Pruning grapes in the fall for beginners is not an easy task, but everything is much simpler than it seems. Having mastered the art of correct pruning, you will be able to provide the grape bush with the necessary vital forces, remove the extra shoots that pull the forces from the vine. A well-groomed vineyard pleases us not only with ripe paint brushes with the arrival of autumn, but is a real decoration of the garden, the dacha.
- How to prune the grapes in the fall - correct pruning
- Grapes - pruning and care
If the grapes are planted for the purpose of harvesting, the grown branches must be timely cut, otherwise the berries will be too small. But if you overdo it with this process, the bush may get sick or not survive the winter. Here it is important to respect the balance, let's consider all the nuances that will help the beginner grower.
содерж to content ↑How to cut grapes in autumn - correct pruning
Grape pruning goals:
- removal of excess shoots from the bush;
- determination of the number of flower buds;
- determination of the number of ordinary and fruit vines;
- normalization of the ratio of resources of the root system and the ground part of the bush;
- giving shape to the bush.
First you need to determine the age of the grape bush, young( 2-5 years) specimens are subjected to formative pruning already in the second year of life. Annual seedlings can be neatly tied to a support, but not cut. If the bush began to bear fruit, then it is cut off not only to give shape, but also with the aim of obtaining high-quality bunches. When the bushes are already old, the main goal is to extend the fruiting period.
The grape pruning scheme:
Good results are obtained by trimming the shoot by a third of its total length - the plant does not suffer, it maintains a neat shape, ensures proper development. Make sure that the thickness of the branches is approximately the same - this nuance sets the shape of the vine. Too curved, drying out, excessively thin or very thick branches should be cut. Sometimes even the kidneys are subject to removal, this is done to ensure a uniform load on the branches in the future.
Pruning grapes for the winter for dummies contains one cunning nuance - removing branches on one side of the main vine. This method will help you to increase the number of bunches in the coming year. If you prune randomly, from different angles, yields will decrease significantly.
If your bush is already 3 years old, pruning should already be aimed at increasing fruiting. At this time, each developed vine has a replacement shoot — it forms in the spring, when the lower vine is cut into two buds.
Vine pruning, photo:
This shoot is in close proximity to the roots, and the fruit branch, in turn, is at the end of the vine. To increase the yield, you should remove the fruit bearing branch until the replacement shoot itself - this will start the update process: the lower vine will split into two buds, a new replacement shoot will appear, a new fruit branch. With the onset of the next spring-summer season, there will be an update so that the process is harmonious, this action should be repeated every fall.
The counting of the kidneys is carried out from below; the photo:
Autumnal pruning of grapes, implying standard stems, is simpler. If you live in a region where winters are cold enough, vines should be well protected from frost. Thus, only dried branches are removed in the fall, the bush is provided with natural protection so that it can survive the cold season. At the same time the main pruning is done in the spring.
содерж to contents ↑Grapes - pruning and care
If you join this process for the first time, spend it in stages, then you will be sure that you have saved the necessary vines for the next year. Produce the first stage when the harvest has already been harvested and the foliage has turned yellow. Examine the fruit bearing links; remove weak branches that did not have( or there were very few) brushes. After the foliage has completely subsided, soak for a couple of weeks - make the main pruning( described above), and the air temperature should not be below -3 ° C.When pruning young bushes, leave from 3 to 8 vines - they will give the crop next year.
Even the most neglected perennial bushes can be “reanimated”, made to bear fruit with high quality. Pruning the grapes correctly contributes to an increase in the number of clusters, makes the berries larger, tastes better, shortens the time of ripening of the crop, and facilitates access to the brushes( optimizes the process of harvesting).
If you are a beginner, a reception with strained wires will make the cutting process easier for you, it is done this way:
- Drive in long pegs along the edges of the ridge with vineyards or on the sides of a separately growing bush. Pull the first wire( or line) 50 cm from the ground, and the second wire 30 cm above the first.
- In early September, trim the young branches on perennial vines - those that have already grown to the first wire.
- Those branches that have grown to the second wire or even outgrow it, you need to cut exactly the 10th part of the total length, and also remove all unnecessary lateral processes( stepchildren).
- When all the foliage has fallen( approximately in the middle of October), visually determine the strongest shoots growing at the level of the upper and lower wires.
- The formation of a replacement knot - the lowest shoot growing from the outer part of the vine, is cut so that only two or three eyes are left. A peephole is a multitude of buds, as if it unites them in itself.
- Formation of the fruit arrow - on the same vine, but on the other hand, a little higher than the lower shoot, select another shoot, cut it so that there are 7-12 holes left.
Vine Eye, photo:
Pruning grapes in the fall is a kind of “cleaning” of the rows, in the process of which the most powerful, promising trunks, as well as the vines with buds, remain. With the arrival of summer, they will give new fruitful shoots, will give sweet, large clusters of grapes. Next, carefully remove the branches from the supporting trellis, lay them in the direction of the vine, fix and cover with a suitable covering material.
Pruning a young bush, photo:
Experienced growers advise you to leave about 8-12 buds on a fruit sprout, three or four buds on a replacement bitch. Thus, you will insure the bush, if it is too cold winter( freezing), as well as in the spring you can select the best branches with good buds.
If you live in a cold region, the very first buds may not give fruit, since their development will take place in June, when it is still rather cool.
The so-called medium-sized inflorescences are tied between 1 and 6 buds, and the largest - between 7 and 15. Large ones form by the middle of summer, when warm weather is already established, sunny days come.
How to do pruning grapes:
- is better that the cut-off places are located on the inner side of the branches - so they will overgrow faster;
- for work, use a sharp tool( knife, garden shears, pruner).Dumb or rough cut prevents normal sap flow - this affects the volume of the crop;
- should not leave hemp when removing annual vines;
- in order to correctly remove the top( roughly speaking useless) escape, you need to go deeper into the ground by about 10-15 cm;
- if you leave an eye on an annual vine, then the length of the tip cut above the eyelet should be 1 cm.
All the above steps may seem complicated if cutting the grapes for the first time. In fact, this process is simple, having passed it at least once, soon you will be able to prompt the nuances to beginners. Skillful pruning will not only provide you with bulk large brushes of grapes, but will help green the arbor, fence or wall of the house.
Pruning grapes in the fall for beginners is an instructive, useful agrotechnical event aimed at obtaining a quality crop, extending the fruiting of the bushes, ensuring proper care for the appearance of the site.
