1.
How to Prune Grapevines Part One

2.
Introduction <ul><li>Pruning is one of the most important operations carried out in the vineyard and is one of the most expensive and time consuming </li></ul>

3.
Introduction <ul><li>Pruning time gives the opportunity to: </li></ul><ul><li>Regulate the form and size of the vine </li></ul><ul><li>Regulate the vigour of the vine </li></ul><ul><li>Regulate the quantity (yield) and quality of the grapes </li></ul>

4.
It Starts in the Bud <ul><li>The bud contains the shoot, the leaves, tendrils and flowers, ready to burst and grow in spring </li></ul><ul><li>A bud is found in the nodes of grapevine shoots </li></ul><ul><li>These buds appear single but in fact, comprise at least three 'true' buds and a lateral bud </li></ul>

5.
Bud Node

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Shoots <ul><li>In spring the main bud bursts to become a shoot </li></ul>Tendril Leaf Flowers <ul><li>The shoot will produce the flowers that become the fruit </li></ul>

9.
Shoots <ul><li>As well as producing fruit for this season the shoot develops the buds for next seasons growth </li></ul><ul><li>Later on the shoots harden, turn brown and become canes </li></ul>

10.
The shoot………. becomes the cane

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Canes <ul><li>A shoot becomes a cane after periderm formation </li></ul><ul><li>From these canes will come the shoots that will carry the crop for the next season </li></ul><ul><li>But canes will only produce fruit if they come from buds that have been left deliberately (if you can count them) </li></ul><ul><li>Otherwise.... </li></ul>

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They are Watershoots <ul><li>The difference between a watershoot and a count shoot is.... </li></ul>

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Watershoots <ul><li>Count shoots from count nodes </li></ul><ul><li>Watershoots from nowhere </li></ul>

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Therefore… <ul><li>Pruning is a matter of leaving count nodes </li></ul><ul><li>Count nodes are the nodes that you deliberately leave at pruning </li></ul><ul><li>Count nodes are always from wood (canes) that grew in the last season </li></ul><ul><li>These canes come from count nodes from the previous season </li></ul><ul><li>They are not from watershoots </li></ul>

15.
Recap…… <ul><li>Nodes contain buds </li></ul><ul><li>The main bud bursts to become a shoot </li></ul><ul><li>The new shoot produces the flowers which become the fruit </li></ul><ul><li>At the same time the new buds are forming in the shoot </li></ul><ul><li>Shoots become canes when they turn brown </li></ul><ul><li>Only canes that come from deliberately left buds are used for pruning which are found on count nodes </li></ul>

16.
Before we move on <ul><li>Basal bud </li></ul><ul><ul><li>A bud at the base of a cane </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>They don’t normally burst in the same season as buds at nodes </li></ul></ul><ul><li>These can remain dormant for many years </li></ul><ul><li>But when they do burst they produce.... </li></ul><ul><li>Blind buds </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Buds that don’t burst </li></ul></ul>

17.
Watershoots <ul><li>Watershoots come from buds that have been dormant </li></ul><ul><li>But during this time they lose the fruitfulness </li></ul><ul><li>And that’s why they look like they come from nowhere! </li></ul>

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One last thing! <ul><li>Bud swell and bleeding </li></ul><ul><li>Bud swell is when the buds swell and become fluffy just before budburst </li></ul>

19.
Bleeding <ul><li>When a cane, spur or cordon is cut close to bud burst time the cut 'bleeds' </li></ul><ul><li>Bleeding is due to increased sap flow within the vine, which brings carbohydrate from the roots and trunks </li></ul><ul><li>It can also bleed early on in the pruning season if it rains heavily followed by warm weather </li></ul>

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Next…..Cane Pruning