![]() This load should be optimized for the specific plant. ![]() The buds that you leave on the spurs and on the renewal spurs represent the load on the grape vine for the upcoming season. This will ensure adequate air circulation and prevent fungal diseases on the grape vines. Overall, expect to remove a total of 70 to 90% of the previous year's growth in both pruning steps each year. Remove any damaged, dry and diseased parts of the vine as well as any shoots from the trunk. Two-year-old and older wood can be recognized by its thickness and darker color. To do this, cut off old canes (wood) completely, as close to the branch/trunk as possible. The first step in any method of grape vine pruning is therefore to remove the two-year-old wood (last year’s spurs) that produced last year's crop, leaving the old wood only on the trunk or on the cordons (the lateral arms of the trunk). If we let a grape vine grow without pruning, it will put most of its energy into growing old wood, which means that the fruit-bearing one-year-old wood ends up comprising only a very small part of the plant. The essence of vine pruning is therefore the annual removal of old wood and the reduction of the fruiting canes so that the plant produces a good quality crop and remains healthy. Buds on biennial and older wood usually produce only leaves and other non-productive shoots. The following spring, some of the buds on the one-year-old canes will form new canes, which will then produce flowers and fruit. At the end of the growing season, these canes are considered to be one-year-old wood. These shoots mature and grow to their final length by autumn, gradually changing color from green to brown. What is one-year-old wood? In spring, young shoots start to emerge from the buds. The grape vine bears fruit on one-year-old wood. Pruning in summer should be limited to removing unwanted shoots from the trunk, removing leaves from around the grapes to improve air circulation or trimming unnecessarily tall runners as soon as possible after they are discovered. ![]() In any case, avoid pruning any parts of the vine that are already green, as this weakens the plant. Trimming grape vines too early means that heavy frosts could damage the newly-cut ends of the vines and, conversely, if trimming to late means that plant sap could ooze out of the cuts, putting extra strain on the plant. ![]() This means the right time for pruning grape vines falls between January and March, depending on the climate zone and temperature conditions of current season. The ideal time to prune grapes is at the end of winter, when the plants are still dormant but the threat of severe frosts (below 15☏ ( -10 ☌)) has passed. The form of grape vine cultivation you choose will depend on the type of support you have available and, in the case of more advanced growers, the specific goals you expect from the grape. Once you understand these basic principles, your annual grape pruning will be a simple routine. You can find several methods of grape vine pruning in the literature, such as cordon pruning, cane pruning, head pruning and other forms of vine cultivation, but all types of pruning and cultivation forms are based on the same rules. Of course, it also affects the strength and health of the plant. Pruning grape vines affects how much energy the plant puts into growth and how much energy it puts into yield. Whether you grow wine grapes or table varieties, you've probably already encountered the question of how to prune grapes properly to keep the vines healthy and productive each season. You just need to understand a few basic principles:
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