Grape Pruning: An Art Or Just A Job.
By randomguy. Filed in Random |
February is like a short term promissory note. It holds forth a promise of better weather to come, and it won't last long.
We have had some winter. A week ago near zero. Last evening moths were hovering around outside the window. We will have more winter, but with days longer, and some real balmy afternoons, now, I begin to get the "gardener's itch." The only cure for it, of course, is more warm days.
Got the dormant spray on the fruit trees yesterday. There is always that urge to get things started early. With some things you can do that just as soon as the ground can be worked. Like putting in sweet peas if you didn't get them in last fall.
I feel right smug now - in fact I can also say snug. I'm on the inside looking out, admiring my grape pruning job. I must confess that in the past I've let this needed chore slide too long.
It is easy enough to look at a sketch or video showing the proper way to trim grapes, and feel that you can go out and do the job properly. Every time I start this, however, I find myself a bit confused and bewildered. I have to make decisions - to cut this cane off here, and leave that one to grow there.
For the professional it may be easy, but trimming a few vines once a year presents a challenge to me. So just having completed what looks like a pretty good job, as I said, I'm feeling smug.
In case you are uncertain about the proper pruning of grapes. The fruit comes on the new wood or the current year's growth. Most of us have a tendency to not cut off enough of the old year's growth.
The past weeks I've really been on a regular pruning binge. Fruit trees are all pruned. Once I sent a hired man out to prune the fruit trees on our place in the country. His idea was simply to cut off all the lower limbs.
Basically the thing to do is cut out all inside growth that interferes with other limbs, and to take out enough growth so that when the tree is in full leaf, air and light can get to the fruit.
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