Of all the crops cultivated by man, grape occupies a special place. This plant, despite its thermophilicity, can grow in a fairly cold climate. Currently, viticulture is so developed that even relatively short (by the standards of the subtropical homeland of grapes) warm seasons are fruitful.
An interesting feature of grapes is its branched root system, capable of providing moisture from the soil to the above-ground part even in arid climates. Naturally, for the full nutrition of the grape bush, its normal vegetation and abundant fruiting with a large number of clusters, this will not be enough. Therefore, you need to water and feed the bushes (especially young grapes) regularly.
The secret to the successful cultivation of this crop lies in the correct design of the upper part of the grape bush. If the grower removes the extra vegetative shoots in time, leaving only fruitful branches on the bushes, he can achieve the formation of berries on them even in a relatively short time and get a harvest.
Of all the agrotechnical procedures that promote the development of a plant and increase its future fruiting, shaping is the most important. If the shape of the bush does not correspond to its variety, growing conditions, degree of its development, etc., such a bush will not bear fruit very well. In some cases, if the bush is not properly formed, you can not wait at all not only for the ripening of bunches of berries, but even for a simple increase in the main or side branches.
The article gives recommendations for beginners on how to prune table grapes, how to thin out and rejuvenate its bushes, and how to shape a bush in various ways.
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Autumn pruning of the bush
A properly formed vine bush develops evenly if its branches grow and do not interfere with each other. In addition, each branch should occupy exactly the place that is allocated for it. The purpose of pruning is to eliminate the possibility of intertwining branches, as well as excessive vegetation.
Properly formed three-year-old grape bush with a fan shape
The photo shows that the main vine emerging from the ground starts parallel to it, and all child branches emerging from it go higherwhere each takes its place. A similar structure of the bush is called a fan formation.
It looks like an uncircumcised one-year-old grape bush, located vertically
Next, it will be considered how to make the optimal formation of an annual bush that has grown this year.. This shaping, including pruning, will take place in the fall.
Action No. 1 Removing stepchildren of the current year
Removal of stepchildren
At the beginning of the pruning procedure, it is necessary to carry out pinching, that is, the removal of additional branches (not leaves) that appeared in the internodes. Pasynkovanie grapevine is carried out with the help of secateurs, the blade of which is desirable to be disinfected when moving to another bush.
It is necessary to carefully examine the vine before wintering - stepchildren should not remain on it.
Action number 2 Laying the vines on the trellis
Shortening the vine at the edge of the trellis
The vine is laid on the first trellis and launched parallel to it.
After the vine is laid, it should be shortened along the edge of the trellis.
Trimming should not be done flush with the end of the trellis, but in the middle of the internode closest to the end, so that the cut is exactly between two adjacent buds.
At the cut point, the color of the wood inside the vine should be light green. This indicates that the vine has not dried up (the color of the withered branch will be gray or brown)
Next, the vine is tied up at a distance of 15-20 cm from the end of the trellis with wire so that it does not fall to the ground.
You can tie the vine with wire
On this, the process of pruning an annual bush can be considered complete. In winter, this vine can be treated with copper or iron sulphate, or Bordeaux mixture.
Action No. 3 formation of replacement knots on old bushes
This pruning method is performed for stemless methods of bush formation in the third year and beyond. If a decision is made to form a fertile adult vine bush in the fall, first of all, it should be decided whether new branches need to be placed on trellis.
If necessary, a replacement knot is formed on the bush. It is obtained from the vine of this season, which has grown parallel to the main one.
An additional shoot that grew next to the main vine
First, a replacement knot (if any) should be formed on the bush. The replacement knot is formed from this season's vine that has grown parallel to the main vine.
A replacement knot will form from this shoot. This is an additional vine that will be launched into the free space on the trellis to increase the number of branches that form the fruit.
Cut the replacement knot so that at least 3 buds remain on it
Growers prefer to put an additional branch from the replacement knot in the direction opposite to the rest. The replacement knot is cut so that at least 3 buds remain on it.
After that, they proceed to pruning the child branches of the older bush.
Action #4 Pruning child branches
The bush has 5 child branches
First, they choose which of the child branches will be left for the further growth of the bush.
Pruning in the middle of the location of the internodes
Since a two-level trellis is used, it is advisable to leave the first 3 branches (the strongest of the 5 present), since more branches simply will not fit on the trellis. These remaining branches will be called fruiting vines.
Vines that will go to germinate a new bush from cuttings
In fact, this process is a rejuvenation of the bush - in place of the removed old branches in the next season, no less number of young ones grow. It should not be thought that such operations weaken the bush and it may die.
On the contrary, the less the load on the root system becomes, the more nutrients it will provide the remaining branches. The two cut vines do not need to be thrown away - they will be used to germinate a new vine.
Child branches are laid horizontally on the first trellis
Further, the child branches are laid horizontally on the first trellis. And their pruning is done so that they do not reach the next bush a little.
Pruning is done so that they do not reach the next bush a little.
Next, the vines need to be fastened with wire and tied to the lower trellis
In this state, the vine should remain until the end of autumn. It is recommended to cover the vine about two weeks before the expected frost.
After pruning the grapes, remove all cut foliage, twigs, all stepchildren and other fragments of vines and child branches
This is necessary to rid the site of pathogenic bacteria and fungi.It is recommended not to use plant residues in compost, but to burn them to destroy pathogens of fungal diseases and other harmful organisms.
SIMPLE AUTUMN? GRAPE CUTTING ?
How to prune grapes: in autumn and before shelter for the winter | Instructions for beginner gardeners, schemes | (Photo & Video)
Read also: Grapes: description of the 27 most popular varieties, their characteristics (Photo & Video) + Reviews Formation of a bush in two sleeves
One sleeve goes to the left, one - to the right
Above is a diagram of the formation of a bush in two sleeves.
Both sleeves (otherwise they are called arrows) end with vines of fruiting and replacement. Usually, a thicker and stronger vine is left on the fruiting arrow, and weaker branches are chosen as substitutes. Both vines are pinched or shortened. At the same time, at least 3 buds are left on the replacement vine, at least 6 buds on the fruiting vine.
In autumn, it is better to leave the buds on these two vines with a margin (replacement 3-6, fruiting 6-9), and in the spring shorten the shoots to the number of buds indicated earlier. In this case, you need to leave the most powerful of them.
Along the sleeve itself, all thickening branches are cut to a stump. In no case should the shoots be cut flush with the sleeve so that the drying residue of the shoot does not block the channel for the movement of nutrients.
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Formation of a bush in 4 sleeves
All 4 sleeves come out of the central stem of the bush
The 4-arm formation scheme has the same idea as the previous one.
Similarly to the previous case, each arm has fruiting and replacement vines left from vigorous branches. The same number of buds are left on them (6-9 and 3-6 in autumn, 6 and 3 are left in spring), respectively. If there is little space on the trellises, each sleeve is placed compactly, but the branches should not be laid too close to each other.
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Moldavian bowl with sleeves arranged in a circle
In this scheme, the idea remains the same, but the number of arms can be arbitrary, while they are arranged in a circle. In some way, this design resembles a fan located in a horizontal plane. For the first year, it is recommended to slightly bend the shoots to the ground.
The number of sleeves depends on the strength of the growth of the bush. As usual, each sleeve is formed from the two strongest or longest vines. Just as in the previous methods of formation, all excess vegetation should be cut out into a stump.
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Stamp method of formation
Stamp method of formation
This method of shaping grapes is suitable for those places where grapes are not added dropwise, that is, for the southern regions.
Standard shaping is also used for many non-covering varieties., with increased frost resistance and capable of ripening in cold climates (for example, Saperavi, December, Isabella, etc.)
HOW TO CUT GRAPES (detailed grape pruning diagram)
How to prune grapes: in autumn and before shelter for the winter | Instructions for beginner gardeners, schemes | (Photo & Video)
And what types of spring pruning of the vineyard are needed for the second year?
During spring work, the following types of pruning are performed: sanitary pruning and corrective pruning. As a result of the latter, the appearance of the bush for the current season is finally formed. Moreover, it is performed only after the completion of the “weeping of the grapes”.
Okay, what is crying and when does it appear?
By this is meant a copious discharge from wounds, cuts and injuries of transparent sap due to excess pressure created by the roots. The weeping of the vine is a natural process and should not be feared. This phenomenon occurs in early spring, before the buds swell and the first leaves open. Already at temperatures above + 4 ° C, transparent juice begins to stand out from the wounds.
Do adult grapes need water-charging irrigation? When should it be produced?
Yes, for adult bushes, as well as for young bushes, this type of watering is desirable. This will help the plant prepare for winter without running out of nutrients. It must be done before the onset of cold weather, otherwise the root system may rot. The best time is during leaf fall.
Thanks ! Can you please tell me how to properly insulate the bushes? Does the method of insulation depend on the age of the bush?
Warming of covering grapes comes down to laying it on the ground and covering it with a film. Then it is sprinkled with leaves. This is the best frost protection. It is advisable to cover for a few days before the onset of frost. It is best to wait until the temperature drops below + 2-4 ° C and then start covering the vines. But at the same time, it is necessary to remember about unpleasant surprises in the spring.
What surprises?
In the spring, especially early, the main problem of winegrowers is the correct timing of the removal of shelters. Even if the bush successfully overwintered, in order to avoid damping out, the shelter should be removed at the first manifestations of a thaw. On the other hand, if you do it too early, the weather will change and frosts will return, and the young growth may die.
And who can clearly tell how to properly form a bole? To what height should the base of the bole be raised, what should be the structure of the bush, and in general, which uncovered grapes are the most frost-resistant?
The most frost-resistant are Isabella and Lydia. They can withstand frost down to minus 25°C. And the answer to the question about the stems pulls on a whole article. What do you specifically want to know?
I didn't understand much about cutting. If possible, please make diagrams. But the material is still interesting. There were also questions about planting bushes. At what depth should I plant, how deep should the seedlings be buried?