Without pruning, grapes can be grown only to decorate the arbor - in this case, obtaining a crop of berries is optional. In all other cases, we need not thickets of shoots and leaves, but full-fledged clusters, so it is very important to know how to cut the grapes correctly.

The structure and names of parts of the vine

The grape bush consists of two parts: underground and aboveground.

Underground part

The calcaneal roots extend from the bottom of the rooted cuttings that have been planted in the ground. These are the main nutritional roots. They can be young and old - skeletal and are responsible for the vital activity of the entire bush, storing and accumulating nutrients.

Young roots have a fibrous structure and are absorbent. They supply the plant with minerals. Along the entire length of the underground stem are located median and dewy - upper roots.

Aboveground part

Above ground is a continuation of the underground. On a high stem, grapes are formed only in warm climates. In the same places where winters are frosty, the booth should be low or absent altogether.

  • The head of the bush is called that part of it from which the sleeves depart.
  • Shoulders, or sleeves, are perennial shoots having a length of more than 35 cm. They extend from the head of the bush in a horizontal direction. Their number depends on the method of formation and ranges from 1 to 6.
  • Horns are called sleeves that have a length of less than 35 cm.
  • Annual shoots are the green part that has grown this year. After ripening, they will become one-year vines.
  • The annual vine gives rise to new green shoots, on which inflorescences can form, and then clusters - fruit shoots or fruit shoots. They appear from the eyes, consisting of several sleeping buds at annual growths.

Why is it necessary to prune the vineyard in the fall?

Cutting grapes for the winter means preparing it for fruiting next year.

The task of the winegrower is to direct all the forces of the plant to flowering and the formation of berries, and not to the formation of green mass.

Why autumn pruning is carried out:

  • next year's crop will increase;
  • the size of the berries will be larger;
  • their maturation will accelerate;
  • the bush will be correctly formed and will take a neat shape, it is easier to cover for the winter;
  • the vine will become healthier, its frost resistance will increase.

In anticipation of winter, grapes are at rest and will undergo this operation painlessly. If you hold it in the spring, at the time of sap flow, the vine begins to "cry", and the bush may die, losing a large amount of juice. He fills the kidneys, gluing them together, and does not allow them to blossom. The final pruning of the bushes can be carried out after the buds open or before the sap flow begins.

Autumn pruning is usually done for covering grape varieties. Where he hibernates without shelter, pruning is done in the spring after buds open.

Choosing the right time for trimming in the suburbs

The timing of autumn grapes is determined by the weather. All work must be carried out before low freezing temperatures. As a rule, pruning operations begin 2 weeks after leaf fall. Previously, they can not be carried out, since it is at this time that there is an outflow of plastic substances into the shoots and roots of the plant. Grape pruning in the fall in the suburbs is better to finish before mid or late October. At low temperatures, the vine becomes brittle, so the branches are very easy to break off. Such injuries heal much worse than those made with a sharp tool.

Wounds on the grape shoots heal very slowly, and damage to branches with a diameter of more than 1 cm does not heal at all.

Important rules for pruning grapes for the winter in central Russia

The pruning rules have been worked out by trial and error for a single century. In order to conduct the operation correctly and not harm the bush, they should be observed.

  • Trimming is carried out only with sharpened and disinfected tools. For branches with a diameter of less than 1.5 cm, a conventional garden pruner is suitable. For thicker branches, a delimbers or a garden saw will require a hacksaw.
  • Shoots are cut in one motion.
  • The slice should be perpendicular to the trunk.
  • Over the eye always leave a stump from 1 to 2 cm high.
  • A bush is formed so that all sections look in one direction, preferably outward from the bush. If this rule is not observed, then the sap flow in the shoots will be violated.
  • One fruit link is formed on each sleeve, which consists of a knot of substitution (it is cut shortly, for 2–4 kidneys) and one fruit arrow. Strong bushes next year will form a crop on them - they are pruned for 6-12 buds, depending on the variety of grapes. The thicker the vine, the more we leave the kidneys on the fruit arrow.
  • When pruning shoots of substitution, one must take into account that the lower eye, from which the next shoot of substitution will be formed in a year, should look inside the bush, and the future fruit arrow growing above it should look out.
  • The eyes closest to the stem are infertile, so they are broken out in the spring. This should be taken into account during autumn pruning and determining the number of eyes left.
  • Since there is always a threat of eye damage in winter, an additional 1-2 eyes are left on the trimmed shoots, which can be removed in the spring.

Step-by-step instructions on how to cut grapes

Autumn pruning of grapes is carried out in two stages. If the bush is already formed, in the third year of its life, autumn pruning begins with the removal of stepsons and shoots that have grown below the head of the bush.This is the first stage of pruning, which is carried out when the leaves are already yellowed. The second stage is more complicated and we will dwell on it in more detail.

  1. On each sleeve, the annual shoot closest to the center is selected and a knot of substitution is formed from it. To do this, cut it into 2-4 kidneys.
  2. From the closest substitution knot to the annual shoots growing on the same sleeve, the strongest, most often neighboring, is selected and a fruit arrow is formed from it.
  3. To do this, cut it off, leaving from 6 to 12 eyes, depending on the variety. If the bush is strong, fruit shooters may be 2 or more.
  4. They retreat 1-2 cm from the fruit arrow and cut off the rest of the sleeve.
  5. Also form all the sleeves available on the bush.

Vineyard formation schemes

There are many ways to form grapes. Their choice depends on the location of the vineyard, climate, grape varieties, the desire and ability of the winegrower.

Most often, the following formations are used:

  • Fan of many sleeves. It has many advantages: the sleeves are easily replaced, the number of eyes and left fruit arrows are easy to adjust, the bush can be easily covered for the winter. According to this scheme, grape bushes can be placed both on a single-plane trellis and on a two-plane. In the first case, it will be from 2 to 4 sleeves, and in the second - from 4 to 8. Fruit links, consisting of a knot of substitution and several fruit arrows, are formed on each sleeve.
  • Cupping. It is used for garter vines on stakes. The principle of formation is the same, only the sleeves are arranged in the form of a bowl. With this formation, part of the bush is shaded, it is poorly ventilated.
  • Formation in the form of a cordon. Cordons can be single-tier and two-tier. By the method of arrangement, they are divided into horizontal, inclined and vertical. The latter is especially good for decorating arbors. With an inclined arrangement of the cordon, the bushes are easy to shelter for the winter. Most of all, this grape formation is suitable for high-yielding varieties in a mild climate, but it is also possible for covering grapes. The essence of the cordon formation: the location of several fruit links on one shoulder. Cordons can also be two shoulders.
  • Guyo scheme. It can be one and two sleeve. At the end of each sleeve is a fruit link.

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