In many cases this is due to the climatic zone, the strength of the grapes, etc.
Consider the periods of pruning covering grape varieties for the zone of risky agriculture, where winters are more severe and there is a danger of returning cold in spring.
In this case, grape pruning is carried out in two stages – in the fall (preliminary) and in the spring (final).
How to Prune Table Grapes for BEGINNERS
Pruning the vine in the fall
Autumn pruning, depending on the variety, age and strength of the bush, in turn, is divided into two stages.
- Pre-cut. It is carried out 1-2 weeks before the main pruning. During this pruning, unripe, green shoots are cut out. It is carried out until the first frost in early October.
- The main autumn (formative) pruning. Perform in mid-late October (the next day after the first frost). Approaching the bush, they inspect the entire bush as a whole and all available vines. Its condition is assessed – the presence of diseases, pests, damage from frost, etc.
After assessing the condition, the bush is clarified. All dry, broken, thin, poorly ripened, inconveniently located vines are removed. Next, the head of the bush is cleaned from the stumps of last year’s pruning. The most developed fruit vines are pruned into arrows. Old, very long, dried up sleeves with weak shoots or no annual vines are removed. Underdeveloped and fertile sprouts and spinning tops are cut out (if they are not needed for the formation and replacement of sleeves). Unripe tops are shortened.
Taking into account the risk of eyes freezing during the wintering period of productive vines, it is necessary to leave 40-50% more than is necessary to obtain a high yield. For the same reason, the shoots that will become replacement knots are pruned 60-70% longer. Depending on the variety, all vines are cut with a margin of 50% of the eyes. After pruning, the grapes are placed in grooves and covered for the winter.
During autumn pruning (preliminary and main), depending on the shape and size of the formation, from 50 to 70% of the annual growth is removed.
Pruning the vine in the spring
It is recommended to complete the spring pruning of grapes before budding begins. Before pruning, it is necessary to analyze the condition of the bush and estimate the percentage of dead eyes.
Based on the type of formation of the grape bush and relying on the rules, they carry out the final pruning, leaving the required number of fruit links (replacement knot and fruit shoot). When starting to trim the spare lengths that were left in the fall, it is necessary to determine the number of eyes to ensure a high yield in the current year.
After spring pruning, the care of the grape bush does not end. To ensure full development and high yield during the growing season, it is necessary to redistribute the vegetative and generative load by breaking out, pinching, pinching, and chasing.