Sunday, January 27, 2013Posted by Bobat 6:27 pmin blog0 comments
Pruning is about 80% complete at Devoto Garden, I was up last week to help in the 828 block. The vines are “cordon/renewal spur” pruned; each vine is 4 feet apart, each cordon/arm is 24″; the goal is to leave each arm with six “nodes” about 4″ apart, each node trimmed back to two buds on one of last year’s canes, which will become two fruiting canes this year. Simple, right? You’d be surprised… Pruned vines on right; those awaiting haircut on left. Wood left in rows to be mulched by tractor with flail. My over-matched, minimalist Japanese shears; need to get new ones more to the task of working the woodier spurs. A source of amusement to others in the field. Younger replacement vines will be bent to their training wires soon when things are a little wetter. Conversely, not great to prune when wet due to eutypia and other diseases spread by water that can infect pruning wounds.