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The vine must suffer. Trimming. Pruning grapes in the fall: instructions with diagrams and pictures for beginners Is it possible to trim the tops of grapes on July 15

Tell me how to prune grapes? Last year, part of the dacha plot was set aside for a vineyard and seedlings were planted. Surprisingly, everyone got started and overwintered well, with almost no damage. Some have even grown very large. We understand that we need to lighten the bush and trim it, but how to do it correctly? It's scary to cause harm out of ignorance. We hope for your help and advice.

How to determine the timing of pruning?

You can prune in both spring and autumn. If the bush overwinters without shelter, then it is better to postpone the cutting to early spring. You need to have time to prune the vine before the buds open, otherwise it will “cry.”

A vineyard that overwinters with cover can be pruned in the fall, making the covering procedure easier. This should be done a couple of weeks after harvesting. Do not delay until frost.

How to prune grapes depending on the time of year

In addition to spring and autumn pruning, there is also work in the vineyard summer time. Each seasonal procedure has its own characteristics, namely:

Regardless of the time of the procedure, pruning should always be done from the bud and on one side of the bush. The replacement knot should be lower than the fruit vine.

How to prune a young grape bush?

It is necessary to begin to form a powerful bush at the very beginning of development, even in the first few years of its life. After planting the seedling, it must be given the opportunity to grow shoots.

How to prune an annual grape bush?

You should pick up a pruner for the first time at the beginning of summer. If a bush has four shoots, you should choose a couple of the plumpest and strongest ones. Cut out the remaining branches. At the beginning of autumn, the tops of the abandoned vines can be broken off. This will help her ripen better. After a month, the bush begins to be prepared for wintering. To do this, the current year's vine should be trimmed, leaving a maximum of 3 buds from the ground level.

Young grapes pruned in autumn must be covered for the winter.

How to prune a two-year-old bush?

In the second year of cultivation, spring pruning is carried out if the grapes were not cut in the fall. They also leave a couple of last year’s shoots, removing the rest. The remaining vine must be shortened above the third (maximum fifth) bud.

In the fall, they begin to form the future fruit-bearing bush. Young shoots from last year's vines that have grown over the season need to be pruned at different heights. One, shorter one (out of 3-5 buds) is left for the replacement knot. The second, longer one (from 6 to 10 buds) is left for the fruiting arrow.

Subsequently, for each year of life, the number of vines left is doubled (instead of 2 - 4). After the start of fruiting in the fall, the shoots that bore the harvest are cut out. Instead, there will be a vine that has grown from replacement knots. This is where the grapes will form next season.

Pruning uncovered grapes in spring - video

A spreading green vineyard is the pride of any gardener. But in order to enjoy juicy berries during the season, you need to properly care for the plant. Only if this condition is met will you get weighty bunches. One of the points of care is correct pruning grapes in autumn. For a beginner, this task will seem difficult and overwhelming. However, the correct steps taken, step-by-step actions and following the instructions will help improve the health and attractiveness of the plant for the new season.

What time of year is best to prune grapes?

Good results are obtained by cutting the shoot by a third of its total length - the plant does not suffer, a neat shape is maintained, and proper development is ensured

There are two opposing opinions. Some gardeners are inclined to believe that grapes need to be pruned only when autumn period. Others, on the contrary, consider it correct to carry out such a procedure in the spring.

Table: pros and cons of autumn pruning

Table: advantages and disadvantages of spring work

Make sure that the thickness of the branches is approximately the same - this nuance sets the shape of the vine

Required tools and materials

In order to properly carry out autumn pruning, you will need:

Well-sharpened pruning shears or special garden shears. It is important that the blades are very sharp, allowing you to cut the shoot in one go. Otherwise, the scissors will tear the vine and stems, which means they will cause injury to the plant, which can lead to rotting and death.
Gloves, as many grape varieties have rather sharp growths.
Special sticks and ropes for forming bushes. Branches deviated to the side can be fixed in front of the shelter.
Plastic film, spruce branches or other covering material that can be used to cover the vine after pruning and bending to the ground.

When to carry out

Do not leave the vine long, otherwise the berries will be sour

Autumn pruning of grapes is carried out when the first frosts and low temperatures begin. However, you should not rush into the garden, armed with tools, if the temperature has dropped for only one day. Wait until the weather becomes stable and then proceed.

Table: timing of autumn pruning by region - cheat sheet for a beginner

Region	When to prune
central Russia	IN middle lane In Russia and the Volga region, the first frosts occur in late October - early November. At this time, the weather is stable, and the temperature is between +5 and -5°C. This is the ideal time to start pruning followed by covering.
Moscow and Moscow region	In Moscow and the Moscow region, the temperature sets in mid-to-late November. At this time, you can begin the procedure.
St. Petersburg and Leningrad region	In St. Petersburg and Leningrad region sub-zero temperatures set in a little earlier, so you can start pruning grapes in the first half of October
Ural	In the Urals they also begin pruning in the first half of October.
North of Russia	Regions of the north Russian Federation experience the cold of the autumn-winter period already from the end of September to the beginning of October. This time is good for pruning followed by covering

Before you go to the garden, be sure to arm yourself with weather forecasts for the coming week. The weather is changeable, so timings may vary.

What age should bushes be pruned?

There are the following rules for pruning grape bushes of different ages:

Annual. It is a mistake to believe that annual grapes should not be pruned. If all the conditions for planting the plant were met properly, already in the first year of life you will receive several strong shoots. If there are more than 5 or 6 of them, it is worth carrying out the pruning procedure. If there are 4 or fewer shoots, then the grape bush is given one more year so that it can grow a sufficient number of shoots.
A two-year-old tree must be pruned to check the emerging shoots. This procedure also allows you to prepare grape bushes in the northern regions of the country for a successful winter.
Three-year-old vineyards and older must be pruned annually. This is done in order to properly form the crown, as well as increase the fruitfulness of the plant.

If you make it a rule to carry out this procedure once a year at a set time, the plant will delight good harvest every season.

Pruning grapes in autumn for beginners (with pictures and diagrams)

Experienced gardeners use different ways pruning depending on the age of the vineyard.

The cut must be made in the direction of movement of the juices

Young

In order for the procedure of pruning young grapes to bring only positive results, you need to be guided by the scheme below:

Only the most unnecessary branches need to be removed.
You can’t prune everything, because such diligence can lead to poor fruit production.
To perform pruning, you only need a well-sharpened tool so as not to damage the plant.
It is necessary to work only with well-established and accurate movements. If necessary, you can practice on the shoots of other plants.
After pruning, you need to create a support for the bush.
If there are any inflorescences that formed over the summer, they should be removed.
If the plant does not have any inflorescences, then the procedure takes place as standard.

Two options for pruning grapes from the first year

Pruning takes place in two stages:

At the first stage, all dry leaves and inflorescences are removed. Then they wait until the leaves fall completely and all the nutrients leave the vine into the main trunk. During this period, all the most powerful shoots are cut off. A replacement knot is formed.
Cut off every second shoot. 3 buds are left on them. If other shoots extend from the trunk, they are cut off, leaving 5–6 buds.

Formation of a replacement knot - the lowest shoot growing from the outer part of the vine is cut so that 2-3 eyes remain. The eye is a set of buds, it seems to unite them in itself.

The bush should thin out almost in half.

In the first year, it is necessary to leave 1-2 shoots with several eyes, next year there should be several new shoots on the vine

Old

Pruning old grapes also takes place in several stages:

Remove all dried branches.
Remove all leaves and inflorescences.
Be sure to clear the soil of shoots in the places where the bush is grown and formed. This treatment is necessary if the plant is planned to be covered.
Choose a method for forming a bush. To rejuvenate outdated branches, you will need a fan molding method.
Remove any unnecessary vines that do not conform to the molding. If any branches are missing for shaping to create the correct image, the work can be completed as early as next year.
Remove any vines that are on the floor to avoid rotting.

At this stage, the old grapes are laid on the ground and covered.

During pruning, up to 70–90% of the vine can be removed

Another scheme for pruning old grapes comes down to the following step-by-step actions:

Remove thick trunks up to 3 buds.
Trim every second trunk if there are 4–6, and every third if there are less than 5.
Remove every second shoot up to 5 buds that grow from the bush or nearby. This is done carefully, in compliance with all rules.
If the vine is overdried or does not have the proper number of buds, it is removed completely at the root.
If the trunk with the plants is rotten, it is uprooted along with the roots.
The cut grapes are distributed over the supporting wires.
If a cluster of vines occurs, remove every second up to 3 buds.
Next, the vine is bent to the ground and then covered.

Video: pruning grapes in autumn

How to ensure proper care after work

The vine should not come into contact with the ground, as mold may appear on it due to humidity, so wooden planks are placed under it

After pruning the grapes, you need to fertilize and water.

This type of watering is called moisture-recharging, as it will help the plant recover after sheltering. You can use one of two options for the feeding recipe:

20 g of superphosphate per 10 g of potassium;
3 g boric acid, 2 g sulfuric acid and 1 g iodine.

You need to water the solution every meter where the vineyard is located. Feeding should be accompanied by abundant watering. Don't be afraid to flood the grapes.

In addition, you need to protect the vine from pests. It is necessary to visually inspect the plant and process the grapes by special means. The most popular are Stron, Ovixel, Strobe, Impacton, Vectra. For preventive purposes, you can use Fundazol.

The next step is covering the grapes. To do this, it is bent to the ground and, if necessary, weighted with a load. For shelter, polyethylene or any warm, breathable material is used.

Covered grapes will bear good fruit next season. But only if the pruning procedure was carried out in compliance with all the rules.

Pruning grapes in the fall for beginners will be quite challenging task. Growing grapevines in itself is quite labor-intensive and requires special knowledge and experience. However, if you follow all the rules and strictly follow the deadlines, even an inexperienced gardener can perform autumn pruning of grapes.

Should I prune grapes in the fall?

Opponents of autumn pruning of grapes believe that carrying out such a procedure in the pre-winter period causes an increase in nutrition of the roots of the vine, while the upper part does not receive enough of them.

Absence good nutrition weakens the shoots, as a result of which their frost resistance decreases. Therefore, it is recommended to do autumn pruning primarily for covering varieties.

Pruning grapes in the fall has several purposes. Among them are the following:

Improved air exchange and lighting internal space bush.
Improving the quantitative and qualitative indicators of the harvest.
Reduction of green mass due to shoots that do not take part in fruiting.
Stimulating the growth of new shoots, rejuvenating the vine.
Simplifying maintenance work.

Without pruning, the so-called property of vertical polarity of grapes is clearly manifested. Striving for light, the plant directs all nutritious juices to the upper part of the bush, thereby impoverishing its lower part. The shoots, trying to occupy as large an area as possible, become very elongated and thinner. The fruit ovaries formed in large quantities will systematically lack nutrients, which will lead to the fact that the harvest will be very small.

Trimming some of the shoots smooths out the polarity and equalizes the balance between the lower and upper tier. At the same time, the bush begins to form a more powerful vine and enlarge the clusters of berries, and this happens both in the upper part of the bush and in the lower part.

Basic rules for pruning in autumn

In order for pruning to bring the desired result, you need to approach it with full responsibility. Here are the basic rules for autumn pruning of grapes:

Pruning should be done on a sunny day.
It is necessary to use only high-quality, well-sharpened pruning shears that do not leave “tattered” edges.
For shoots over 30 mm thick, it is better to use a special file.
The pruning shears are positioned strictly perpendicular to the vine. The cutting edge should be on the side of the remaining part of the plant.
The shoot must be removed in one cut.
When using pruning shears, be sure to hold the vine, tilting it to the side.
The cut should be made in the middle part of the internode, with the outermost remaining bud facing upward.
All cuts are made towards the inside of the bush.

To learn how to work well with pruning shears, you can first practice, for example, on the annual shoots of willow. This will give you the necessary skills and will not harm the plant.

Deadlines

The timing of pruning grapes in the fall greatly depends on the region in which the crop is grown. And although grapes are a native southern plant, some of their varieties, with proper care, grow well in the Moscow region and even in more northern regions. Here the vine is pruned after the temperature drops to stable values of 0...-5°C. In the northern regions of the European part and in the Urals this is usually the end of October, in the Moscow region - mid or late November.

More early dates undesirable, since young shoots may not yet be formed at this time. And if the pruning is delayed over time, the vine will break off severely due to frost.

Types of pruning

Grape pruning is done for various purposes. Among its types are the following:

Forming.
Used to form young vines. This pruning creates the skeleton of the bush, lays its foundation and fruit-bearing parts. Done during the first 2-4 years.
Annual. Produced in autumn or spring (depending on the gardener’s preferences) in order to maintain the selected shaping, thinning, lightening, and normalizing the yield.
Restorative.

Used when pruning old neglected grapes.

Rejuvenating.

It is carried out to periodically partially replace the skeletal base of the bush with new skeletal shoots. This allows you to significantly increase the lifespan and active fruiting of the grapevine.

Throughout the season, grapes require sanitary pruning. During this process, diseased and withered branches, as well as weak and non-fruit-bearing shoots, are removed. In the spring, vines that have not begun to grow after winter are pruned. In August, the so-called chasing is carried out - all shoots growing above the last wire of the trellis are cut off.

Annual Annual autumn pruning of grapes is carried out to prepare the plant for the winter season. And also during this procedure, fruit-bearing and excess parts of the bush are removed, and the main shoots are laid on which the harvest will be formed next year. Forming

Standard
The most profitable type of molding from the point of view of yield, however, a bush formed in this way cannot be covered for the winter. Therefore, it is used only in the southern regions where non-covering varieties are grown. A plant formed on a trunk is much more resistant to disease, and the vines do not require staking. Only the standard is fixed. Sleeve. Represents one fruiting branch. The sleeve is the easiest to form, but it quickly depletes (on average, one sleeve lives no more than 10 years) and a new one will need to be grown instead. This is the most simple circuit
autumn grape pruning for beginners.
Fan. It consists of several sleeves (usually 5-6) extending from the root, tied in a fan-like fashion to a trellis. More resistant to sores than the sleeve, more prolific and tenacious.

Cordon. In fact, it is a standard creeping along the ground. Because of this, it can hide for the winter, but is more susceptible to diseases due to constant contact with the soil. Cordons are formed in one or two directions. In the southern regions, a cordon is often formed on a high trunk.

Important! The larger the supply of perennial wood on the bush, the higher the yield.

Rejuvenating

Rejuvenation of a bush is carried out when its fruiting decreases. You can rejuvenate the plant by replacing individual sleeves or the entire bush. Updating the sleeves is done as follows. A shallow incision is made near the base of the sleeve to check the condition of the fabric. If the wood is alive, the sleeve is cut off, leaving 2-3 buds from its beginning. These are the so-called recovery knots. Full recovery takes longer. For this in early spring cut off the whole aboveground part

bush. Then, several notches are made on the underground part of the trunk, cleared of soil. After this, the trunk is covered with soil and watered. In the summer, the trunk will produce several shoots, of which it is necessary to leave the 2 strongest ones. In autumn they are cut off by 2-3 eyes.

Complete rejuvenation can be carried out using layering. To do this, the vine is placed in a trench to a depth of 0.3–0.4 m, having previously removed all the buds from it, and covered with soil. There should be 2-3 buds left on the remaining top part of the plant. After the vine takes root, it must be cut off from the mother bush, which can later be removed.

Pruning an old grape bush should begin with checking the condition of the vine. To do this, make several control cuts with pruning shears. If the wood is alive (green), the vine can be left. You should also cut out all diseased parts of the plant and dried shoots. After cleaning, you need to decide how the bush will be formed (and whether it will be covered for the winter) and depending on decision taken carry out appropriate pruning.

How to properly prune grapes in the fall: diagram

Pruning of grapes in autumn is carried out in several stages. Here's each of them briefly:

Stage 1 – removing excess. Fruit shoots that have already been harvested, tops, and vines that have less than 7 eyes are cut out. The side branches are pruned into 3 leaves. This year's shoots on the sleeves, which have grown to 0.5 m, are removed.

Stage 2 – formation of fruit links. Fruit shoots are trimmed depending on their thickness into a certain number of eyes.

Shoot thickness, mm.	Minimum number of eyes, pcs.	Maximum number of eyes, pcs.

If the average weight of a fruit bunch is less than 0.5 kg, the maximum value should be selected; if more than 0.5 kg, the minimum value should be selected.

Stage 3 – planting the future harvest. From the upper and lower shoots of the replacement knot, a fruit shoot and a replacement knot are formed, respectively, cutting them off accordingly. Next year they will become full-fledged fruit units.

Pruning a young grape bush has its own characteristics. It is held annually for several years.

More details about pruning young grapes in the fall for beginners are described below.

Scheme for pruning grapes in the fall of 1 year

Pruning grapes in the first year depends on the chosen scheme and does not change after that. The most common method of forming a bush is fan-shaped. In this case, the seedling is pruned in the first spring so that 2 buds remain on it, from which two shoots will grow in the summer. They need to be directed in different directions, attached to a trellis.

In the autumn of the first year, the grapes are cut 2-4 buds from the ground and covered for the winter.

Scheme for pruning grapes 2 years in the fall

In autumn, the elements of the fruiting link are laid - the replacement knot and the fruit arrow. To do this, the lower shoot is pinched to 3 buds, and the upper shoot is cut into 6 buds. In total, 4 full-fledged shoots are formed.

After pruning, the bush is covered for the winter.

Scheme for pruning grapes 3 years in the fall

By autumn, the number of formed sleeves should increase to 4. Two strong shoots on each of them are used to form fruit links, cutting off the upper ones by 6-10 eyes, and the lower ones by 2-3.

After this, the vine is removed from the trellis and placed in an earthen ditch for wintering.

Pruning scheme 4 years

By the fourth year of life, the grape bush, as a rule, is already fully formed. In autumn, pinch out the upper vines at the level of 7-8 buds, and the lower ones at 2-3 buds. In this way, a full-fledged fan with four sleeves is formed.

Pruning scheme 5 years

In 5 and all subsequent years, pruning of grapes in autumn for winter is carried out in three stages, the description of which has already been given above.

Useful tips for beginners on how to prune grapes in autumn

There are several rules for pruning grapes in the fall for beginners. Here are some of them:

If you doubt it, don't do it. Don’t be shy to ask an experienced friend for advice.
The shoots need to be trimmed so that a small stump remains - 0.5–1 cm, otherwise the wound may crack and damage a healthy shoot.
Pruning should be done in such a way that the stumps face the center of the bush. This way they heal faster.
Only very sharp tools should be used. The frayed edges do not heal for a very long time.

Common mistakes

Mistakes when pruning grapes are made quite often. Here are the most common ones:

Insufficient pruning. Many gardeners take pity on the vine and trim only the tops. This leads to thickening of plantings and deterioration of fruiting. You need to remove from 50 to 90% of the annual growth.
Trimming the wrong shoots. No need to cut everything out.
Stump. It should be left only on mature shoots; annual shoots are cut out at the root.
Stepsons.
There is no need to feel sorry for these empty shoots, which only thicken the bush and take away its nutrients.

Timing of pruning.

There is no need to touch the vine until the leaves fall. But you can’t prune it in frost either.

Conclusion

Pruning grapes in the fall for beginners is a rather difficult task, but quite solvable. When conducting it for the first time, it would be useful to take the help of more experienced winegrowers and thoroughly study the theoretical part of the issue. As a rule, repeating this procedure on your own no longer causes any difficulties.

Related Posts There are no similar entries. vineyards under 8-10 years old are not taken into account; these are considered very young plantings, especially for “distilling”. The productive longevity of a grapevine can be measured in decades, or even centuries.

Grape pruning. Story

In world practice, there are cases where the age of a bush exceeds 100 years, while maintaining all its qualities and maintaining high productivity. So in America there is a grape bush, the age of which is about 150 years old (not exactly known), it occupies an area of almost 50 acres and produces several tons of crops annually. And it's not the only one known fact. Even on the territory of Belarus, grape bushes have been preserved, even before the military planting, which are already more than 60 years old. Such bushes should not be thrown away. Over the many years of their lives, they have formed a powerful root system, which is not afraid of frost and drought, thick and powerful trunks, sleeves, etc. have been formed. Analysis of the harvest from such bushes shows that these berries contain more sugars, less acids, are richer in mineral salts, and, simply put, the berries are more tasty and aromatic.

Where to start when pruning grapes

An abandoned and neglected bush must be pruned. If you do not prune, then it is very difficult to determine the variety and evaluate the taste qualities of the resulting harvest.

On a note: It is not too late to start pruning the grapevine at any age of the bush. It can still be shaped into any shape.

Pruning and giving the bush the necessary shape in two stages over two years.

The main task in the first year of pruning- to ensure that by autumn the bush grows shoots with a diameter of at least 5-6 mm, a length (of the ripened part) of 10-12 buds (1.0-1.5 m). This is a very important task. Because it is on such shoots that a full-fledged harvest will be formed next year. There should be approximately 2-3 such shoots on a bush per 2 m2 of trellis. There is no such number of necessary shoots on neglected bushes.

Stages of grape pruning

Grape pruning. 1st year of pruning

Grape pruning. Stage 1. Spring (year N).

Firstly, all dry, frozen parts of the plant are cut out. Healthy annual vines grown last year have bark color ranging from red-brown to dark brown (depending on the variety); the eyes on them are dark in color, thick, large, and clearly visible; when bent, the vine cracks slightly (the bast tufts break), and it is very difficult to completely break off such a shoot.

On a note: A dead shoot (withered, frozen over the winter, did not ripen) is distinguished by a gray or black color of the bark, the bark on the shoot is wrinkled, and the small eyes are difficult to see. When bent, such a shoot easily breaks off completely or bends without cracking, like a soft aluminum wire. In a cross section, a live shoot has a green color, the core and wood are clearly visible on it, while a dead shoot has a brown, gray-black color and the structure of the shoot is not visible.

These are the dead shoots that need to be removed. As a rule, the shoot does not die completely; near the place of attachment to perennial wood, 2-3 buds are alive. And there will be shoots on which there will be 5, 7, and 10 buds alive (the length of a shoot in viticulture is measured by the number of buds - this is more important than measuring it in centimeters).

The work of removing dead wood takes up 2/3 of the entire pruning time. Please note that if on a perennial shoot all the annuals (grown last year) are dead, then this perennial shoot must also be cut out. But try to cut living perennial shoots (sleeves or shoulders of the cordon) as little as possible. But don’t be afraid with annual growth, you should remove it by 80-90% (this is natural and normal).

Secondly, after removing dead shoots, carefully inspect the bush. Look at what shoots (live) remain.

If the bush has the necessary shoots in sufficient quantity (6 mm thick or more, 10-12 buds long), leave them, but most likely this situation is unlikely.

Most likely, you will have several such escapes and a large number of short shoots (3-5 buds long). Leave all shoots that meet the requirements, and leave short ones (at least 6 mm thick) 4-5 pieces per 2 m2 of trellis area. Moreover, leave the shoots so that they are evenly distributed over the entire area of the trellis.

Pruning of grapes in the summer of the same year. After such severe pruning, the “sleeping” buds located in the depths of perennial wood will very actively awaken. Therefore, there will be a lot of green shoots growing not on last year’s growth, but from perennial wood (on the trunk, sleeves, etc.). As such green shoots appear, they are broken out. If we leave all the growing shoots, this means that next year we will not be able to fully form a grape bush (the shoots will be too thin, with immature wood).

This year, you will receive a harvest in smaller quantities, but please note that the clusters and berries will be larger, the ripening will be uniform and the harvest will taste noticeably sweeter than usual.

Pruning of grapes in the autumn of the same year. At the end of October, remove the green, unripe part, the remains of leaves, tendrils and shoots from the shoots. Without sparing, cut out broken shoots and vines, the thickness of which does not exceed 4 mm (the thickness of a pencil).

Grape pruning. 2nd year of pruning

Pruning grapes Next spring(year H+1). Pruning should begin at the end of March. Water may ooze from last year's cuttings - this is normal, it is worse if it does not ooze. General state the bush will be noticeably better - fewer damaged, frozen and dried out shoots.

Let's start forming the bush according to some form. Choose the type of formation based on the shape of the trellis (it can be a canopy, a trellis along a wall up to 2 m high, etc.) and your specific conditions. There are many methods of formation found in the literature. All of them, without exception, deserve attention and the right to life. But if you are not yet a very experienced winegrower, try starting with the Guyot system or a multi-arm cordon (if the trellis is very high or it is a gazebo). These systems are well studied, adapted to Belarusian conditions and very well described in many books by R.E. Loiko, the most authoritative scientist in the field.

The main thing is that the annual shoots that will yield a harvest this year should be at least 6 mm thick, 10-12 eyes long and tied horizontally to the trellis. It is important that their number does not exceed 2-3 pieces per 2 m2 of trellis and are distributed evenly over its area.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that when pruning grapes, 2/3, or even all 90% of last year's shoots are removed. This is normal, you will not lose anything in terms of the total amount of harvest. The number of bunches will simply decrease, but their size will also increase significantly and the quality of the grapes will increase by an order of magnitude (in other words, they will be sweeter).

If you, my dear reader, have already read some of my articles in the section , then you should know that no matter what form of bush management you choose, the basis of the foundation is the fruit link. It is on it that the entire harvest is formed, and it is this that we will consider in detail in this material and the videos attached to it. Without knowing how to form a fruit unit, a novice winegrower will never be able to understand the very essence of the entire variety of grape formations, and will not be able to fully comprehend the art of pruning and shaping this wonderful plant. It is precisely without understanding the meaning and purpose of the fruit link that many gardeners cannot learn how to properly form a bush and consider pruning and shaping grapes to be something very complex and inaccessible to the average summer resident. In fact, this is not the case at all, and once you understand the structure and purpose of the fruit unit, you can easily master pruning any existing shape and can even come up with your own.

What is the fruiting unit of grapes?

To begin with, I want to show you diagrams of the two most popular grape formations with fruit links highlighted on them.

One-sided horizontal cordon after pruning, with six fruit links. Four-armed fan shape after pruning, with four fruiting links.

From the presented diagrams we see that the formation itself is only a means of conveniently positioning the fruit link in space and nothing more. The formations change depending on the type of trellis, the preferences of the winegrower, the method of shelter for the winter and other factors, but the fruit link itself remains unchanged, it is the same for any formations, varieties and types of grapes. Let's take a closer look:

Classic grape fruit link with substitution knot

The perennial part is the skeletal part of the grape bush on which the fruiting link is located.
A replacement knot is a short (2-3 buds) pruned shoot from last year, left to form next year's fruit link.
Fruit arrow - last year's shoot, cut into 2-10 eyes (depending on varietal characteristics) and left to bear fruit.
An eye is a grape bud from which shoots will grow for next year's harvest.
All these elements together are called the fruit unit.

You can learn about how the fruit link is formed and subsequently pruned from the video of Alexander Mchedlidze, a winegrower from Belarus.

Fruit link of grapes without knot replacement

In the previous example, we looked at the formation of a classic fruit link, but there is a way to form a fruit link that is easier for a novice winegrower to understand - without knot replacement. Everything remains the same as in the classics, but without a hint of substitution.

And we take the vine for next year’s fruit arrow from the very first bud of this year’s fruit vine.

I will not undertake to judge which of these methods of forming a fruit link is better or worse. I use both myself. I advise you to try both options and then choose the most convenient one for yourself.

Length of the fruit arrow (fruiting vine)

Depending on the varietal characteristics of a particular variety, the fruit arrow is cut into a certain number of eyes:

Short pruning - 2-3 eyes. Mainly used on technical grades grapes
Average pruning - 4-8 eyes. Suitable for most table varieties.
Long pruning - 9-12 or more eyes. Used on varieties of Asian selection.

Pruning fan-shaped grapes with knot replacement:

Now we have dealt with the most difficult part of pruning grapes. Nothing complicated, right? And finally, Alexander will tell us about the intricacies and techniques of pruning when forming a fruit unit and not only...