Pruning grapes in autumn

Tips for beginners in step by step pictures

Certain parts of the vine have really tricky names. This is at first glance. But if you look closely at Figure 1, everything will immediately fall into place. Here everything is like a man!

Heel. It is, of course, at the very bottom. This is the base of the stem, which is underground. Roots come from the heel.

Stamp. As with fruit trees, part of the stem up to the first lateral shoot. But in grapes, part of the stem is also underground. And it ends with just a heel.

Head. Thickening on the main stem, from which side shoots extend.

Shoulders, they are sleeves. These are, in fact, the side shoots themselves.

Eyes. They are kidneys.

As you can see, everything is quite simple. But there are a few more terms that are useful to remember.

fruit arrow – long sleeve. After trimming, 8 – 12 eyes are left on it.

Replacement knot – short sleeve. After pruning, it usually has 2 to 4 buds.

Fruit link – a pair of shoots, consisting of a fruit arrow and a replacement knot.

Well, now that we have figured out the terms, it’s time to move on to the basics of cropping.

Formation of grapes in the first year

To form young grapes begin in the spring. To begin with, on the central shoot, select the two lowest buds. Of these, we grow two shoots and tie them to the trellis obliquely in different directions.

Late in the fall, after the leaves fall (this cannot be done before, since the vine will begin to bleed, and this is very bad for it), we shorten the overgrown stems. We make one sleeve short – it should have 2 eyes. The other is long (4 eyes).

For the winter, we remove the cut vine from the trellis and cover it with leaves.

Formation of grapes in the second year

In the spring, as soon as the threat of severe frosts has passed (approximately at the beginning of April), we remove the shelter from the vine and tie the shoots to the bottom wire with the tops in different directions.

We let the stems growing from the buds vertically or with a slight slope from the center of the bush.

In autumn (again after leaf fall), we shorten the long sleeve – we leave only 2 shoots on it. That is, in the end, both sleeves will become the same. Then we cut off the vertical stems: those closer to the center – into 2 buds. These will be knots of replacement, and which are further – by 4 kidneys. They will make fruit arrows.

After that, we remove the vine and cover it in the winter.

Formation of grapes in the third year

In early spring, we tie long shoots (fruit arrows) horizontally to the trellis – this will reduce the strength of the growth of the vine and increase the yield (1). We leave short ones (substitution knots) as they are – vertically.

During the summer, 12 annual stems will grow from all the buds. In the summer (at the beginning of August) we carry out the so-called chasing – we shorten the regrown shoots by 10 – 20 cm. This procedure will increase the quantity and quality of future berries. Please note that it is impossible to mint before the beginning of August! Otherwise, a lot of stepchildren will appear on the vine, which will have to be removed, and these are unnecessary problems.

In autumn (after leaf fall), we cut off the four extreme vertical shoots together with part of the sleeve. As a result, 1 link consisting of 2 stems will remain on each shoulder. We cut them off in the same way as last year: the one that is closer to the center – on the 2nd kidney, which is further – on the 4th.

In subsequent years. We do the same as in the 3rd year.

For reliability (buds can be damaged by frost in winter), a little more buds can be left on the shoots: 3 on replacement knots and 5 – 6 on fruit arrows. But if they all survive, the extra ones should be cut off in the spring.

How to care for grapes

In order for the grapes to bear fruit abundantly, it must be watered and fed on time. And it is important to do it according to the rules!

Watering. Grapes need 4 waterings per season (3).

The first is in late spring (at the end of May or even at the beginning of June), when it is clear that there will be no more frosts.

The second – a week before flowering.

The third – after flowering.

The fourth is moisture charging. It is carried out a week before the shelter of the vine. It cannot be ignored, since it significantly increases the winter hardiness of the plant (2). If the autumn is rainy, water-charging watering can be omitted.

In all cases, the rate of water consumption per adult bush is 4 buckets. With each watering, it is useful to add 0,5 liters of ash to the water.

It is necessary to water the grapes so that the water immediately enters the soil and does not soak the shoots and leaves – this can provoke diseases. Before watering, it is useful to loosen the soil around the bush. After – too. The most convenient and correct option is this: in the morning you loosen the soil in the evening, water it, loosen it again the next morning.

Feeding. Grapes need only one top dressing per season. Do it in the fall, under the digging of the soil. At this time, you need to add: 1 bucket of rotted manure and 1 glass of ash per 1 sq. m. Fertilizers are scattered at a distance of 1 m from the bush (this is where the bulk of the roots are located), and then the soil is dug up.

What to do if the grapes do not grow

There can be many reasons why grapes do not grow or grow very poorly, but there are four main ones.

1. Not enough light. Grapes do not like thickening, so the bushes should be planted at a distance of at least 1 m from each other. At the same time, the vine should not grow in the shade of trees and buildings – plant it in an open area.

2. Not enough heat. Try to plant grapes on the young side of the site and it is better if it is with a slight slope to the south – this way the soil warms up much better.

Protect the grapes from cold northern winds – you can, for example, install shields or screens on the north side of the vineyard. But it is even better to plant grapes on the south side of the buildings.

There are a few tricks to help keep grapes warm. For example, lay stones around the bushes – during the day they accumulate the body, and at night they give it to the plants. You can cover the soil around the bushes with roofing material.

3. Not enough moisture. For normal growth, it is important to water the grapes on time. How to do this – see above.

4. Not enough power. Grapes do not require frequent feeding, only one is enough for him, but she is a prerequisite (see above).

Popular questions and answers

We talked about the problems associated with growing and pruning grapes with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Sources of

1. Lazaris S.A. Viticulture in the middle zone of the RSFSR // M .: Selkhozgiz, 1952 – 276 p.
2. Levoshin V.K. Homestead garden // Saratov, Saratov book publishing house, 1959 – 352 p.
3. Molchanov A.I. and a group of authors, ed. Andreeva P. Fruit and berry garden and vineyard // Saratov, Saratov book publishing house, 1955 – 472 p.