Early pruning of grapes in summer is necessary.
The editor introduces you to the related content of fruits and vegetables grapes. Early pruning of grapes in summer is essential, let's learn about it together.
The summer pruning of grapes is based on the winter pruning, and it is the final adjustment of the number of branches to be retained. This is a very important task that determines the yield and quality of grape berries. In production practice, some fruit farmers have misunderstandings about summer pruning of grapes and often do it when the new shoots grow to 7-8 leaves and inflorescences can be seen. In this way, the germinated grape buds will consume a lot of water and nutrients. Such summer pruning can lead to weak branches, reduced yield, and seriously affect the economic benefits.
According to 20 years of practice, summer pruning of grapes should start with bud removal and generally can be carried out in 3 steps.
The first time is from the germination of bud eyes to before the leaves unfold. At this time, it can be clearly seen that some of the weaker branches left over from winter pruning have the earliest and most buds. Some older plants often have buds at the base. It is most suitable to remove buds at this time. No tools are needed, just use your hands. Remove the buds at the base of the branches, the buds on the weak branches, the buds with poor development, and the weak pointed buds on the double buds. This summer pruning can remove 60%-70% of the excess buds.
The second summer pruning is generally carried out when the new shoots grow to 7-8 leaves and the size and strength of the inflorescences can be clearly seen. This pruning is combined with the tying of new shoots. In the specific operation, the basic amount of new shoots to be retained is determined based on the variety, soil fertility, tree vigor, and planned yield. For example, if it is a trellis red grape with good soil fertility and strong tree vigor, and the planned yield is 2500 kilograms with an average cluster weight of 600 grams, it is appropriate to retain 10 new shoots per meter of trellis.
The third summer pruning is generally carried out in combination with the second tying of new shoots. In the second summer pruning, more branches are often retained, and this pruning should retain new shoots with inflorescences and remove fruitless branches. If there are many fruiting branches, the weak ones should be removed and the strong ones retained, and the dense ones should be thinned out.
In the third summer pruning, attention should be paid to several issues: first, remove the weak and retain the strong to benefit the production of large fruit clusters; second, remove the upper ones and retain the lower ones to prevent the fruiting position from moving up too quickly; third, thin out the dense branches to allow for even distribution of branches and facilitate ventilation and light; fourth, remove the early ones and retain the late ones, as the early germinated buds are mostly on the remaining weak branches; fifth, retain the latent buds at the places where fruiting branches are missing, even if they are from the roots, to cultivate fruiting branches for the next year and fill the gaps; sixth, for varieties with large clusters, fewer should be retained, and for varieties with small clusters, more should be retained. Generally, for varieties with an average cluster weight of less than 400 grams, 18-20 new shoots can be retained per square meter of trellis, and for varieties with an average cluster weight of more than 400 grams, 8-12 new shoots can be retained per square meter.
The above shared experience of early summer pruning of grapes may be helpful to you in your life!