering. You need to pinch the top of the shoot with two fingers, with the leaves still closed. The optimal distance for pinching is 10 cm (above the first inflorescence).
Pinch off the top of the shoots
These actions are often combined with the stages of cutting out stepsons and rationing bunches of grapes. The effect of the procedure lasts up to 15 days, then the manipulations are repeated.
As a result, it is possible to slow down the intensive growth of lateral branches and speed up the setting of flower clusters.
Stepsoning
In July, many lateral branches grow, forming between the main shoot and the leaf mass.
Cut off the lower stepsons, leaving stumps at least 2 cm long
Proceed as follows:
- cut off the stepsons above the first leaf at the base, leaving stumps up to 2 cm high;
- remove all the tendrils (if the vine is tied to a support).
At the same time they resort to gartering grapes. They inspect the bushes once a week and remove new shoots.
Coinage
According to the principle of action, embossing resembles pinching
The technology of embossing is similar to pinching. The only difference is that most of the top is captured (up to 40 cm). It is acceptable to do this by hand, but it is better to use a sharp knife that has been previously disinfected. The procedure begins when the top of the shoot is completely straightened and about 8–9 leaves open on it. For normal development of the crop, it is enough to leave 14–15 leaves on the vine.
If you do the chasing earlier, the plant will begin to become overgrown with shoots and this will negatively affect the size of the berries and their taste.
Lightening
This step means thinning the green mass to improve ventilation of the bushes . Tear off up to 5–7 leaves on the crown and the lower aged foliage. This is done immediately after flowering at the time of tying the bunches.
By removing excess foliage, it is possible to obtain larger clusters
A typical mistake of many winegrowers is to leave trimmed foliage under the bushes. Anything picked must be taken off site. Otherwise, pathogenic bacteria multiply in the leaves, which eventually infect the grapes.
If the harvest is extremely abundant, it is recommended to ration the bunches. Then the quantity of fruits will develop into quality. To do this, remove small brushes, leaving only large ones. On one developed shoot there should be no more than 3 pieces, on a weak one - one bunch is enough.
Clarification of grapes
Another important summer procedure that is included in plant care is lightening. At the very end of August, you need to remove some of the leaves from the grape bush.
The purpose of this procedure is to lighten the grapes and allow the sun to shine on their grapes, because the yield depends on this. Therefore, first of all, you need to remove the leaves that shade the brush.
In addition, the lower branches of the bush should also be lightened. Excess leaves interfere with the ventilation of the bush, which creates a risk of fungal diseases in the vineyard. All removed leaves must be removed from under the bushes.
