Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
your location, that would be from February to April. This late pruning avoids wintering of
several diseases that can enter the vine through the pruning cuts.
The goal in the first few years is to train the young vines to grow a straight, strong
trunk with two cordons, or arms, on either side.
PRUNING TIPS
Good pruning shears are valuable pieces of equipment. While there are many shears or
clippers on the market, those that are inexpensive do not last long and cannot always make
a sharp cut. So buy the best shears you can afford. Later, as the vines mature (around 10
years and up), you will need loppers to cut thicker canes.
Make cuts at a slight angle through the canes about a half-inch above the top bud. Cut-
ting too close to the bud may damage it; cutting too high may leave a stub that dies back.
The cuts may bleed a little sap, but that is not a problem.
After pruning, I leave the old canes that I have pruned on the vineyard floor between
the rows. I let them dry out and then flail mow them into the vineyard or put them through
a chipper. This way I put back into the ground what came out of the ground. The exception
