The best time for pruning grapes is late autumn. This agrotechnical event must be carried out annually, taking into account the characteristics of each variety. Using the secrets of proper autumn pruning, you can prepare the bushes for a favorable winter, as well as save time in the spring, when there is a lot of work in the garden.
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Purpose and timing of grape pruning
The vineyard, like other fruit crops, is pruned to increase yields. The plant is regularly rejuvenated, which guarantees the safety of the vine in working condition for many years.
In autumn, when pruning, you can remove all diseased, old or dry shoots, which greatly increases the winter hardiness of the vineyard. In addition, a compact shrub is easier to cover; reliable shelter will not be blown away by the wind.
In central Russia, where grapes must be covered without fail, autumn pruning is carried out after the first weak frosts. By this time, the flow of sap stops, the foliage completely flies around, the process of lignification of the vine is completed.
In the central regions, it is recommended that all work be completed by mid-October. In the southern regions, autumn pruning can be done from September to November.
If the vineyard is large, varieties that are less frost-resistant are cultivated first. But the work should not be delayed: at an air temperature of -3 ° C, the vine becomes fragile and breaks off, not cut off. Broken branches take longer to heal.
Vineyard pruning techniques
Depending on the variety and the degree of neglect of the vineyard, different methods are used:
- Short cut ("on a knot"). This is how old bushes rejuvenate. On each shoot, 2-4 eyes are left. Pruned shoots are replacement knots that will form a bush in the future. If the first peephole is directed inward, then 3 more buds are left on the knot. It is better to break off the branch from the first bud so that new shoots grow not inside, but outside the bush.
- Medium cut. It is carried out on vines over 3 years old. 7-8 eyes are left on the branches. This method allows the bends to be kept cold resistant.
- Long cut. 12-15 eyes are left on the shoot. This method helps to increase yields, but it is not suitable for all varieties, but only for Asian varieties.
- Mixed pruning. Combine short and long, when part of the shoots is shortened "by a knot", the other - for fruiting.
It is better to cut each bush separately. The location of the cut can be determined by touch: the cool and damp top is cut off at the border with the matured (dry and warm) part of the vine.
You can navigate by the state of the cambium layer. It is necessary to cut off all parts of the vine, where it has darkened, acquired a gray tint, and the bark is easily separated by patches.
If 2-3 shoots have grown from one place, the strongest should be left, and the rest should be cut off at the base. On the vine of the previous year, you need to leave 3-4 young shoots.
The cut vines are removed from the trellis mountings and tied into a bundle. It is better to lay assemblies of neighboring bushes towards each other, tie together, and then cover.
Useful Tips
Do not spare the vine, cutting off only the top - the bush thickens, receives little light and nutrients.
The stump should only be left on mature shoots. Annual bends should be removed completely - their hemp rot faster.
On the bushes, it is not necessary to leave stepchildren who have developed from summer buds (during the summer season they can be marked with patches of fabric).
In winter, it is useful to treat the vine with Bordeaux liquid or copper sulfate, diluted according to the instructions.
Cut vines can be used as planting material.
For pruning, use a well-sharpened pruner that does not squeeze the vine.
On young shoots, the cut should be oblique, directed away from the eye.
On old thick vines, a straight cut should be made so that the area of the wound surface is less.
In the fall, ripe fruit-bearing bushes should be cut. Young plants (1-3 years old) are best formed in spring.
Fallen leaves and cut-off stepchildren must be removed away from the vineyard and burned. It is not recommended to use them for compost, since pathogens do not die and persist until spring.
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