Content
Every gardener knows very well that the key to a rich harvest is compliance with agricultural technology and conscientious care of plants. When growing grape bushes, the most important and responsible procedure is spring pruning of grapes. The condition of the vine, the quantity, and most importantly, the quality of the future harvest depend on this event.
Should I trim it?
Grapes love the sun very much, so their shoots stretch upward. And the fruits seem to accumulate solar energy, filling with juice, and are ready to thank the summer resident for his efforts and concerns.
But the peculiarity of grapes is that they continuously form a large number of new shoots. Chaotic, uneven growth of shoots greatly affects the formation of buds. Weak, sparse buds, in turn, are the reason for the appearance of a small number of inflorescences, most of which are barren flowers. This affects the taste of the fruit - the grapes will be small and very sour.
The grapes direct most of the nutrients to the upper, developing, young shoots.And if there are too many actively growing branches on the bush, there is practically no energy left for the formation, growth, and ripening of fruits. Sometimes a powerful, strong vine is simply unable to produce a large amount of grapes.
Grape pruning in the spring it allows you to form a vine, promptly removing excess and damaged shoots, which ensures high productivity.
If this event is excluded or carried out in violation of the rules and timing of pruning, the grapes will gradually become overgrown, the berries will become smaller every year, the bush will go wild, and the varietal characteristics will be lost forever.
Therefore, proper pruning of grapes in the spring is a kind of renewal of the bush, which pursues the following goals:
- Cleaning from frozen, diseased, and damaged branches;
- Thinning to form a standard or non-standard bush;
- Increased productivity;
- Improving the taste characteristics of grapes;
- Preservation of varietal characteristics.
After pruning, you may think that the grapes look unsightly. But this is the whole point of pruning, so that the sun's rays can sufficiently illuminate both the upper and lower parts of the vine.
When to prune: spring or autumn
The time and timing of pruning depend on many factors. The variety of grape, its age, method of cultivation, as well as the climatic conditions of the growing region are of great importance.
Late-ripening varieties are usually pruned in the fall. While grape varieties with early and medium ripening periods are usually pruned in early spring.
Frost-resistant varieties are also subjected to pruning in autumn, 15-20 days after the leaves fall. But grape varieties that do not have good frost resistance are best pruned in early spring.
Young, not yet formed bushes are subject to mandatory pruning in the spring.
The method of growing grapes is also of great importance in determining the timing of pruning. Yes, when uncovered growing method grapes are pruned in autumn. But if you are covering grape bushes for the winter, then in this case you should give preference to spring pruning.
Many gardeners prefer to prune fruit-bearing grape bushes in the fall, and to form young grapes using spring pruning.
Before pruning grapes in the spring, it would be useful for beginning gardeners to know that the activity must be completed before active sap flow begins. Molasses leaks from open cuts. It is almost impossible to stop it. A large loss of life-giving juice negatively affects the growth of the vine. If you are even a little late with pruning, you can lose the future harvest, and possibly the entire bush.
Typically, gardeners, when determining the optimal time to prune grapes in the spring, are guided by two criteria. The first is the air temperature 5˚C-7˚C, and the second is the condition of the kidneys. Spring pruning should be completed before they begin to grow in size.
If for some reason you missed the moment and were late with pruning, then you can postpone this procedure for a while and carry it out a little later according to all the rules, or form a crown by blinding it.
Blinding is a method of shaping grapes without cutting the shoots. In this case, dried, frozen, old shoots, as well as unnecessary young ones, are cut out.And for formation, you need to “pluck out” the extra eyes so that the young shoots do not draw off excess strength and nutrients.
The author of the video will tell you how to properly break off extra buds:
Preparing for spring work
Before you start directly pruning grapes in the spring, you need to prepare your tools. If you covered the grapes for the winter, the vine should be opened and the “sleeves” carefully tied up.
The tool for pruning grapes must be very sharp and perfectly clean. You can check the sharpness of the pruning shears on a piece of paper. To disinfect, a pruning shear, a sharp knife, or a small, fine-toothed saw must be treated with an alcohol solution.
Ideally, the cut should be smooth, without nicks, cracks or splits.
It is important to remember that a dull or dirty tool can cause the death of the entire plant.
Basic rules for updating and forming a bush
Depending on the age of the grapes, it is important to form the crown correctly. To do this, you need to follow several rules, thanks to which even a novice gardener can cope with spring pruning of grapes:
- The branches must be cut strictly at right angles. This method will speed up the healing of the open cut. After all, the area of the open wound will be much smaller than when cutting at an angle.
- First, remove diseased, frozen and damaged branches, without taking into account the grape pruning scheme you have chosen.
- Do not leave shoots that are too long. For proper growth and formation, it is enough to leave 7-12 buds (eyes) on each shoot.
- Cut off shoots that already bore fruit last year carefully, trying not to break the base. The cut should be made at a distance of 0.5-0.7 cm from the perennial shoot.
- For subsequent replacement, it is important to preserve the shoots located as close as possible to the trunk.
- For subsequent fruiting of grapes, you need to leave healthy shoots with a diameter of at least 5-7 mm. Very thin, as well as too thick, so-called fatliquoring shoots, the diameter of which is more than 10 mm, must be removed.
Don't worry that the grapes may look bare and empty after pruning. The green mass will quickly grow, and with it new shoots and inflorescences will form, which will bring a bountiful harvest.
With the help of pruning, you can not only form young seedlings, but also revive frozen or overgrown shrubs. Grapes are a tenacious plant, and if there is at least one chance to restore and grow the crown, you need to take advantage of it.
You will learn how to properly prune neglected grapes in the spring from the video:
Formation of a young bush
The vine always reaches upward, striving for sunlight and clinging with its tendrils to trellises or supports. If the formation of numerous shoots is not controlled, the bushes quickly become overgrown, which leads to a decrease in yield and deterioration in the quality of the fruit.
Therefore, when growing this crop, you need to know how to properly prune grapes in the spring and form a vine.
In the first 3-4 years after planting, young grape bushes are subjected to formative pruning. During this period, it is important to create the foundation of the future vineyard - the sleeves, which will bear the entire load.The main branches are formed in several stages, depending on how the vine is grown. There are two common shaping methods:
- Standard;
- Standardless.
In both cases, it is important to adhere to the recommended pruning scheme, while observing the timing, as well as the rules for subsequent care.
The difference between standard and non-standard formation is that in the first case the main stem must be formed, from which the sleeves of the grapevine will subsequently extend. The height of the stem can vary from 0.2 m to 0.8 m.
When forming without strain, the shoulders of the grapevine are formed from the root head. The number of sleeves may vary. Most often, winegrowers prefer to form 2- or 4-stem vines.
Subsequently, when the grapes are forming in the spring, you can trim off the excess shoots, leaving the fruiting link - the arrow and the replacement knot.
Correct and timely formation of a grape bush is the key to abundant and stable fruiting.
Standard formation
The peculiarity of the standard forming is that in this case, you can prune the grapevine according to the specified pattern only if you grow grapes in an uncovered way. Varieties must be highly frost-resistant. Most often, this method is used when growing grapes on an industrial scale, as well as by residents of regions with a mild, warm climate.
They begin to form a standard from the first year after planting the seedlings. Below is a diagram of pruning grapes in spring for beginners in pictures:
- In the 1st year: the top of the grape seedling is cut off.Counting from the root, leave two eyes for shoot growth. All other growth needs to be cut out.
- In the 2nd year: the main stem - the trunk - remains intact, and in the future you will have to work with the shoots that grew last year. On a taller and more powerful shoot, the top should be cut off, leaving 7-12 buds on it, and the smaller shoot should be left as a spare; it should be shortened, leaving only 2-3 buds on it.
- In the 3rd year: during this period the height and shape of the trunk is formed. The two upper shoots - now these are the “sleeves” of the grapes - are shortened by 2 eyes and tied to a trellis or support. Reserve shoots are pruned as follows: one is shortened by 2 eyes (this will be a replacement knot), and the second by at least 5-6 buds.
- In the 4th year: you need to cut off the upper “sleeves” and unnecessary shoots, which will allow you to shape the grapes as you wish.
- In the 5th year: It is necessary to preserve only the main branches, which make up the fruiting unit, cutting off all unnecessary shoots.
- In the 6th year: when the fruit link is formed, the replacement knot is cut into 2 buds, the fruit shoot is shortened to 7-8 eyes.
Beginning gardeners can learn more about standard pruning of young grapes in the spring from the video:
The standard forming of grapes allows you to save space and at the same time get a bountiful harvest.
Standardless bush formation
The period of formation of the grapevine in this case is shorter. It allows you to form a full-fledged, fruit-bearing bush in just 3 years. But this procedure also has its own subtleties that distinguish it from the previous method. These differences are noticeable in the grape pruning pattern.Even a novice summer resident can easily find the differences in standard and non-standard formation.
- In the 1st year: you need to remove all deformed, diseased, damaged shoots, as well as up to 90% of young growth. The remaining 2 sprouts are cut 2-3 cm above the second bud.
- In the 2nd year: up to 60% of the young growth should be removed. On each sprout, 2 of the most powerful shoots are left, which will subsequently bear the entire load. They are shortened, leaving 2-3 eyes on each. By autumn, a large number of annual shoots will grow on them.
- In the 3rd year: it is important to correctly form the fruiting units of the grapes. The lower vine (replacement knot) is pruned by 2-3 buds, and the upper part (the so-called fruit shoot) by at least 7-10 buds. Each sleeve needs to be formed in this way. It should have 2 full vines, the remaining shoots can be removed.
Subsequently, when forming grapes, it is important to remember that for abundant fruiting you need to leave 2-3 replacement knots for subsequent renewal of the crown and fruit-bearing shoots.
An experienced winegrower and video author will tell you more about how to properly prune grapes in spring for beginning gardeners:
Features of annual pruning
Fruit-bearing grape bushes also need annual pruning. After all, in this way you regulate the required number of shoots, which are guaranteed to produce a harvest, and you can lay the foundation for fruit production next year.
Spring pruning of grapes has more of a renewing function. During this period you need to remove:
- Fruit-bearing branches (if you did not prune the grapes in the fall);
- Damaged, weak, diseased, frozen, thin shoots;
- “Fattening”, that is, too thick vines, the thickness of which is more than 6-10 mm.
But it is important to remember that pruning grapes in spring and autumn is a single set of activities. When carrying out the spring procedure, do not forget about autumn plant care. When pruning in autumn, gardeners usually leave about twice as many buds as necessary, thereby creating a kind of reserve in case some of them do not survive winter frosts.
Aftercare
After the spring pruning of grapes has been carried out according to all the rules, you will have to follow standard care procedures:
- Regular loosening of the soil at a distance of up to 40-60 cm from the bush.
- Timely watering and fertilizing of plants.
- Timely preventive treatment to protect against pests and diseases.
- Weeding.
- When shoots reach a length of 25 cm or more, they need to be bent and tied to a support, thus forming a vine for future harvests.
Plants should be inspected every two weeks. During the period of fruit formation and ripening, all fruiting shoots must be well fixed, otherwise they may break off under the weight of the hands.
Conclusion
It's no secret that correct and timely pruning of grapes in the spring is an important and very responsible undertaking. If you approach this process with special diligence and attention, this sunny plant will thank you with an abundant harvest of large, sweet and juicy berries.
