Cutting the vine. How and when to prune the vine?

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Properly performedcutting of the grapevineallows you to obtain abundant and regular harvests of good grapes. Seehow to prune the vinesso that it fructifies abundantly and whatcutting time for the vinesis most favorable for he althy plant growth. This grapevine cutting guide is supplemented by helpful drawings that show step by step thesteps for cutting the grapevine


How and when to prune the grapevine?
Fig. depositphotos.com

Grapevine growing is widespread in different climatic zones, and plants of different varieties have very different heights.For this reason, there are many differentways of cutting and guiding the vineHowever, the primary goal of cutting a vine is always to maintain the right proportion between the growing growth and fruiting of this creeper. For amateur garden cultivation, it is worth focusing on one of thesimplest ways to cut grapevines , namely the one-armed cord.

Cutting of the vines in the first year of growing

In autumn we plant the grapevinesto the ground, so that the two eyes on the shoot are above the ground. Then we cover the seedling with a mound of soil for better wintering (fig. A). When the vine shoots slowly emerge from the mound in spring, we have to clear the soil.
In the first year of growing, two to four vine shoots usually develop. Westrive to bring out two strong shoots, therefore we remove the weaker onesAnd so, in the first year of vine growing, we place the stakes for the plants and then attach the strongest shoot to them (Fig.B).
In the first ten days of August we pinch the tops of both shootsto force the bush to finish its growth and the legs to wood before winter. For the winter, the formed young plants are covered with a mound of soil 30 cm high.


Cutting vines in the first year of cultivation
Fig. © Joanna Białowąs

In the first decade of Augustwe pinch the tops of both shootsto force the bush to finish its growth and the skeleton to lignification before winter. For the winter, the formed young plants are covered with a mound of soil 30 cm high.

Cutting the vines in the second growing year

In the spring of the second year, after planting and spreading winter protection (preferably at the beginning of March)the lower bed is trimmed over the second or third eye from the root of the shoot , and the bed grows from the upper one is cut at the branch together with the old journal.(Fig. C). During the growing season, in the second year after planting out of the trimmed tusk, they knock out two or three strong shoots, and additionally they can also knock out the shoots from the vine trunk (Fig. D).


Cutting the vines in the second year of cultivation
Fig. © Joanna Białowąs

Cutting vines in the third year of growing

In the spring of the third wine-growing year, we select the two strongest shoots and cut the rest. Trim one of the shoots after the second eyelet (the one that emerges from the lower eyelet), the other above the fifth or sixth eyelet (fig. E, F).


Pruning of vines in the third year of cultivation
Fig. © Joanna Białowąs

After trimming, the longer bed is bent and attached to the scaffolding . Fruit-bearing shoots grow from the meshes of the bent skeleton and are attached to the scaffolding (fig. G).
After one to three clusters have formed,the shoot shortens above the third leaf above the cluster left During the growing season, shoots called stepchildren grow from the axils of the leaves, which must be systematically cut over the first leaf. Stepchildren must not be removed at the very root, as this may result in the emergence of basal buds in summer, from which shoots should not grow until the following year. From the shortly trimmed skids, new shoots break out,two of them are led straight up at the stakesFor the winter, we make mounds of earth to protect the vine trunks.


Cutting vines in the fourth year of cultivation
Fig. © Joanna Białowąs

Cutting vines in the fourth year of growing

In the spring of the fourth year, cut off the entire arm of the vinethat bore fruit in the previous year, down to the base on the trunk (Fig. H). From the two shoots that grew in the previous year, cut one for 2 stitches, the other for 9-12 stitches, and so we repeat the cycle every year.

Vine cutting date

For radical cuts that correct the growth of the vine, the best time to cut is early spring(late February to mid-March). During this time, woody shoots are pruned. Cutting the vines too early may freeze the pruned shoots (so the cuts are started when the risk of severe frost has passed), and the too late cutting starts with the leakage of juices (the so-called tearing of the vines), which delays the healing of wounds after cutting and increases the risk of grapevine diseases, and ultimately also prevents the vine from bearing fruit or bearing fruit very poorly.
Therefore,when to prune the vines we must determine by observing the course of the weather , so as to trim after the frost period, but before the vegetation begins and the sap begins to circulate in the plants.For cutting the vine, choose a sunny and dry day , preferably also without wind, with a temperature above 0 ° C. However, if we miss such a moment and the temperature has been above 10 ° C for several days, the juice will most likely leak during cutting.

Good to know!
When planning a cut of vines, it is worth watching snowdrops. Once they bloom, it's time to prune the vines.

The second cutting date for grapevines is summer , usually the turn of July and August. During this time, the youngest, green shoots can be pruned.
Sometimes the vine is cut in the fall as well.This is a pre-cut before the spring cut. However, we do itonly to reduce the size of shrubs that need to be protected for winter(to make it easier to cover them). Remember that autumn cutting weakens the frost resistance of neighboring buds. That is why we cut the skids with a certain margin, so that they can be shortened in the spring, cutting out the frozen fragments.

Become confident in pruning fruit plants

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If you are unsure how to cut or simply afraid to do it, the fantastic book "Cutting School 2" ontrimming fruit trees and shrubs
This is the second part of the best-selling book "Cutting School", in which the authors Lucyna and Alicja Grabowskieexplained the secrets of cuttingornamental plants in a simple and clear way. The first book The School of Cutting for its simple language and clear, accurate drawings was loved by garden owners all over Poland.The book quickly became a bestseller- 20,000 copies sold! "
"Cutting School 2" will make youconfident in pruning fruit trees and shrubsand learn to cut plants so that they grow according to your expectations and bear fruit abundantly. After reading this book, your approach to pruning plants will probably change completely!

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