vineyard pruning support.
Pruning Standards.
Pruning essentially creates the form and balance of the vine.
Before making any cuts, look at the vine and assess the previous season’s growth and overall health.
This will help to decide how many buds are needed to keep the vine in balance for the following seasons.
Always keep in mind a strong straight trunk, a good crown height is developed and maintained and that vine spurs and inter nodes are at an ideal spacing (approx 7 - 10cm).
When choosing canes/spurs please take into account:
The inter-node spacing.
A healthy balanced cane will have even inter-node spaces, a shoot diameter of pencil size or greater, but not as thick as your thumb.
The color of the cane should be golden and there should be no wounds.
Diseased wood showing obvious bleaching should ideally be removed.
growth stage specific thoughts.
two budding.
Vines that were newly planted in the previous spring or are yet to create shoot growth which hasn’t passed the fruiting wire will be prune to two true buds.
The vine will have been thinned down to one or two shoots in summer, please choose the strongest healthiest shoot. Taking into consideration:
position of the shoot - straight as possible is the preference.
node spacing and diameter of the shoot.
straightness and strength of the graft union.
the color of the shoot should be a golden.
no disease or wounds.
Once you have chosen the best shoot, count the buds from the base of the shoot where it connects with the older wood when you hit the first node (ring) this is one bud and the next node is two buds, then cut through the next (third) node.
A newly planted vine should have the trunk tied to the stake with an anchor band.
prune to the wire.
These vines were two budded last winter and should have one or two long healthy shoots that have reached the top canopy wire.
Choose the strongest, healthiest, straightest shoot that has no wounds or diseased wood.
This is the vines trunk – it will be the support system for the vine for many years to come so it must be healthy, strong and straight.
If the shoot has reached beyond the top canopy wire.
Cut the cane at the fruiting wire.
If you cut too high – the top buds will push shoots that are too high for next years training.
If you cut too low – you are taking away options for next years training.
Once the main cut is made, trim off all old tendrils and laterals down the cane, taking care that you don’t cut into the buds closest to the cane.
Securely tie the cane to the stake. One tie at the very top to ensure the cane doesn’t fall over once the new shoots have grown.
If the chosen shoot hasn’t reached the top wire.
If it is small, thin, weak or wounded and generally not of good health – two or four buds is you best option.
one cane.
These vines should have been pruned to the wire last winter. The shoot has become the vine trunk, and over the growing season the vine was shoot-thinned to a max. of 4 shoots depending on the vigor within the block.
If there are 4 healthy shoots choose one to be the new fruiting cane and most importantly make sure the crown height is at least 20cm below the fruiting wire.
Select the healthiest cane taking into account the criteria previously discussed (cane color, health, lack of wounds/disease and positioning).
After you have chosen the cane, as a general rule leave 6 buds per cane or 4 buds plus a spur of 2 true buds.
Ideally a spur should only be left below the cane and on the opposite side of the trunk to the cane.
Cut all other shoots off leaving a small stub to allow for die back on the young trunk.
Trim the cane of all tendrils and laterals – ensuring no buds along the cane are damaged.
Cut to length through a node - this helps the anchor band grab onto the end of cane.
If the vine was less vigorous cut the cane shorter – leaving fewer buds.
Before you leave the vine make sure you have removed all old, wounded and diseased wood especially in the crown.
two cane.
These vines were pruned back to one cane last winter and should now be ready for 2 fruiting canes. If the vine pushed 6 or more strong healthy shoots it is ready for 2 canes. If the vine did not push 6 strong healthy shoots prune back to 1 cane again and a two bud spur.
Before making any cuts choose the two best cane options.
Ensure that they form a good crown/headspace (V).
The V creates open headspace for sunlight, airflow and space for The next season’s shoots to grow.
Consider the height from the fruiting wire. The crown/head should not form above a secateurs length (approx. 20cm) down from the fruiting wire.
Ideally never cross over canes.
Also consider the following year’s pruning options which will come from the buds in the head. If these buds (which will form next year’s shoots and pruning canes) are too high it will raise the head too close to the fruiting wire and eventually the options within this system will disappear.
Once the two canes have been selected, make the cuts.
Assess the health and vigor of the vine and confirm just how many buds you want the vine to carry then make yours cut through the end of each cane – through a node.
General rule – 12 buds per vine (obviously depending on the vine density).
If all the shoots were healthy and reached the top canopy wires – the vine can handle full length canes.
(6 - 8 buds on each cane or half way to next vine).
If the shoots vary in length and strength – leave fewer buds to bring the vine back into balance.
spur pruning.
Spur pruning is an effective method to balance pruning costs and excessive yields!
When achieved it can also be very effective at distributing more buds per meter.
Once we have established a strong trunk and the vine performance has produced the appropriate balance we can decide whether to progress to a single or double armed permanent cordon for spur pruned vineyards.
This decision will be assessed using a good shoot count, this will determine the number of shoots produced in the previous season and ideally in these vineyards we will add fresh spurs a few more buds in each following season.
The spurs should primarily be selected due position and strength. The two bud spurs should be no smaller than a pencil in diameter and usually selected to ensure the new growth doesn’t grow into the inter row and remains upright.
To achieve ideal bunch distribution, the spurs should be spaced at approximately 10cm apart.
In varieties like SBL you should be comfortable extending the spur length in strong areas to ensure we maintain the appropriate yield by addressing the fruitfulness of the bud sites as you move up the cane.
To prevent spur creep and encourage small pruning cuts the spur should remain as close to the cordon as possible. If the creep appears, smaller water shoots should be selected on the cordon at shoot thinning and cut back to a single bud at pruning to encourage new spur sites.
Ideally these single bud spurs are positioned into gaps to create ideal spacing and to encourage fresh spurs closer to the cordon so that the creeping spurs can be cut back and removed.
Pruning essentially creates the form and balance of the vine.
Before making any cuts, look at the vine and assess the previous season’s growth and overall health.
This will help to decide how many buds are needed to keep the vine in balance for the following seasons.
Always keep in mind a strong straight trunk, a good crown height is developed and maintained and that vine spurs and inter nodes are at an ideal spacing (approx 7 - 10cm).
When choosing canes/spurs please take into account:
The inter-node spacing.
A healthy balanced cane will have even inter-node spaces, a shoot diameter of pencil size or greater, but not as thick as your thumb.
The color of the cane should be golden and there should be no wounds.
Diseased wood showing obvious bleaching should ideally be removed.
growth stage specific thoughts.
two budding.
Vines that were newly planted in the previous spring or are yet to create shoot growth which hasn’t passed the fruiting wire will be prune to two true buds.
The vine will have been thinned down to one or two shoots in summer, please choose the strongest healthiest shoot. Taking into consideration:
position of the shoot - straight as possible is the preference.
node spacing and diameter of the shoot.
straightness and strength of the graft union.
the color of the shoot should be a golden.
no disease or wounds.
Once you have chosen the best shoot, count the buds from the base of the shoot where it connects with the older wood when you hit the first node (ring) this is one bud and the next node is two buds, then cut through the next (third) node.
A newly planted vine should have the trunk tied to the stake with an anchor band.
prune to the wire.
These vines were two budded last winter and should have one or two long healthy shoots that have reached the top canopy wire.
Choose the strongest, healthiest, straightest shoot that has no wounds or diseased wood.
This is the vines trunk – it will be the support system for the vine for many years to come so it must be healthy, strong and straight.
If the shoot has reached beyond the top canopy wire.
Cut the cane at the fruiting wire.
If you cut too high – the top buds will push shoots that are too high for next years training.
If you cut too low – you are taking away options for next years training.
Once the main cut is made, trim off all old tendrils and laterals down the cane, taking care that you don’t cut into the buds closest to the cane.
Securely tie the cane to the stake. One tie at the very top to ensure the cane doesn’t fall over once the new shoots have grown.
If the chosen shoot hasn’t reached the top wire.
If it is small, thin, weak or wounded and generally not of good health – two or four buds is you best option.
one cane.
These vines should have been pruned to the wire last winter. The shoot has become the vine trunk, and over the growing season the vine was shoot-thinned to a max. of 4 shoots depending on the vigor within the block.
If there are 4 healthy shoots choose one to be the new fruiting cane and most importantly make sure the crown height is at least 20cm below the fruiting wire.
Select the healthiest cane taking into account the criteria previously discussed (cane color, health, lack of wounds/disease and positioning).
After you have chosen the cane, as a general rule leave 6 buds per cane or 4 buds plus a spur of 2 true buds.
Ideally a spur should only be left below the cane and on the opposite side of the trunk to the cane.
Cut all other shoots off leaving a small stub to allow for die back on the young trunk.
Trim the cane of all tendrils and laterals – ensuring no buds along the cane are damaged.
Cut to length through a node - this helps the anchor band grab onto the end of cane.
If the vine was less vigorous cut the cane shorter – leaving fewer buds.
Before you leave the vine make sure you have removed all old, wounded and diseased wood especially in the crown.
two cane.
These vines were pruned back to one cane last winter and should now be ready for 2 fruiting canes. If the vine pushed 6 or more strong healthy shoots it is ready for 2 canes. If the vine did not push 6 strong healthy shoots prune back to 1 cane again and a two bud spur.
Before making any cuts choose the two best cane options.
Ensure that they form a good crown/headspace (V).
The V creates open headspace for sunlight, airflow and space for The next season’s shoots to grow.
Consider the height from the fruiting wire. The crown/head should not form above a secateurs length (approx. 20cm) down from the fruiting wire.
Ideally never cross over canes.
Also consider the following year’s pruning options which will come from the buds in the head. If these buds (which will form next year’s shoots and pruning canes) are too high it will raise the head too close to the fruiting wire and eventually the options within this system will disappear.
Once the two canes have been selected, make the cuts.
Assess the health and vigor of the vine and confirm just how many buds you want the vine to carry then make yours cut through the end of each cane – through a node.
General rule – 12 buds per vine (obviously depending on the vine density).
If all the shoots were healthy and reached the top canopy wires – the vine can handle full length canes.
(6 - 8 buds on each cane or half way to next vine).
If the shoots vary in length and strength – leave fewer buds to bring the vine back into balance.
spur pruning.
Spur pruning is an effective method to balance pruning costs and excessive yields!
When achieved it can also be very effective at distributing more buds per meter.
Once we have established a strong trunk and the vine performance has produced the appropriate balance we can decide whether to progress to a single or double armed permanent cordon for spur pruned vineyards.
This decision will be assessed using a good shoot count, this will determine the number of shoots produced in the previous season and ideally in these vineyards we will add fresh spurs a few more buds in each following season.
The spurs should primarily be selected due position and strength. The two bud spurs should be no smaller than a pencil in diameter and usually selected to ensure the new growth doesn’t grow into the inter row and remains upright.
To achieve ideal bunch distribution, the spurs should be spaced at approximately 10cm apart.
In varieties like SBL you should be comfortable extending the spur length in strong areas to ensure we maintain the appropriate yield by addressing the fruitfulness of the bud sites as you move up the cane.
To prevent spur creep and encourage small pruning cuts the spur should remain as close to the cordon as possible. If the creep appears, smaller water shoots should be selected on the cordon at shoot thinning and cut back to a single bud at pruning to encourage new spur sites.
Ideally these single bud spurs are positioned into gaps to create ideal spacing and to encourage fresh spurs closer to the cordon so that the creeping spurs can be cut back and removed.