A cold and wet spring has persisted, but we may finally be getting into some warmer weather and as a result the vine growth has powered on. The vineyard is pruned, raked, mulched, wires dropped and the vines have been shoot thinned...
So what is shoot thinning and why do we do it?
It is the first practice of canopy management we conduct for the season and is done when growth is at about 10-20cms. You can easily 'flick' off unwanted shoots. We shoot thin to help improve sunlight exposure and air movement through the canopy. We shoot thin to adjust the crop load by thinning fruitful shoots and we increase the leaf to fruit ratio by thinning non-fruiting shoots. Shoots in the crown, truck and base of spurs (along the cordon) are all removed, unless needed for next seasons cordon framework.
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SHOOT THINNING (BEFORE AND AFTER) | |