Grape Pruning Time and Methods
The editor answers for you the best pruning time and methods for grapevines, as well as the explanation of grape pruning time and methods, which is a very good experience and knowledge, it is recommended to collect!
Everyone knows that grapes are perennial vines that require branch renewal, need to adjust the relationship between vegetative growth and reproductive growth, make the plant grow strong, maintain vigorous fruiting ability, extend the plant's lifespan and fruiting years, and achieve the purpose of high yield and good quality.
Therefore, grapes are suitable for pruning in all seasons, especially during the dormant period. Seasonal pruning includes spring bud removal, summer pinching of auxiliary shoots, autumn thinning of weak and useless branches, and solving the problem of canopy closure. Winter pruning has the largest amount, to solve the problems of branch renewal and regulating tree strength and yield.
The Significance of Grape Pruning
Shaping and pruning is an important measure in grape cultivation, which is a scientific induction of grapevines by humans to regulate the contradictions between growth and fruiting, aging and renewal, and establish a relatively balanced and unified relationship. Reasonable pruning can lead to good growth, early fruiting, good fruiting; it can extend the fruiting years of fruit trees and delay aging.
Pruning is to regulate the movement of water and nutrients in fruit trees, improve physiological activity, and convert vegetative growth into reproductive growth. Pruning is not just a single operation; it is combined with other measures to promote local and overall physiological activity through the retention of branches. Strengthen the ability of roots to absorb nutrients and water, enhance conduction, maintain tree vigor, and achieve continuous high yields.
Improve ventilation and light conditions, enhance photosynthesis, and reduce the occurrence of diseases. Pruning can change the direction of branches, remove excess branches, distribute new shoots evenly on the trellis, fully utilize space, improve lighting conditions, and enhance photosynthetic efficiency. We must comprehensively apply various cultivation measures based on shaping and pruning to achieve our goals.
Continuous learning and careful observation of the pruning response of fruit trees during the pruning process, as the saying goes, "humility is the best teacher," which means to carefully observe the response after pruning, to learn from practice and serve agricultural production, change old concepts, establish new trends, innovate, and make progress.
The Functions of Grape Pruning
In the case of natural growth, grapes maintain a relatively stable balance, that is, the above-ground and underground parts maintain balance. After pruning, this balance is broken, causing changes between the above-ground parts and roots, and between the whole and the local, to re-establish a new balance.
In grape management, any technical measure, such as fertilizing and watering, causes changes in various parts of the fruit tree under the cooperation of external environmental conditions, that is, the process from quantity to quality.
1. Pruning has a dual effect on fruit trees
The object of pruning is various useless branches, but its effect is not just on the pruned branches themselves, it also affects the entire tree. Locally, it may only remove a branch, with the first bud at the cut growing vigorously, but overall, it has an inhibitory effect on the growth of the entire tree and roots.
This promotional effect on the local and inhibitory effect on the whole is the dual effect of pruning. The promotional effect on the local is mainly because after pruning, the number of buds is reduced, changing the original distribution of water and nutrients, allowing nutrients and water to be concentrated in the remaining branches and buds; at the same time, pruning improves ventilation and lighting conditions, enhancing photosynthetic efficiency and improving the nutritional level of the remaining branches and buds.
2. Adjust fruiting quantity, ensure high-quality and abundant yield
Through pruning, the yield is determined. However, if the yield is too high, exceeding its carrying capacity, it will affect the fruit quality, as well as the differentiation of flower buds and the maturity of branches in the current year, which is not conducive to the fruiting and growth in the following year.
3. Maintain a reasonable tree structure, making the tree always strong
The purpose of shaping and pruning is to cultivate a reasonable tree structure, conduct pruning in all seasons, adjust and maintain the tree, making it always strong, achieving continuous high yields, and high-quality fruits.
Grape Pruning in All Seasons
1. Pruning Time
In the past, due to insufficient mastery of grape pruning techniques, winter pruning was generally adopted, neglecting pruning in all seasons. Now, the old concept has been changed, new pruning techniques are used, and pruning in all seasons is carried out to solve the problems of lighting and canopy closure. Reasonably control, save, use, supplement, consume, and make the tree reach a balanced state of nutrition.
(1) Spring pruning. Also known as spring bud removal, removing multiple buds, weak buds, and suckers to save nutrients and supply the remaining buds with all the nutrients, commonly known as nutrient conservation.
(2) Summer pruning. Pinching the growing tips of fruiting and vegetative branches, auxiliary shoot management, removing inflorescences, and secondary fruit cluster shaping, such as aligning clusters, thinning clusters, and thinning berries.
(3) Autumn pruning. The task in autumn is to pinch the auxiliary shoots for the second time, thin out dense branches, weak branches, and branches with low lignification, regulate the amount of branches, ensure light penetration, and improve lighting conditions to enhance the permeability of the trellis.
(4) Winter pruning. Winter pruning has the largest pruning amount and removes the most branches, which is an effective method to determine the yield for the following year.
2. Pruning Standards
They are determined based on the variety characteristics, tree strength, tree age, trellis type, and yield. There are thinning pruning, short pruning, medium pruning, long pruning, ultra-long pruning, double branch renewal, and single branch renewal.
(1) Thinning method: It involves removing weak and useless branches.
(2) Short pruning method: It involves pruning 2-3 buds, which is for newly planted young trees and involves flat pruning.
(3) Medium pruning method: 3-5 bud pruning, for areas lacking branches, to fill space and increase leafy mass.
(4) Long pruning and ultra-long pruning (6-12 buds) are generally used on the main vines for extension, such as the main vines in small trellis cultivation that need to be extended to the trellis.
(5) Double branch renewal: On the basis of last year's pruning, retain 1-2 buds on each of the two branches for pruning. However, double branch renewal requires space on the main vine, otherwise, the trellis becomes closed, ineffective leaves increase, causing excessive nutrient consumption.
(6) Single branch renewal: This means cutting one of the original double branches and keeping the remaining branch, then shortening it, known as single branch renewal.
(7) Major and minor renewal: Major renewal involves cutting the old vines from the base, retaining a suckering branch, and training it into a fruiting parent vine. Minor renewal involves replacing weak branches with strong ones, making the tree always young and extending the fruiting period.
Grape Pruning Time and Methods
Four, Grape Pruning Steps
The steps of grape pruning can be summarized in four words: three observations, two thinnings, one cutting, four extensions, and five retentions.
1. Three observations: Observe the variety characteristics, tree strength, and the relationship between the branches.
2. Two thinnings: Remove suckers, weak branches, diseased branches, and useless branches.
3. Three cuttings: Based on the pruning standards, determine the appropriate amount of branches and shorten the one-year-old branches.
4. Four extensions: Extend the main grape vines for pruning. The longest should not exceed the second wire of the trellis, and the diameter of the cut should be maintained at around 0.8 cm.
5. Five retentions: This refers to the amount of buds. Traditional pruning methods leave 8-12 branches per square meter, with the most accurate amount being 6-8. "Less is more" means to leave fewer branches to concentrate nutrients on the remaining ones.
The United States and Ukraine have both learned pruning techniques from Japan, where, except for filling the space, the rest are pruned to a single stick, using hidden buds to produce high yields and quality, and better profits.
Five, Pruning Time
Pruning is generally done one month after defoliation, when nutrients have returned. However, it is necessary to see if the variety is resistant and can survive the winter, such as Red Globe grapes, Crimson Seedless, Golden Finger, and White Heart.
They all need to be buried in the soil for winter protection, so pruning should be done earlier or with leaves, by the end of November or early December, and pruning for other varieties is usually done between December and January.
Six, Precautions for Pruning
(1) The cut should be smooth and not leave any stubble, with the cut diameter about 1-2 cm larger than the bud eye to prevent the winter bud from drying out.
(2) Protect the wound with a wound protectant or white glue.
(3) Leave a short stub when thinning large branches to prevent frostbite, and remove the stub in the second year.
(4) Avoid opposite cuts to prevent tree damage and spring bleeding, which can weaken the tree.
The above shares the best pruning time and methods for grapevines, and the full content of grape pruning time and methods. Netizens may refer to this for reference.