What to Do
Episode: # 10 09/06/07
Presenter: Kim Syrus
It does not matter if you are in a hills vineyard or at home it is time to get stuck into your grape vines and give them a serious cut back. The tangle of canes needs to be maintained to make sure you get a great crop of grapes this season. Working out what to prune is not as difficult as you think.
Before you start pruning make sure your secateurs are sharp. It is also a good idea to disinfect the blades to reduce the risk of affecting the plant. Tea Tree oil is excellent and less corrosive than bleach.
The main stem on a vine is called a cordon and it is the long canes growing from this cordon that need to be pruned back. How much you prune it back depends on the type of grape you have.
Wine varieties, glory vines and many table grapes need to be pruned back quite hard. Starting at the top of the main trunk, choose two strong trunks and cut these right back to two buds. Working your way along the cordon remove any growth to about 12 centimetres. Select another strong cane and cut this back to two buds. Keep going cutting all the way along the cordon every 12 centimetres until you get to the end.
This technique is called spur pruning. All the vines energy will be directed through the buds and will produce a mountain of growth and plenty new bunches in the spring.
An exception to this pruning is sultanas as they need a little more growth left on to properly produce their fruits. Leave a mix of long canes and short burs. Select a strong cane and cut this back to 8-10 buds then select another can nearby reduce this to a two bud spur. Go along the cordon repeating this about 15 centimetres or so, removing extra growth in between. When finished, tie the longer canes onto a wire or back onto the main cordon. The main trunk should be free of any shoots making sure that all the plants energy goes into the right buds.
Trimming back the vines now will make sure there are a bounty of bunches this season.
Presenter: Kim Syrus
It does not matter if you are in a hills vineyard or at home it is time to get stuck into your grape vines and give them a serious cut back. The tangle of canes needs to be maintained to make sure you get a great crop of grapes this season. Working out what to prune is not as difficult as you think.
Before you start pruning make sure your secateurs are sharp. It is also a good idea to disinfect the blades to reduce the risk of affecting the plant. Tea Tree oil is excellent and less corrosive than bleach.
The main stem on a vine is called a cordon and it is the long canes growing from this cordon that need to be pruned back. How much you prune it back depends on the type of grape you have.
Wine varieties, glory vines and many table grapes need to be pruned back quite hard. Starting at the top of the main trunk, choose two strong trunks and cut these right back to two buds. Working your way along the cordon remove any growth to about 12 centimetres. Select another strong cane and cut this back to two buds. Keep going cutting all the way along the cordon every 12 centimetres until you get to the end.
This technique is called spur pruning. All the vines energy will be directed through the buds and will produce a mountain of growth and plenty new bunches in the spring.
An exception to this pruning is sultanas as they need a little more growth left on to properly produce their fruits. Leave a mix of long canes and short burs. Select a strong cane and cut this back to 8-10 buds then select another can nearby reduce this to a two bud spur. Go along the cordon repeating this about 15 centimetres or so, removing extra growth in between. When finished, tie the longer canes onto a wire or back onto the main cordon. The main trunk should be free of any shoots making sure that all the plants energy goes into the right buds.
Trimming back the vines now will make sure there are a bounty of bunches this season.
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