We cut the grapes in the fall. Stages and features of pruning grapes in the summer Is it necessary to cut off the leaves of the grapes
In order for the vine to successfully bear fruit for many years, every gardener must know the intricacies of caring for the crop. This science is not simple, but fascinating, having become acquainted with it, it is easy to achieve unsurpassed results. Is it necessary to cut off the leaves on the grapes when it can be done?
An overgrown vine bush should be freed from excess leaves.
Why are leaves removed?
So that the results of labor are not in vain, and every autumn the vine pleases with a rich harvest, it is necessary to provide the bush with proper care throughout the growing season, therefore, removing the leaves, they pursue several goals.
Sufficient lighting
Grapes are a sun-loving culture, without it it is difficult for a plant to exist:
- the kidneys will not tie;
- it will be impossible to reap a good harvest;
- in the shade, the susceptibility of the shrub to diseases increases;
- berries in low light will remain sour and tasteless.
Therefore, grapes are placed in the most illuminated areas, and if you plant it under the arch of fruit trees, this means death for the plant. When the sun's rays fall on the fruits themselves, ripening occurs faster, the flow of nutrients from the green mass is stimulated.
leaf aging
From the point of view of a specialist vine grower, he explains the need to remove excess leaves with a scientific approach:
- A grape leaf actively lives and develops for 70, maximum 100 days. All this time, he is responsible for the synthesis of substances in the plant, for its nutrition.
- After this period, the existence of old leaves ceases to be appropriate. They begin to take strength from the bush, consume a huge amount of components important for life.
Grape leaves older than 70 days do not benefit the vine
Sanitary measures
Ventilation for the bush is an important factor in the health of grapes. If you do not remove the leaves on time, gray rot, mildew and other fungal and bacterial infections spread quickly enough on the shrub. This is important in rainy and cool summers, the greens are also cut at the bottom of the vine.
When the autumn is cool with a lot of rain, late grape varieties in the south - Italy, Biruintsa, Vierul-59 or Crimson Seeds also require thinning of greens.
Variety and removal of leaves
Care depends on the grape variety:
- For light varieties, good illumination of the fruit is of great importance, the green mass is removed so that sunlight gives them the opportunity to receive more rays and heat, from which their color acquires a rich golden hue. The leaves are cut directly around the clusters.
- For dark species, bush aeration is more important. Therefore, they clean the greens, a little differently.
Black grapes love the movement of air between the bunches.
When to cut leaves
The procedure for removing foliage is a crucial moment, it is important to carry it out correctly, otherwise you can damage the plant, weaken it and lose some of the fruit.
- The leaves are not cut off at lunchtime, when the sun is at its zenith.
- To avoid burns on the bunches, it is preferable to carry out the procedure in the evening, you can choose a cloudy day.
- All foliage at once, do not remove. Once every 2 days it is allowed to remove no more than three leaves. So it is easier for the berries to adapt to increased lighting, and the bush will have time to recover.
- Manipulations are carried out with secateurs or scissors, cutting off the plates at the base near the stalk. If you do this with your hands, you can damage healthy organs, they can easily penetrate the infection, and this will damage the health of the vine. The tools carry out the operation carefully, without much damage to the plant tissue, do not deform the shoots, the cut remains even and tightens quickly.
- Thin out the leaves before the berries soften about a month before harvesting, then the result will be most pronounced.
- In cold, damp autumn, the leaves are first removed around the clusters. Only 5-7 pieces are removed.
- On dark varieties, the leaves are cut off inside the bush for ventilation.
If experience is not enough, then the advice of a gardener with experience will help, you can also watch videos on the Internet. After all, the fruiting of the shrub, its ability to produce a crop depends on this.
You need to cut off the leaves a month before the grapes ripen.
Grape defoliation
The term refers to the elimination of part of the leaves of the plant with the help of chemical pesticides. In grapes, defoliation has been applied not so long ago, but today it is recognized as expedient. Sometimes a partial processing of the shrub is carried out, but sometimes it is done completely. It is used for the purpose of:
- On covering varieties, it is used to speed up the start of pruning a bush in order to have time to prepare it for winter.
- Partial, designed to remove leaves at the bottom. When they begin to turn yellow, photosynthesis processes in them decrease, in order to reduce the load, they are removed.
- Sometimes used for harvesting bunches with the help of equipment.
- In nurseries, the method is used when it is required to dig up seedlings from a school or scions on mother bushes are treated with a solution.
- This is done for the successful harvesting of cuttings before frost. Naked seedlings are easier to dig up and plant for the winter. So they are better stored and less susceptible to the development of the fungus.
Usually sodium chlorate is used. For seedlings, a 1% solution concentration is suitable, and for adult bushes, about 1.5% and even 2.5% are suitable. Processing is carried out in the early morning of the days 10 or 2 weeks before digging or harvesting the fruits.
Defoliation is suitable for areas with harsh climates, and is also used in the south to increase the production of sugars in some varieties.
Sodium chlorate is used for chemical defoliation
Additional events
But cutting off the leaves alone is not enough to achieve the goal and collect a decent harvest, it is necessary to mint the shoots and remove the stepchildren, because, having got rid of only the leaves, the berries will not be able to fully use the benefits that the gardener provides them.
Leaf minting
Chasing is the removal of the tops of the shoots along with the leaves. This will give more room for the nutrients to penetrate the fruit, making the vine strong and able to survive if the weather doesn't stay warm enough. With a timely procedure, even if a small part of the green shoots is cut off, the photosynthesis of the bush will improve significantly. Above the top bunch leave at least 9, maximum 13 leaves. This is best done 2 or 3 weeks before the grapes ripen. If you carry out the procedure earlier, it can harm the shrub.
Excess vine is removed along with the leaves.
Removal of stepchildren
In the summer, stepchildren are also removed - shoots developing from the side, in the axils of the leaves. If they are not removed, they will grow and form new shoots that will shade and thicken the bush, take away strength from the fruit-bearing branches. Stepchildren are cut one and a half cm above the first sheet. If you remove it at the base, it will grow back very quickly. Events are held every week, when examining a bush, revealing new shoots.
When removing leaves, it should be remembered that the measure is important, and it is impossible to fanatically cut off the entire green mass.
Without it, the bush will not be able to fully exist, it is the keeper of the stock of all the important components of the life of the bush. It is enough to eliminate a small part, otherwise the berries will not be able to fully ripen, they will not be sweet.
Thinning the leaves of grapes is a very important technique, but so that it does not harm the bushes and the harvest, it must be done very carefully.
Why is it needed
Thinning out the leaves that shade the clusters accelerates the ripening of the crop, increases the accumulation of sugar in the berries, and also protects them from decay. This technique is especially effective in years with insufficient heat and frequent rains during the ripening of grapes. Thinning promotes better ventilation of the bush, which facilitates the fight against mildew, gray and white rot. Under the influence of wind and direct sunlight, the skin of the berries acquires an intense color - in white varieties, golden with a beautiful tan, in dark-colored varieties, an intensely pronounced main color.
When needed
Perform this operation before softening the berries 20-30 days before a month, before harvesting. Then the effect is most noticeable. In order not to cause burns on the berries, thinning of the leaves is carried out in the morning or evening hours, on cloudy days. In years with insufficiently warm, but damp autumn, it is recommended to thin out the leaves in late varieties, especially around the clusters. It is only necessary to remember that the leaves are needed for the normal ripening of berries and shoots and for the formation of a supply of nutrients in the organs of the bush, so this technique should not be carried away, limited only to the removal of a small part of the leaves.
How to thin out
Remove part of the leaves (5-7) near the clusters. On light ones, this is done in order to open access to sunlight to bunches of grapes to improve their color. On dark ones, they thin out a little differently - on the bushes of black grape varieties, the leaves located inside the bush are removed to give the brushes more air. This operation is best done with scissors, cutting off only the leaf blades at the place where they are attached to the cuttings.
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I deliberately left this conversation about Ural grapes for the period of early spring, when in a calm atmosphere, without being distracted by pre-planting fever, we still have time to remember the past year, analyze miscalculations and prepare for the new season. In this article I will try to answer the numerous questions of gardeners, which I have systematized, summarized and will try to answer them.
Let's start talking about grapes with its annual development cycle, once you understand this period of life of a grape bush and the processes that take place throughout the year, many questions will simply disappear by themselves.
The annual cycle of grape development consists of two periods - vegetation and winter dormancy.
Vegetation is a period of intensive growth and development of a plant; it begins with spring awakening and ends with leaf fall in autumn. The growing season usually lasts from the first half of April to early October and includes five phases of plant development: 1) sap flow (weeping grapes), 2) bud break, growth of shoots and inflorescences, 3) flowering, 4) berry growth, 5) ripening harvest, ripening shoots and leaf fall.
First phase begins with an increase in soil temperature at a depth of 30-40 cm, in the grape root zone, up to + 8С ° -10С ° and is characterized by the beginning of vigorous activity of the roots. This phase ends with bud break. Enhanced sap flow continues for about a month from April 5-10 to May 5-10. If the sap flow proceeds normally, this indicates a good overwintering of the root system. If the roots are frozen or there is not enough moisture in the soil, sap flow is weakened or stops altogether. During this period, the vine is opened, trimmed and tied to the first wire of the trellis.
Second phase lasts from bud break to the beginning of flowering and is characterized by active growth of shoots up to 5-10 cm per day, development and formation of inflorescences on shoots. During this period, extra green shoots break off, how to determine the most fruitful ones I described in the article “Crop Education”. The remaining shoots, as they grow, are tied up. At this time, the grapes especially need top dressing with a complete fertilizer.
Third phase this is the flowering period, which usually lasts from 8 to 14 days. This is the shortest, but very important phase of the development of a grape bush, the future harvest depends on its successful passage. It begins with the dropping of the caps on the flowers, the minimum temperature at which flowering can begin is + 16 ° C. During this period, it is strictly forbidden to water the grapes, so as not to lower the temperature of the soil and not cause the fall of both individual flowers and entire flower clusters.
Fourth phase lasts from the end of flowering to the beginning of ripening berries. Ripening, as a rule, falls on the end of July (very early ripening varieties) and the end of August (early medium varieties). At the beginning of this phase, the ovaries of berries grow, and the development of shoots slows down, but they thicken significantly. At the end of this phase, the berries stop growing, soften, lighten in white varieties or stain in colored ones. The growth of the shoots stops, the ripening of the vine begins. During this period, the tops of the shoots are minted, the extra stepchildren are removed, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe brushes, opening them to the sun, the leaves are cut off. In order not to delay the ripening of berries and the accumulation of sugar in them, watering the grapes from mid-summer should be stopped completely.
Fifth phase begins with the full maturity of the berries, and ends with the fall of the leaves and the transition of the plants to a dormant state. Shoots ripen the earlier, the sooner their growth stops. In the ripened vine, starch accumulates in the cells of the wood, the tissues lose moisture, the bark hardens and turns brown. In the Urals, natural leaf fall due to early frosts, as a rule, does not occur, the leaves die when frozen. However, the shoots by this time have time to grow and mature to a sufficient length. At the end of the phase, the bushes are cut, fertilizers are applied, and the vine is removed from the supports.
winter calm grape bush is the period from leaf fall to the onset of vegetation. At this time, all vital processes in the plant are almost completely suspended. Winter dormancy consists of physiological dormancy, which occurs in our conditions in November - December, when even a temporary increase in temperature does not bring the plant out of dormancy and does not reduce its frost resistance and forced dormancy, which begins in January and continues until the beginning of the growing season. If a temporary warming occurs during this period, it becomes dangerous, since the plant can leave its dormant state, lose its resistance to low temperatures and freeze when the cold returns.
And now I want to answer the requests of vine growers to help them identify the disease that suddenly fell on their grapes. Often such requests are addressed to me by phone, and I honestly try to help with advice, although I myself would very much doubt the professionalism of a doctor who is able to diagnose a disease, prescribe a treatment and prescribe a medicine over the phone. However, these initially almost meaningless dialogues imperceptibly took shape in my firm conviction that these are not diseases, but almost always a lack of certain nutrients in the “menu” with which we treat our grapes.
External signs of nutritional deficiencies
Noticing the lack of one or more nutrients is generally not easy, but it is very important for gardeners to be able to recognize the lack of nutrients by the external signs of the plant. Some of them are described below.
Lack of nitrogen. Late and slow bud break, early cessation of growth in autumn. The leaves are light green in color, small, thin, with strongly protruding veins. The crest of the cluster (its central axial part) is large, but with thin lateral branches. The bunch is loose, with a low sugar content. With a heavy load, the clusters deplete the bush to such an extent that the leaves begin to die off at the edges in early autumn, become vaulted upwards and look as if they were burned by pesticides or the sun. The surface of the matured vine is rough. In many varieties, the antennae dry out and fall off. Shoots ripen normally, but have a light color.
Tops of growing shoots are straight. The leaves unfold prematurely and are at right angles to the shoot. Antennae underdeveloped. Healthy shoots, well supplied with nitrogen, have curved tops, long tendrils, often rising above the top. The leaves on them unfold in a “boat” and only after reaching a sufficient size are they set at right angles to the shoot.
Potassium deficiency. By the time of maturation of young leaves, dark blue or dark purple, later blackening, spots appear on their upper side, which spread to the entire surface of the leaf. The lower leaves are most commonly affected. Premature death of the leaves indicates a significant lack of potassium. Berries with a lack of potassium ripen unevenly, shoots stop growing early.
With a severe lack of potassium, the developing leaves initially appear healthy. However, whitish or brownish, and in red varieties, red or even purple spots soon form between the veins, some of which dry up and collapse, so that holes appear in the leaves. In very severe cases, the leaf blade between the main veins is torn a few weeks after deployment, and the bushes look like they were beaten by hail. The area of dried leaf areas is increasing all the time, and often dried leaves remain on the bushes for several weeks. Green shoots are fragile and break off easily. In mild cases, the surface of the leaves becomes blistered, with the portions of the leaf blade between the veins often rising by 5 mm. Along the main veins, folds characteristic of a lack of potassium appear.
The bending of the edges of the leaves down is characteristic not only for the vine, but also for other plants. With a delay in the development of pathways due to a lack of potassium, the sections of the leaf blade between the main veins swell, and as a result, the edges of the leaves bend down.
Mature shoots with a lack of potassium have poorly developed wood and a thick core, they do not differ in elasticity and their weight is small. Aging occurs late, often only partially. The upper part of the shoots freezes and turns brown in winter. The stem of the bunch is soft, can be cut with a fingernail and easily torn off. The skin of the berry is thin. When picking ripe berries, a lot of pulp remains on the legs. Clusters ripen unevenly, by the time of harvest, many berries are still completely green, which is especially noticeable in red and blue varieties. The sugar content of berry juice is low. Berries rot easily. Rotting stalks are also a sure sign of potassium deficiency.
Very often, a lack of potassium becomes noticeable only after making too large doses of nitrogen. Due to the stimulating effect of nitrogen, plants develop especially quickly in spring, they increase in size more than the availability of potassium reserves allows. In summer, the edges of the leaves (especially the lower ones) dry up and look like they have been sunburnt. The middle of the leaf remains completely green and able to function normally. This drying of the edges of the leaves while bending them down almost always happens after fertilizing with slurry, since it contains too much nitrogen in a very easily digestible form and stimulates the excessive growth of shoots and leaves of the vine.
The most important and most reliable signs of potassium deficiency in all cultivated plants are: good, outwardly healthy growth of shoots in the spring, then a sharp suspension of growth, and in severe cases - general oppression. On the contrary, a lack of nitrogen can often be noted already in the spring, at the beginning of shoot growth.
With a simultaneous lack of nitrogen and potassium, the leaf blade is light green and has a normal size. Leaves turn autumn color early. With a slight excess of nitrogen, the leaves become large with loose tissue and therefore are especially affected by all diseases. It should also not be forgotten that a lack of potassium increases the consumption of water by plants, as a result of which they fade faster during the dry period.
With a lack of potassium, a large number of grape roots die in winter. With good nutrition, only roots up to 0.5 mm thick die off, and with poor nutrition, roots up to 3 mm thick often die in the upper layers of the soil. It is clear that this will cause great damage to the growth of the bush next year.
Phosphorus deficiency. The flowers are anemic, on long stems, the caps are not shed, the inflorescences fall off immediately after flowering. The seeds in the berries are small, laterally compressed and soft. Eyes (buds) are soft, with poorly formed scales, sharp. With a strong lack of phosphorus at the beginning of the ripening of the clusters, the leaves on the upper side become black, the edges of the leaves are bent up and twisted. The petioles of the leaves are long, while the leaves themselves are small. Bushes grow weakly and have a dwarf appearance, their fruitfulness is low. Shoots from replacement buds are in most cases barren. Root formation is rather weak.
Lack of magnesium. The sections of the leaf blade between the veins turn yellow to white, but the first (lower) leaves on the shoot suffer greatly, they soon fall off.
Lack of calcium causes early cessation of growth, the shoots are short with relatively good maturation of the shoots. The leaves remain small, the seeds in the berries are soft, shoots with short internodes, the bark is most often colored reddish or darker. The bush has a depressed appearance, the clusters are loose, there is a lot of tartaric acid in the juice of the berries. Wood and leaves are high in carbohydrates and low in minerals.
Boron deficiency. Since boron is necessary for the absorption of potassium and nitrogen, the signs of its deficiency are similar to those of a deficiency of potassium and nitrogen. In addition, with a large deficiency of boron, the tops of the shoots completely die off and fall off. The flowers do not shed their caps, fall off heavily, there are many parthenocarpic (seedless) berries and very few normally fertilized ones.
Extremely poor fertilization is due to the fact that the secret secreted by the stigma of the flower must contain a few percent of boron, which is necessary for the germination of pollen grains. If the bushes lack potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen, they still produce fertilized berries, although the latter remain small and sour; with a lack of boron, fertilization does not occur. It is enough to spray the inflorescences with a 0.1% solution of borax, so that normal fertilization follows.
With a lack of boron, the buds bloom normally, but the growth of the shoots stops after the deployment of the fourth or sixth leaf, and young tender leaves look as if they were burned. The roots of such bushes are very poorly developed, have almost no root lobes, and shapeless thickenings on the tops of the roots. The maturation of the roots is exceptionally poor, and therefore they often freeze out.
Based on the above, the following conclusion can be drawn: we must take care of the plant, but at the same time not overfeed it. For some nutrients, this is not dangerous. If too much potassium, magnesium and iron are added, there is hardly any harm from this. Only in conditions of significant dryness of the soil, excessively large amounts can have a harmful effect. An excess of nitrogen or water pampers the vines, and they enhance vegetative growth at the expense of the crop.
To close this topic and reassure the gardener, intimidated by the above "horror stories", I want to note that all these troubles for almost a decade of my romance with grapes have practically never bothered me. In order for this cup to pass you, it is enough to properly prepare the planting pit and fill it with fertile soil (preferably humus) when planting the seedling with the addition of two or three shovels of wood ash, which must be thoroughly mixed with the soil before filling the pit. As you know, in addition to the main elements, such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium, ash contains almost the entire periodic system of D.I. Mendeleev, that is, the very microelements that grapes will find themselves when they are needed. Do not forget about foliar feeding (by leaves) of grapes. Top dressing from the second half of August once a week with wood ash (half a liter of ash per bucket of water) significantly accelerates the ripening of the crop and the ripening of the vine.
By popular demand of gardeners, I give an example of a planting hole and my version of maintaining a bush in the first three years. Unfortunately, retail chains and almost all sellers offering grape seedlings do not bother to accompany the seedlings with detailed planting instructions. The article contains part of the drawings from the memo, which I give to each buyer of a seedling.
Explanations for the drawings:
Trench and landing pit: a) trench width 40-50 cm; b) trench depth 15-20 cm; c) planting depth - from the root "heel" to the ground surface 25-30 cm; d) drainage layer of crushed stone, river pebbles or expanded clay 15-20 cm; e) do not forget to arrange a watering well by sticking a pipe or a box of boards into the drainage. When watering through a well on a bush, one watering can per week is enough.
Autumn of the first year: one vine has grown. Bend the vine parallel to the ground and secure with hooks. Pruning for 6-8 buds.
Summer of the second year: a) replacement vines, i.e. fruiting vines of the next year, the flower brushes from which must be removed as early as possible, the tops are minted (the top of the shoot is removed to the ripened leaf) in early - mid-August; b) fruiting vines of the current year and auxiliary vines, which should be minted after tying berries, leaving at least 6-8 leaves above the bunch; c) the place of pruning of the fruit-bearing vine in the autumn of the second year.
Summer of the third year: a) replacement vines, i.e. fruiting next year, flower brushes from which must be removed as early as possible, the tops of these shoots are “minted” (the crown of the shoot is removed to a ripened leaf) not earlier than mid-August; b) fruiting vines of the current year, which should be "minted" immediately after tying the berries, leaving at least 6-8 leaves above the bunch, which increases the size of both berries and bunches; c) the place of pruning of the fruit-bearing vine in the fall (after the onset of t -3 ° С ... -5 ° С).
Autumn of the third year: pruning vines for 8-10 buds.
This is how I lead a grape bush in my area. I’ll make a reservation right away: you don’t need to blindly copy my experience. Each garden plot is unique in its characteristics, and my advice is not the ultimate truth. Feel free to get down to business, experiment, find your own, perhaps more successful, method of caring for the vine. Grapes are a very plastic culture, quickly adapting to local growing conditions, sometimes forgiving ridiculous mistakes and quickly correcting them on their own. If you need advice or seedlings, call or write an e-mail.
Every gardener sooner or later wonders when to pick the leaves from the grapes. This representative of the flora is unanimously recognized as the most attractive of all berry and garden plants. However, many summer residents, faced with incomprehensible terms, get scared and do not want to delve into the intricacies of care, but in vain. After all, this plant is called one of the most grateful: after two years it gives trial results, and from each adult shoot you can collect up to 30 kilograms of grapes. Which of us did not want to show off noble and dense brushes to a neighbor? All efforts are returned three times.
During the ripening period, leaves must be removed.
What do you need to know?
Viticulture is a huge and complex science. To achieve high performance, it is important to do the right work at the right level and at the recommended time.
If you want to have large bunches, get ready for constant summer work.
Throughout the year, the plant is waiting for thorough care. This list includes:
- ringing, accelerating development by 10-16 days;
- pasynkovanie, contributing to the redistribution of vital elements;
- chasing, leading to accelerated maturation of the vine;
- thinning of large inflorescences.
All these actions reduce the negative impact of the environment on fruiting, but they will not be effective if you work incorrectly with the leaves, which are an overvalued storehouse of vitamins, as they contain an incredible amount of tannins, are regarded as an inexhaustible source of organic acids, sucrose. Tincture removes sputum, relieves hypertension and tonsillitis; freshly prepared gruel stops bleeding, saves from varicose veins. Grape leaf is one of the main ingredients in Bulgarian, Arabic, Turkish and Greek cuisines.
Picking grape leaves should not be done at lunchtime: it is better to do this in the morning or after sunset so that the bunches do not get burned. Sun wounds are very difficult to treat, so do not get carried away breaking out the leaves. Some strains simply require full sun to produce the desired coloration. Here you have to take risks and get rid of greenery. However, it is recommended to do this not immediately, but gradually: once every three days, remove one or two sheets. The berries will gradually get used to the increased sun exposure.
If the autumn turned out to be cool and damp, it is also recommended to thin out the greens in late varieties (Italy, Crimson seeds, Vierul-59, Ataman, Biruintsa).
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Using torn leaves
Every gardener sooner or later wonders when to pick the leaves from the grapes.
Defoliation is a trick used just before harvest. Compared to other industries, viticulture has been using this method relatively recently. If the phase of digging seedlings has begun, and the growing season is delayed, then the leaves in the shkolka are removed. The procedure is laborious, but gives impressive results. However, few people know that grape leaves become unusable not only within the radius of the bunches, but also across the entire width of the bush up to the thirteenth on the basis of the shoot. In this regard, full and partial defoliation are distinguished.
Full is carried out on covering varieties in order to speed up pre-pruning and prepare for the winter season. Partial involves removing the lower leaves. This method is intensively used in the northern regions of the grape business. Dessert varieties do not like an abundance of greens. They need leaf breakage in order to speed up the production of sugar. Different zones are subjected to different intensity: in some areas, the debris is carried out regularly, while in others - only on dominant bushes or in a year with high humidity.
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Secrets of specialists
Grapes are a sun-loving plant. With a lack of light, the buds of the fetus are not tied, the yield falls catastrophically, the bush loses its resistance to various types of diseases. Well-lit areas should be allocated under the vineyard, in no case should the plant be planted between fruit trees.
The berries are more abundantly illuminated by the sun, which means they ripen better, they receive more assimilation products from greenery. The vines should not be left free standing or bent. The tops of the shoots must also be removed, since there should be one place to attract nutrients - clusters.
Cutting off the leaves of the grapes is meaningless if the minting of the shoots is not carried out, since the fruit will not be able to fully use its advantage.
Chasing involves removing the tops with the leaves that are on them. This gives an additional influx of plastic substances, contributes to the formation of resistance of vines to adverse weather conditions. If the work is carried out in a timely manner, an insignificant part of the greenery will be eliminated, which will improve photosynthesis, as it will increase the illumination. At least 9-13 leaves should be left above the upper bunch. It is most important to cut off the leaves shortly before the full ripening of the berries (15-20 days).
A premature bummer of green mass will harm the entire bush. You should use this technique with caution so that the work does not go to harm.
The bushes are already ready for bed, on some the leaves are even turning yellow - rice. 1, it's time to do the leaf removal work. Science says that after the leaves are removed, the nutrition accumulated in the annual vines moves to the perennial branches and root system. It takes approximately ten days to complete this process. About two weeks before pruning the bushes, I remove the leaves on the bushes.
Video - Removing leaves before pruning
Some tips for doing work - from practice.
It is before the removal of the leaves that it is best to harvest cuttings for grafting or for growing seedlings. It was at this time, before the leaves were removed, in the annual mature vines that the bushes accumulated the maximum amount of nutrients that are very useful for cuttings for growing roots and green shoots after planting in the soil.
The soil under my vineyard is mulched - fig. 2. For making
top dressing, I pre-clean the mulch. I feed the bushes with humus. Since I do not dig the soil under the bushes, I spread the humus over the surface. Humus scattered over the surface must be covered to reduce the loss of nutrients from the humus, which can simply evaporate. Here I cover it with a layer of mulch. In addition, the leaves that I will pick from the vines are also left under the bushes. They are very easily blown away by the wind. To prevent this from happening, I also cover the leaves with a layer of mulch. Here, to perform these works, you must first remove the mulch.
So, in order.
First, I move the mulch layer to the side, freeing the soil under the plane of the trellis, on which I will remove the leaves - fig. 3. I add superphosphate to the freed surface, scatter a layer of humus. Then I pluck the leaves from the vines and lay them on top of the humus, fig. 4, after which I cover them with a layer of mulch - fig. 5 At the same time, I remove the mulch from the area where I will lay the vines to cover the winter. Here, the applied fertilizers have to be buried in the soil. I do it either with a cultivator or
I dig the soil shallow with a shovel.
If top dressing is applied annually on the soil surface, when performing irrigation or rainwater, the food will constantly be washed deeper, gradually reaching the roots.
In autumn, fertilizing is introduced that does not move very quickly in the soil - phosphorus, magnesium. By spring, they will just reach the depth of the roots. The main supplier of nitrogen is humus, which can be applied both in autumn and in spring. It is more convenient for me to do this in the fall - in the spring there is already enough work.
I just break the leaves off with my hands. Along with the leaves, unripe stumps from stepchildren are also easily removed. Only “bouquets” of stepchildren that grew here all summer remain at the top of the plane - fig. 6. I remove them separately by cutting with scissors. Such pieces of vine decompose poorly in the soil, so I burn them at the stake.
After completing the work, the vines remain clean, ready for pruning - fig.
7. Once again I draw your attention - this is clearly visible in the photo - to the absence of stumps from stepchildren on the vines. I remind you that I completely remove stepchildren on vertical shoots. I leave stepchildren, growth points on the tops, so that the shoots have somewhere to continue growing, and with the right balance of nutrition, no awakening of “wintering buds” occurs.
I leave the leaves under the bushes, regardless of the presence of damage from diseases on them. Decomposition under a layer of mulch will also destroy the beginnings of pathogens on the leaves, and this will not affect the degree of disease of the bushes - this is my opinion. In addition, in addition to leaves, there are enough sources of infection in the vineyard, and diseased leaves will not play a special role here - this is not summer.