Taking care of the grapes increases yields, increases fruit quality and plant vitality. Improper care will bring harm instead of benefit, so the gardener must know how to handle plants. Here are 5 common beginner mistakes when pruning grapes.
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Errors related to deleting the wrong items
There are standard rules for pruning plants. But they are not able to foresee special cases, and understanding the situation comes with experience. Common errors for newbies related to incorrect deletion of branches:
- Cutting off the tops. Due to thrift and fear of harming the plant, gardeners cut off an insufficient amount of growth, limiting themselves to eliminating the upper parts. But the harm from such an attitude will begin to manifest itself as early as next year: the bush will thicken, the abundance of unnecessary branches will prevent new shoots from growing, the vine will become thinner. New branches receive less nutrients and light, older ones are forced to share energy with them - the internal balance of the plant is disturbed. In order to prevent overgrowth of grapes, you need to regularly remove from 50% to 90% of new branches.
- Pruning wrong shoots. Newbie gardeners cut off thick branches, thinking that they do not allow younger brothers to grow, or thin ones, wanting to keep only the strongest branches alive. People in both categories are doing wrong. After the branch has brought the brushes, it should be removed regardless of size. Parts of the bush that have already borne fruit are no longer needed, they only create inconvenience for neighbors, blocking the sun and taking away nutrients. There should be several sleeves in the form of thick perennial shoots.
- Unsuitable period for removal. The last month of autumn is the best time for pruning grapes. If the plant is planned to be covered in the winter, then the procedure can be performed 14-20 days after the completion of the leaf fall. If you have a frost-resistant variety, you can wait another week. During execution, the temperature should not be lower than -3 ° C. If you neglect this rule, the branches will get frostbite and crack.
Barrel errors
When cutting the bush, it is important to pay attention not only to those elements that are removed, but also to what remains after them. Newbies often have 2 mistakes related to this point:
- Stump that remains after pruning. A moment that rarely gets attention from the layman. But the consequences of neglect can undermine the health of the plant or ruin all the grapes - the remaining pieces will rot and begin to spread disease along the trunk. Young shoots must be removed completely, from mature ones - you can leave a sprout no more than 1 cm long. Such restrictions will help keep plants from pests and decay.
- Stepsons. This is the name of the branches of the second order, which grow from the axils of the leaves after their appearance in the summer. Such elements must be cut off without pity, since the development of stepsons causes excessive thickening of the bush and a delay in the growth of young promising shoots. The nutrients that can be used to create clusters of grapes are expended in growing stepchildren and unnecessary branches. Removal is as follows: it is necessary to wait until 2 leaves grow, then separate the vine that has begun to grow above them.
Pruning bushes is an activity that requires many factors and nuances to be considered. Understanding the aspects comes with experience and when communicating with experienced gardeners.
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