The correct way to prune grapes

Pruning grapevines is an important step in ensuring their healthy growth and increasing fruit yield. Every year around October, grape vines begin to enter a dormant period, and in November they enter a deep dormant period. In addition to basic management such as applying base fertilizer, this period is also the best time for shaping and pruning. Here's how to prune grapes the right way.

1. Hedge cultivation and pruning technology

For grape vines grown on trellises, the trellis height is about 150 cm, and the planting method is high in the north and low in the south. Regular fan-shaped pruning should be implemented. Each grape vine should have 2 to 4 main vines, and each main vine should have 2 to 3 fruiting mother branches. These fruiting mother branches should be pruned according to medium-long shoots, and the preparatory branches should be shortened to the parts other than two buds.

2. Small shed cultivation and pruning technology

For grape vines grown on small trellises, the trellis surface should extend toward the middle to ensure that the distance between the trellis surface and the trellis film is greater than 50 cm. The dragon trunk pruning technique can be used. Each grape vine should retain 2 to 3 main vines, with a distance of about 40 cm between the main vines. A fruiting mother branch should be retained on each main vine every 30 cm, and approximately 12 fruiting mother branches should be retained per square meter. The excess parts should be cut off.

3. Pruning techniques during the growing season

In greenhouse cultivation, grape vines may experience phenomena such as excessive growth of new shoots. When pruning, care should be taken to maintain the density of branches. The total number of branches is reduced by about 25% compared to open-air cultivation. It is also necessary to twist the overgrown branches to control excessive growth and promote the balance of new shoots. When determining the shoots, retain more robust fruiting shoots, reserve appropriate reserve branches, control the shoot density at about 13 per square meter, and guide the new shoots well. For new shoots that are not retained for secondary fruiting, retain about 6 leaves on the fruit cluster for pinching, retain the top two leaves on the secondary shoots, and pinch them multiple times to control the length, and cut off other redundant branches.

4. Pruning techniques after multiple fruiting

Pruning for winter bud germination and fruiting: About 4 days before flowering, pinch off the healthy new shoots, leaving about 8 leaves on the fruit cluster, retain a lateral shoot on the top, and cut off the excess shoots. After half a month, cut off all lateral shoots again to encourage the winter buds to germinate and bear fruit.

Fruiting pruning of summer buds and side shoots: half a month before flowering, select strong new shoots, retain 2 to 3 unsprouted summer buds at the front end for pinching, and cut off the sprouting side shoots. If the retained summer buds have no inflorescence after germination, you can retain one or two more leaves and pinch the top. Most of the secondary side shoots will have fruiting inflorescences growing on them.

Low temperature promotes dormancy: After pruning in autumn, water thoroughly to prevent freezing, cover the greenhouse, do not remove the insulation layer before frost, ventilate and cool at night, control the humidity in the greenhouse, and help the grape vines pass through natural dormancy smoothly.

In summary, the pruning technique of grape vines needs to be appropriately adjusted according to different cultivation methods, reasonably retaining the main vine and fruiting mother branches, increasing side shoots, and pinching in time to promote the sprouting of fruiting branches and increase yield.