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Some gardeners in central Russia strive to grow grapes. This heat-loving crop in fairly cool climates requires special attention. So, in the fall the vine should be pruned. This allows you to improve the health of the plant and get larger and sweeter berries in the future. There are many ways to prune grapes. The choice of one option or another depends on the age of the bush and some characteristics of the grape variety. Find out more information about when prune grapes in autumn in the middle lane and how to do it correctly can be found further in the article.
Why is it necessary to prune a vineyard in the fall?
Vintners back in ancient Rome noticed that pruning the grapevine had a beneficial effect on the crop yield and the taste of the grown fruits.
Today, even novice gardeners try to prune their plants, because it allows them to:
- increase crop productivity;
- make the berries larger and tastier;
- form a beautiful, neat bush;
- speed up the process of fruit ripening;
- to improve the health of plants.
Thus, pruning the vineyard will be useful for absolutely any variety. But why is it better to carry out the procedure in the fall and not in the spring? The thing is that pruning in the spring causes considerable stress to the plants. They lose a lot of juice and strength to restore the bush. This leads to reduced yields and delayed fruit ripening.
It's time to prune the vine
Autumn in central Russia can be quite long, so it is important to determine exactly the time when you need to prune the grapevine. It is recommended to do this in two stages:
- The first stage is to remove weak, diseased shoots. It is recommended to carry out such superficial cleaning of plants immediately after the grape harvest is harvested. At the same time, young shoots of the vineyard should be pinched.
- Deep pruning of vineyards is carried out 2 weeks after the plants lose their leaves. In this case, the air temperature should not be lower than -30C. In the process of pruning vineyards, one should adhere to universal schemes for plant formation. Based on them, it is recommended to draw up your own plan according to which the work will be carried out.
To prune a grapevine, you need to stock up on pruning shears or garden shears, or a small hacksaw. It is recommended to wipe the instrument with alcohol or manganese solution before use.
Important rules for pruning grapevines
It is very important not only to prune the vineyard in a timely manner, but also to prune it correctly.This is especially true for novice winegrowers who are just starting to grow crops and are still little familiar with the basic rules of vine formation. For them it is necessary to emphasize the following points:
- When pruning shoots, you should always leave a small stump (2-3 cm) above the eye. In this case, you can be sure of its safety.
- The older and thicker the shoot, the deeper it should be pruned. Branches older than 5 years should be removed completely.
- The vine must be pruned in such a way that the cuts are only on one side of the vineyard and “look” into the bush.
- Young vineyards are formed in accordance with their age, guided by the schemes proposed below.
- In old vineyards, replacement eyelids are determined, which are cut as short as possible and fruit-bearing shoots, the body of which must be preserved.
- With short pruning, only 2-3 buds are left. Long pruning involves preserving 10 or more eyes.
Such simple rules are the basis for pruning any vineyard. Every gardener who has his own shrub should know and use them.
Formation of young vineyards
It is very important to properly prune the grapevine in the first years of cultivation. This will allow the formation of a fruiting sleeve and accelerate the growth of green mass of the plant. Proper pruning in the first years is the key to a good harvest in the future.
Depending on the age, young vineyards are formed in compliance with the following rules:
- A one-year-old vineyard is cut off almost completely, leaving only 2-4 buds and a small stump. Young, fruit-bearing shoots will develop from them next year.
- A vine at two years of age will have 2-4 main shoots.In autumn, some of them need to be pruned, leaving 2 buds. Shorten the remaining shoots only slightly, leaving 4-10 eyes.
- After 3 years of cultivation in the vineyard, replacement branches are formed, on which 2-3 eyes are left, and the main shoots of fruiting sleeves, consisting of 10-12 buds.
This will make the pruned bush stronger, however, the moment of harvest will be delayed for another year.
The principle of formation of young vineyards in the first years of life can be found in the picture below. As a result of proper pruning, after 3 years the plant forms 3-6 main branches that are capable of producing a harvest.
For beginners in gardening, a video lesson may also be useful, in which a specialist talks in detail about all the basic rules for forming young vineyards:
Pruning a mature vineyard
If during the first three years the vineyard was properly cared for, then the further formation of the bush will not be particularly difficult. In this case, you can adhere to one of the formation schemes, which will be described below, or simply use the basic principles of pruning:
- Shoots that bear fruit this year should be removed completely.
- Trim the lowest branch on the sleeve, leaving 2-3 eyes and replacing it with new shoots.
- Fruitful arrows are cut into 5-10 buds.
- Shoots 10-12 cm thick are called fattening shoots. They need to be removed.
Particular attention should be paid to pruning fruit-bearing arrows, which should please you with a harvest in the coming years.After pruning, they must be covered, and when grown in the southern regions, tied to a trellis.
During severe winter frosts, the upper buds may freeze, but in general the shoot will remain alive and bear fruit.
Vineyard formation schemes
There are several developed technologies and schemes for the formation of vineyards. The choice of one scheme or another depends on grape varieties, region of cultivation and other nuances.
Guyot technology
The method consists in preserving one or two main fruit-bearing arms. In the first and second years, the vineyard is pruned according to the principle described above. In the future, one or two fruiting arrows are left. They are tied to a wire located horizontally. If two arrows are left, they must be directed in opposite directions. An example of such formation can be seen in the picture below:
An example of pruning a vineyard using the Guyot technology can be seen in the video:
This video will allow even a novice gardener to understand the basics of pruning a vineyard in the fall.
Fan forming method
The proposed method of forming a grapevine is similar to the Guyot technology described above. The only difference is that during the growing process, not 1-2, but 3-8 fruit-bearing sleeves are left on the bush.
To implement this method, it is necessary to leave 2-3 eyes on the shoot in the first year of cultivation, in the fall. In the second year, 2 more eyes are left on the main shoots. In the third year of cultivation, the main shoots are sent along horizontal supports.On weak bushes, 3-4 sleeves are formed; on mature, strong vineyards, up to 8 sleeves can be left. An example of fan trimming can be seen in the video:
and in the picture below.
Pergola pruning
This type of pruning is used if there is a stationary support in the form of a gazebo or arch. It will be quite difficult to remove the vine from such supports for the winter, so the method is suitable for southern regions, frost-resistant varieties or young ornamental grapes.
With the arbor technology for forming bushes, the one-year-old vine is pruned in the usual way, and in the second year the fruiting arrows begin to point upward to the supports. Subsequent pruning of the shoots is carried out in an arbitrary manner, since the method is aimed more at decorating the area, and not at obtaining the maximum yield. You can appreciate the excellent decorative qualities of the gazebo method in the photo below.
Conclusion
For beginning winegrowers, it may seem that pruning vines is a complicated and incomprehensible task. It is for them that we tried to answer in more detail the questions of when to prune grapes in the fall, how to do it correctly and what methods of forming a vine exist. The provided graphic information and video clearly allow you to familiarize yourself with all the intricacies of the procedure. Growing grapes is a noble endeavor that requires some special knowledge, skills and time.
