The pruning goes back to antiquity, where the vines were sometimes artfully raised. Today the wine is pruned to increase the yield and promote the health of the vines.
Determine the wood of the previous year
Anyone who wants to harvest grapes has to plan extensively. The next year's fruits will grow on the buds that were formed the previous year. Therefore, it is important that you can recognize shoots formed in the previous year. This is often not that easy, as the grapevines did not form any green when they were cut for the first time in the year and even the shoots from the previous year look more dried out than they are alive.
You can recognize shoots from the previous year by their yellow to red-brown color. They have formed buds 5-15 cm apart. If you're not sure if it's a live shoot, gently scratch a small area with your fingernail. If the shoots are green, it is a vital shoot.
Winter pruning
The vine is pruned annually in winter. The pruning is strong and forms the basis for the development this year. For young sticks in the 1st Year the winter cut is primarily used for upbringing. Depending on how quickly the vine develops, the winter pruning can still be used mainly for education for slowly growing plants in the next few years.
Winter pruning is necessary because the plants form a lush network of tendrils by winter. As a result, the power goes more into the formation of leaves and less into fruit shoots. The few grapes that form usually have too little sun for them to be really aromatic. In winter pruning, the shoots are divided into the following categories:
Fruitwood
The fruit wood should bring grapes in the coming season. The fruit wood is with
shortened different cutting techniques, which are based on the experience in wine care. Laypeople when pruning grapevines should rather work with a long pruning technique. Anyone who has experience in pruning can also combine the lengths to maximize the yield.Replacement wood
The substitute wood is those shoots that have the potential to produce strong wood in the next season. In the following winter they usually become fruit wood. In addition, these shoots serve to build up the hive if many shoots have frozen to death in winter.
Logs
The trunk wood is used to extend the trunk and to build up the stick over a large area. This is especially important with wine on the trellis.
Note: The temperatures should be above -5 ° C during winter cut. Temperature-sensitive varieties are only cut in March to avoid frost damage.
Types of cuts
The types of cut also differ according to the use of the wine.
The following cutting techniques are available:
Short cut
The short cut is used for grape wine and the fruit shoot is shortened to two eyes. Always prefer shoots that grow vigorously upwards.
Medium length cut
The medium-length cut is shortened to three to seven eyes.
Long cut
With the long cut, which is ideal for house wine, eight to twelve eyes remain.
Note: However, sometimes it is necessary to combine the pruning techniques so that shoots do not interfere with each other. In addition, it is not advisable to shorten shoots with a lot of potential too much when pruning.
rejuvenation
Even a well-cared for grapevine is getting old and needs rejuvenating pruning. These are mainly the places directly on the trunk where
the vine becomes more and more gnarled. The cuts are not only beneficial, they lead to thickening at these outlets that can hinder the flow of juice. After five to ten years, it's time to cut these spots and dig up a sapling in the area of the trunk. The sapling is then built up as a future fruit shoot.
Tip: If no water shoots form, squeeze the desired point on the trunk or the outlet. This can encourage the formation of water bullets.
If no new shoots form, cut the finish back to a length of two to three centimeters. You can fill the gap with new shoots above or below the old exit. If it becomes apparent that a waste will soon no longer be usable, you can build up a new shoot before removing the waste.
Thin out
Failure to prune vines is even more problematic than a bad pruning. Already after the 1st In the year without a cut, a vine is considered neglected. Especially vines that are led in a trellis on a house wall can be a challenge when pruning, as the vines grow crosswise and are densely leafy.
When thinning out, the vine is revitalized. When doing this, shorten the thick stems. Ideally, a fan-like shape is first cut. Only shoots worth preserving remain. Receive preferential laps that grew last year. Should no longer be able to cut a fan shape. Shorten the trunk frame to wake sleeping eyes. The grapevine is rebuilt above this. When rebuilding, make sure that you train the shoots to fit in a fan shape. This lowers the risk of the shoots hindering each other right from the start.
Build up a grapevine
Rebuilding a vine works similarly to rejuvenation, with the difference that the vine is built up from the ground. To do this, the vine is cut back to just above the ground. This is intended to promote the ejection of sleeping eyes close to the ground.
Instructions for the cut:
- look for a possible refinement point (bulbous thickening)
- Make the cut above the finishing point
- Make the cut at a slight angle
The best time to start growing the grapevine is winter. If pools of water have formed, these are raised again on the trellis with house clusters. For the time being, all shoots can remain on the plant until summer. Only later is it decided which shoots have the potential to be continued.
Cut
In the cut
there are a number of tips that you should follow in order not to damage the shoots.Tips for cutting:
- use sharp scissors
- Place the cut 1 - 2 cm above the bud
- Always start the cut at a slight angle
The sharp cutting tool is particularly important when pruning vines. Squashed and frayed interfaces can dry out, which also damages the bud behind. The flow of sap is hindered or even completely interrupted.
Trunk maintenance
The main work when cutting is focused on the shoots formed. The trunk or however, its care is often neglected. However, the trunk is the basic structure and also the storage organ and should be cared for accordingly.
In the spring, water shoots on the trunk that are not used are therefore removed. Preferably, these shoots should be broken out and not cut. If saplings are still forming in late spring, these can also be cut away.
In the case of grapes on the trellis, regular checks are carried out to determine whether the trunk is being constricted by wire ropes or other supporting material. This can significantly hinder the flow of juice, which means that shoots and fruits are undersupplied. Sometimes the vine itself does this by holding onto the trunk with the curly tendrils, which you should also remove.
Breaking out
Breaking out can also be called spring pruning, although you don't need scissors to do this. As soon as the shoots have reached between 10 and 30 cm in length in spring, different shoots are broken out.
You can remove the following shoots:
- unneeded water shoots
- sterile shoots
- multiple shoots from one bud
Peach
End of May or At the beginning of June you can relax grapes. The tips of vigorous varieties are shortened. If you do not pierce the shoots, this can lead to a reduction in the yield, as the power goes not into the formation of flowers, but into the shoots.
With the sharpening, the risk of so-called "trickling" is also reduced. Fruit sets fall off mainly in cold, wet weather.
Summer cut
The summer pruning is optional and is only carried out if vigorous varieties produce shoots that are too long and interfere. The summer pruning has the advantage that it makes the vine more airy, which means that mushrooms have less chance. In addition, more sunlight reaches the grapes, which has a positive effect on the taste.
Note: The summer pruning for wine can also have disadvantages because it can encourage the formation of further stinging instincts. They often grow stronger than the previously formed shoots.