How To Prune Grapes In The Summer From Unnecessary Shoots: Tips And Common Mistakes

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Summer grape pruning: important nuances and typical mistakes

Most of the pruning work takes place in early spring and / or late fall. But we must not forget about the formation of bushes in summer, especially in regions with a temperate climate, not quite suitable for culture. Correctly performed operations, the vines are tolerated painlessly. This pruning will help improve the quality of the crop.

Content

• 1 Purpose of summer pruning of grapes

  1.1 Video: how and why is summer pruning of grapes carried out

• 2 How to properly prune grapes in summer

  • 2.1 Video: chasing grapes
  • 2.2 Video: pinching the vines
• 3 Common mistakes novice gardeners make

Appointment of summer pruning of grapes

In those regions where the climate is optimal for viticulture (France, Spain, Italy), vines are cut only in spring and autumn. This is enough for their formation, recovery and periodic renewal. But in Russia, winegrowers face such a problem as a lack of light and heat. Summer pruning is designed to partially neutralize this. Sometimes it is called "green", since it does not touch the perennial lignified parts of the vine, affecting only annual branches, leaves and ovaries.

The grapes are very active in forming new shoots. Excessive green mass takes away water and nutrients from maturing brushes. Summer pruning is done to:

• to provide with "enhanced" nutrition exactly those parts of the vine on which the grapes ripen;
• make it easier for the gardener to take care of the bush (after pruning, the plant looks much neater);
• provide the berries with sunlight and warmth to the maximum (means an improvement in taste due to greater sugar content, early ripening of the crop);
• reduce the likelihood of developing infections and pest attacks due to good ventilation (a bush blown by the wind is easier to inspect in order to notice the problem in time, many fungi and insects prefer moist stale air);
• to allow the left shoots to lignify well and "ripen" (the risk of freezing in winter is reduced).

Summer pruning of grapes is forced to resort mainly to those who grow vines in temperate climates - this, to a certain extent, makes it possible to compensate for the lack of light, heat and harvest a good harvest

Video: how and why is summer pruning of grapes carried out

How to properly prune grapes in summer

General recommendations for summer grape pruning:

• the necessary operations are carried out throughout the summer - until the harvest is fully ripe;
• you can do without a pruner, other tools - green shoots are easily broken off by hand;
• in the process of removing unnecessary branches, try at the same time, if possible, to give the vines the desired configuration (fan or standard).

Video: chasing grapes

The procedure for pruning vines in the summer takes place in several successive stages:

1. Breaking off green shoots. As a result, in the future, there will be a redistribution of nutrients in favor of fruiting vines and brushes. It is impossible to remove all annual shoots, they are also necessary for the formation of a bush. At the end of the procedure, the ratio of sterile to fruiting branches on the vine should be approximately 1: 2. Choose the thinnest shoots that grow down and into the bush, clearly thickening it. Breaking is carried out in two stages - before and after tying the branches. The first one - at the beginning of summer, before flowering, when the branches grow to 10-12 cm and buds are formed, the second - after the appearance of inflorescences (at the same time, all root shoots are removed).

   

   Breaking off grape shoots is carried out when it becomes clear which branches will bear fruit this year and which will not

2. Topping. It is carried out to slow down the active growth of shoots and prevent massive shedding of inflorescences. The procedure is especially important for grape varieties with "loose" clusters. The tops of fruiting branches are literally cut off by 2-3 cm. All vines above 3 m are shortened at least to this height (the optimal indicator is 2-2.5 m). The procedure is carried out twice a month, starting from mid-June, at the same time you can remove "extra" inflorescences. Shoots formed where branches have already been pinned are not touched.

   

   The emerging flowers of grapes are very sensitive to nutritional deficiencies; if they are lacking, they immediately begin to crumble; pinching the shoots allows the vines to redistribute food in the direction the gardener needs

3. Stealing. Stepsons of grapes are formed in the axils of leaves on the main shoot of the vine. Berries are not formed on them, they are also useless for the formation of a bush. On the contrary, stepchildren strongly thicken the plant, depriving the berries of the light and heat they need. It is impossible to remove such shoots entirely - stepchildren break off, leaving a "stump" 1.5–2 cm high. If this is not done, several new ones will quickly form in place of one stepson. Stepping is a regular procedure, carried out weekly throughout the summer. The antennae can be cut at the same time.

   

   Stepsons for grapes are absolutely useless from the point of view of a gardener, the only place where they can be used is to replace the standard branches of vines that have been badly damaged by frost in winter

4. Clarification. It is carried out as needed during the entire active growing season. Clarification is mandatory 10-15 days before the planned harvest. Cut off only those leaves that darken the brushes, prevent normal ventilation, dry and yellowed (up to 8-10 pieces at a time). They must be removed immediately if there are suspicious symptoms indicating a possible infection or pest attack. Such greens are disposed of away from the vines.

   

   If the bunches of grapes lack warmth and sun, the berries turn out to be small and sour

5. Chasing. It is carried out no earlier than August, otherwise the plant will actively begin to form fruitless shoots. Correct chasing speeds up the ripening of the berries. The top of all shoots without exception (about 40 cm) is removed, leaving 12-16 leaves.

   

   Coining too early is detrimental to the future harvest

6. Thinning brushes. Carried out at the discretion of the gardener. As a result, the yield is reduced, but the taste of the berries is significantly improved. The number of brushes left is determined taking into account the varietal characteristics of this variety. A young vine can "feed" only one bunch, an adult - 4–8.

   

   The vintner often has to choose - either a bountiful harvest or high-quality tasty berries

Video: pinching vines

Common mistakes novice gardeners make

It is quite difficult to ruin the bushes even with a very poorly carried out summer pruning. It's just that your work will be useless. Inexperienced gardeners often make fatal mistakes during the autumn and spring formation of vines. The basic rule of summer pruning is not to “spare” the plant. For some reason, most gardeners do not want to cut out what has already grown.

The most common mistakes:

• The gardener is limited to a slight messy "haircut" of the tops of the shoots. As a result, they become thinner and begin to branch even more actively, which provokes a thickening of the bush, a decrease in the volume and quality of berries.
• Minting is carried out too early. Wait for the vine to stop growing rapidly. Otherwise, the nutrients will go to the formation of the green mass, and not to the brushes. Too late chasing is also undesirable - it will not do much harm to the vine, but it will not be useful either.
• You can not be overzealous in lightening the bush. "Bald" vines, of course, are wonderfully illuminated by the sun and blown by the wind, but the leaves located on them above the brushes perform useful functions. Cut only those that clearly cover the brushes, preventing the sun from reaching them.

The formation of vines stretches for almost the entire season of active growing season. Summer grape pruning is just as important as spring and autumn pruning. In regions not very suitable for viticulture, it helps the grower to get a good harvest, and the bush to endure the load and prepare for the winter. Of course, here, as elsewhere, there are important nuances and certain rules. Only if the recommendations are followed can a positive effect be expected.