Pruning Wine Grapes - PA Wine Grape Growers Network

1 Pruning wine Grapes Mark L. Chien Viticulture Educator Penn State Cooperative Extension Workshop Goals Teach how to prune the two primary commercial vineyard systems: Head trained/cane pruned Cordon trained/spur pruned Trellis and training systems Vine size and balance and balanced Pruning Pruning equipment and supplies You cannot learn to prune a vine by reading a book or coming to a 3 hr workshop. Learn by doing! Temperance Hill Vineyard 105 acres: 85,000+ vines Key Viticulture Goals Ripen Grapes to optimal maturity Ripen wood to maximum maturity for cold hardiness Uniformity within and between vines Keep Grapes free of disease and pests Cordon trained.

2 Spur pruned Vines at Clovis Point on Long Island Proper Pruning Begins Before Vines are Planted Decide what kind of wine is being grown Choose a site to support that decision and create a balanced vine Correct vineyard design and installation to achieve a balanced vine Apply proper vineyard management to encourage vine balance each year Why We Prune The big decisions have been made Now you have to live with them! Size and shape the vine for performance and management Balance the vine for optimal vegetative growth and amount of fruit (reproduction), first attempt at crop and canopy management Create as strong and healthy vine Select nodes/shoots for best possible quality and position Fill trellis space for optimal production and profit Pruning Grapes Hard work Cold work Requires a firm back Require the right equipment Requires skill, knowledge, creativity, experience and patience Getting Ready to Use the right equipment, it needs to be comfortable and the right tool for the job!

3 Quality of work and comfort are directly related: wear the right gear according to the conditions Stay warm and dry, especially the hands, head and feet Learn while you work: NPR, books, etc. Take breaks. Have hot drinks and water available Sharpening stones and oil Flagging material, ties, note pad, etc. First-aid supplies available Felco #2 Felco #6 Corona B3225 The Basics: Pruning Shear, Lopper and Saw Other things you need: Grinder Wet stone and oils Hand stones WD-40 Spare blades and parts Folding Saw How to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome Keys to Pruning Success How to sharpen loppers and shears In the field In the shop Strip them down and oil them Always have replacement parts on hand Be careful.

4 Emphasize safety, especially with non-manual systems! Work with and supervise your crew. Only you can assess the quality of the work! Keep em sharp Suppliers Vine Size and Balance and Balanced Pruning The concept of vine size and balance What is the ideal vine size and balance for your vineyard? A balanced vine begins before vines are planted with proper soil evaluation soil capacity: water and nutrients vine vigor: variety, clone, rootstock Balancing mature vines. Making adjustments in the vineyard Extra buds (high vigor): kicker canes, more/longer spurs, divided canopies Fewer buds (low vigor): smaller vine Benefits Disease control Improved fruit quality and quantity What balance looks like.

5 Smart s Golden Rules 12-16 nodes per pound of Pruning weight 5-10 lb of fruit per pound of Pruning weight pounds of Pruning weight per linear foot of trellis 4-5 shoots per linear foot of trellis (super high quality vinifera 2-4) From: Intrieri and Filipetti American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, 50th Anniversary Interpretive Pruning based on experience visual adjustment shoot length and canopy fill tell the story of balance why is vine too big or too small? Mark s Golden Rules Have a concept of what you are Pruning towards visually, philosophically and economically Keep trellis full, vines in full production for maximum balance yield, quality and profit Prune for production first, then position and shape think one year ahead Anticipate.

6 If something goes away how will you most quickly replace it Efficiency: prune well to maximize all vineyard operations and practices Experience: get the same people to prune every year Classic cordon training with spur Pruning Jonata Vineyard in Santa Barbara County Beckstoffer To Kalon in Napa Valley Araujo Eisele in Napa Valley Too many nodes, too little space The shoot crowding that results from incorrect vine spacing Pruning Guidelines Prune for crop first, position second and always for vine shape Stop, look and think and select and check fruiting wood first then prune around it Measure twice, cut once rule.

7 Once you cut it s gone. Prune for sun canes Do not use laterals for fruiting wood Make clean cuts, close to the old wood Check wood quality, especially in cane Pruning for dead wood Use the right tool for the right cut Leave 1 from tips of canes and spurs Cut with angle down and away from tip Do not let spurs get too long Leave 6-8 between end of shoots and canes Do not let the head area get too crowded renewal spurs, suckers, etc. Prune to 5/8 inch or pencil diameter Vigorous vines: more buds. Weak vines: fewer bud Check for trunk diseases: Eutypa, Botryosphaeria, Petri disease Guidelines, Keep Pruning tool clean, sharp and oiled Sanitize if there is disease: clorox in a spray bottle Do not cut wires or stakes Leave extra canes or spurs, double prune, insurance Tendrils cut now or later Old ties and junk on the trellis Mark vines that need to be revisited To tie or not to tie.

8 Classic head training with cane Pruning 2 cane, no renewal Pruning at Karamoor Vineyard Cane vs. Spur Pruning ? Spur: traditional in warm areas Easier? Faster? Less labor no tying More uniform shoot growth across a longer vine spacing Double Pruning for frost avoidance Easier to mechanize and pre-prune Cane: traditional in cool areas Fewer Pruning cuts Better bud fertility Less shoot thinning Don t have to renew spur positions Less permanent wood, possibly less disease pressure and fewer problems with trunk diseases Less perennial wood may reduce overall vine vigor Antinori in Tuscany New and Young Vine Pruning and Training It s all root development and establishment developing permanent vine superstructure a straight trunk(s) and well-established cordon arms One or two trunks?

9 The right vine spacing to achieve a balanced vine ..are you going to crop in 2nd or 3rd year? relative vine vigor How low to go? 2 bud, half-way, fruit wire? Pruner s Worst Enemy: Winter Injury Winter and Frost Injury to Vines Information resources Bob Pool s web site: Winter Injury and Methods of Protection. Zabadal, et. al. Prune according to cold hardiness of varieties and value Native > white hybrid > red hybrid > white vinifera > red vinifera Double prune vines Assessing bud and vine damage Leave extra buds long spurs or extra canes Do extra trunks help? Keep your vines in balance and in good health Site selection: wet and cool soils Pulling Brush Removing 90+ percent of previous year s growth Teams of 2 one cut, one pull and switch Cut tendrils and remove brush Pull down and away on VSP Safety glasses Pull into every other row Remove or burn in place or chop?

10 Disease fertilizer Brush Disposal/Sanitation Burn in or out of vineyard Chop it Fungal diseases Tying and Training Vines Use the right tying material Agtyes for trunks and cordons Tytape for canes and shoots Bread ties for fruiting canes Timing: when the sap flows but well before bud break Cracking cold weather canes Leave extra nodes then prune to correct length Do not over-wrap canes on fruiting wire Tie off the ends securely, leave 6-8 between canes or cordons Kicker canes Trellis and Training Systems for wine Grapes Single, vertical canopy Vertical Shoot Position High wire cane or cordon (hanging Divided vertical canopies Scott Henry Smart-Dyson Divided horizontal canopies Geneva Double Curtain Lyre Head Trained Spur Pruned Vines High wire cane system in Oregon Vertically divided Scott Henry at Paradocx Vineyard in Chester County Smart-Dyson Training at Mica Ridge in Chester County Lyre Trained Vines At Horton Vineyards In Virginia Invented by Dr.)