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Vineyard Pruning
Napa is nearing the end of the rainy season, which is typically November until March. On days when it is not raining, it is habitually misty with a layer of tule fog. The rain replenishes the moisture load in the soil, which is necessary to help bring new buds and blossoms in the spring.
The vineyard looks rather barren right now, as the vines are naked of leaves and in a state of dormancy. We just finished dormant pruning. This is the annual winter removal of shoots. Pruning is necessary for the vines to produce fewer but larger bunches of grapes. It also helps "mold" the shape of the vines.
This process has to take place at just the right time because if water gets into fresh prune "wounds" the vines can become susceptible to moisture-induced infections such as eutypa.
Our crew is hand-selected and highly experienced. We removed all the "two-season" old canes that gave rise to last season's fruit bearing shoots. If you were in this area, you may have seen the heaps of canes piled in between the rows. These are disked into the ground or given to friends for basket and wreath making.
This is also the time of year for land preparation, weed control and for repairing or setting up new trellising systems.
Unlike most deciduous trees, the vine does not dash into growth in early spring. It stays dormant until the daily mean temperature reaches 50 degrees F. Shoot elongation, diameter increase of the older parts of the vine, and development of the flower parts are possible because of the reserves of food and water stored in the vine while it is dormant. Just because you do not see anything happening on the outside does not mean a lot is not going on inside. Life processes occur in the vine while it is dormant. The levels of substances like starch, sugars, and amino acids in the canes and other woody tissues are higher during dormancy. The higher level of sugar protects the vines against lower winter temperatures. After bud break in the spring, these levels decrease rapidly until August or September.
The vineyard looks rather barren right now, as the vines are naked of leaves and in a state of dormancy. We just finished dormant pruning. This is the annual winter removal of shoots. Pruning is necessary for the vines to produce fewer but larger bunches of grapes. It also helps "mold" the shape of the vines.
This process has to take place at just the right time because if water gets into fresh prune "wounds" the vines can become susceptible to moisture-induced infections such as eutypa.
Our crew is hand-selected and highly experienced. We removed all the "two-season" old canes that gave rise to last season's fruit bearing shoots. If you were in this area, you may have seen the heaps of canes piled in between the rows. These are disked into the ground or given to friends for basket and wreath making.
This is also the time of year for land preparation, weed control and for repairing or setting up new trellising systems.
Unlike most deciduous trees, the vine does not dash into growth in early spring. It stays dormant until the daily mean temperature reaches 50 degrees F. Shoot elongation, diameter increase of the older parts of the vine, and development of the flower parts are possible because of the reserves of food and water stored in the vine while it is dormant. Just because you do not see anything happening on the outside does not mean a lot is not going on inside. Life processes occur in the vine while it is dormant. The levels of substances like starch, sugars, and amino acids in the canes and other woody tissues are higher during dormancy. The higher level of sugar protects the vines against lower winter temperatures. After bud break in the spring, these levels decrease rapidly until August or September.
posted by Chris Fotinos | 12:20 PM
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