When and how to prune grapes correctly in the fall and care for them after the procedure

A beautiful and well-groomed vineyard is not a gardener’s whim, but a necessity. Autumn pruning of the grapevine helps to achieve this result. For the procedure to follow all the rules, you need to know a few secrets. Read on to learn how to properly prune grapes in the fall.

Why prune grapes in the fall, what does it give?

Over the years, experienced winegrowers become opponents of spring pruning. It has been noticed that pruning the vine in the spring is associated with risks. The main one is “crying vines,” which often destroys plantings. This phenomenon occurs if you miss the beginning of spring sap flow and cut branches after waking up. Spring pruning often causes the death of a vineyard due to loss of juices. Autumn pruning carried out when the plant is already dormant and completely ready for winter.

Is pruning necessary?

Autumn pruning of grapes has a number of advantages. In addition to cleaning the vine from excessive thickening, it creates conditions for the formation of a large number of fruiting buds rather than vegetative buds on the branches. After autumn pruning of the vineyard, several clusters grow on the vine. All of them are of high quality - dense, heavy, with large berries.

The task of autumn pruning is to redirect the plant’s forces to the formation and nutrition of fruit buds, and not to the growth of useless vegetative parts. Each new vine needs 2 m² for full development, so cleaning is carried out mercilessly.

Optimal timing of the procedure

The timing of pruning in the fall depends not only on weather conditions, but also on the age and variety of the vine.

By region

Autumn pruning of grapes is carried out in regions where covered cultivation of wine berries is practiced. The procedure reduces the volume of branches and reduces the risk of injury to the plant during wrapping covering material.

On a note! Covered cultivation of grapes is practiced in regions where the winter temperature drops below –20°C for a long period.

Gardeners determine the exact timing independently, based on weather conditions. Prune at the first light frost, within 1-2 days. In warm latitudes - in September - November, in northern latitudes - in early September. This way the vine will not have time to freeze, the branches will remain flexible and will not break off under the pruning shears.

According to the lunar calendar

Adherents of the lunar calendar recommend carrying out garden pruning work during the waning moon.. The exception is plantings up to two years of age, when the growth of the vegetative part and the formation of the skeleton are at an advantage.

When choosing a date according to the lunar calendar, the average daily temperature is also taken into account. Pruning work is carried out at an average daily temperature of 0…+3°C.

Types of pruning

During fall pruning, 50 to 70% of the vine is removed.

Formative

Complete molding of the bush is carried out in three years:

1. First year of life. In the spring, at the time of planting, 2 leading buds are left on the seedling, which will become the basis of the bush. They are the ones that are subject to the first autumn shortening. On the first sleeve there are 2 eyes, on the second - 4.
2. Second year of life. In the second year, full-fledged shoots grow from the left buds over the summer.In the fall, two shoots are left on the long sleeve and their length is equal to the short one. The result is the same length for both sleeves. The stems located closer to the center clear up to 2 buds, on the periphery - up to 4. These are the future fruit arrows.
3. Third year of life. The 4 extreme replacement knots are cut off with part of the sleeve. As a result, you get 1 link for two stems on each shoulder. The stems closest to the center are cut into 2 buds, the distant ones - into 4, as in the previous year.

The algorithm is saved for all subsequent years. To be on the safe side, in the northern regions, 1-2 more buds are left on the shoots. If freezing has not occurred over the winter, they are removed in the spring.

Autumn grape shaping is carried out in two stages:

1. Before the onset of frost, preparatory measures are carried out. 1-2 weeks before the main pruning, young, immature shoots are manually removed from the vine.
2. With the onset of frost, the main formative pruning is carried out. During the events, radical removal is used.

The immature shoot differs from the mature one in being lighter in color and having thin skin. To plant fruit-bearing shoots, choose the healthiest and strongest branches.

Rejuvenating

There are secrets to rejuvenating an old, thickened or elongated bush. The main feeding vessels in such a vine are connected to substitute shoots. If the shoots have grown, the overall nutrition of the bush is weakened. This means that pruning side shoots in favor of the center is useless. Removing the central branches in favor of substitutes will help restore normal fruiting of the bush.

Sanitary

Sanitary pruning is carried out in the fall after harvesting and, if necessary, in case of infection of the vineyard. Sick, withered branches must be removed, regardless of their purpose and age. Upon completion of plant sanitary measures process fungicidal agents:

• Bordeaux mixture;
• copper sulfate;
• colloidal sulfur.

Any medicinal mixture is used on the day of preparation.

How to prune grapes correctly

Pruning grapes is a serious, but uncomplicated undertaking. After 2-3 years, an inexperienced beginner understands the principle of shaping a bush and easily copes with the task.

Required materials and tools

To prune vineyards, a minimum number of tools are required. To trim fragile branches, it is enough to prepare a pruner with rounded blades and short handles.

Attention! The pruning shear blades must be sharpened and the spring mechanism lubricated before use. Work in protective gloves made of thick fabric.

Trimming schemes

The vine is cut along the internodes. Stumps up to 0.5 cm long are left on two- and three-year-old sleeves to protect the wood from pests.

The usual autumn pruning scheme looks like this:

• Weak shoots (those with less than 7-8 eyes), tops that bear fruit are removed from the vine;
• up to 8 strong shoots are left for fruiting;
• annual shoots on old bushes are eliminated;
• stepsons on fruiting arrows are shortened by 10-12%;
• no more than 30 eyes are left on one plant;
• replacement knots are formed from 5-6 year old shoots.

To simplify the autumn pruning of the plant, the bush is inspected in the summer. To do this, select shoots suitable for development and mark them with a marker.

Step-by-step instructions for pruning for winter

The process of pruning grapes is painstaking and lengthy. It is carried out in the first half of the day, when the sun illuminates the plantings and the gardener sees all the shaded areas.

How to prune a vine in the fall:

1. Conduct a general assessment of the condition of the plantings.
2. Remove dry, diseased, inconveniently located branches.
3. Clear the head of the bush from last year's molded stumps.
4. Trim leading vines to arrows.
5. Cut out old branches without annual vines.
6. Cut out weak shoots and tops.
7. Trim off immature tops.

The cuts are made in one motion towards the inside of the plant. At the end of the activities, the removed brushwood is removed from the site and burned to prevent the appearance of pests and fungal diseases.

Attention! The vine is trimmed down to living wood so that the cut is light green in color.

Formation

During autumn pruning of the vine, the skeleton is formed. To do this, the leading shoots are selected and left in the correct order so that after growth the branches are ventilated and illuminated by the sun.

Attention! In regions with a harsh climate, during formative pruning, 35-40% more fruiting eyes are left. In case of prolonged frosts, they will replace the dead eyes and help to obtain the expected harvest in full.

Trimming Features

The nutritional system of a young and old berry plant is fundamentally different. Young seedlings release juices first of all to the leading shoots. Old vines “take care” of the periphery.

Young grapes

When forming the skeleton of young grapes, the central parts are always cut out. This makes it possible to lay a skeleton of the correct shape with optimal ventilation and lighting of the branches.

Old

Old growths are cut in such a way as to shift the center to the edge of the bush. If more than 30 buds remain on one plant, one of the sleeves is completely removed.

Further care

Experienced gardeners have noticed that fungal diseases often affect unkempt vineyards. This happens because fungal spores settle in fallen leaves and safely overwinter until spring. With the onset of warm weather, such plantations become infected and quickly die. To avoid such a situation, fallen leaves and pruned branches are removed and burned in the garden for the winter.

After pruning, a week before covering, carry out the traditional feeding grapes It is done during the autumn digging of the soil at a distance of 1 m from the bush in the place where the root mass is located. Consumption: 1 bucket of compost or rotted manure and 1 glass of ash per 1 m² of soil. After 2-3 days, water-recharging irrigation is carried out and the vine is covered until spring.

Conclusion

Pruning grapes in the fall greatly facilitates the gardener's work in the spring. Peeled grapes are easier to cover for the winter, they suffer less and produce high-quality fruit. Branches pruned before winter heal faster, and the risk of “crying vines” and loss of selection seedlings is minimized.