Monday, March 2, 2009

The Cordon or Wall System of Growing Grapes

By Abraham Kiyoski

There are those who have tried out the Labruscan varieties from Ontario. These cannot be grown under Guyot pruning methods but must be cultivated by a simpler system such as one main rod plus six strong side growths, which are pruned back hard each January.

They could also be grown on the 'Grow as you like' system, being allowed to scramble over a trellis or cover a fence or wall. Under this system very little pruning is necessary, though it does pay to cut back the fruiting laterals in the summer at two leaves above a bunch.

Once again in January cut back these 3 canes to within two buds of their base. Thus you will see that you are now producing your goblet-shaped bush with 6 branches. Each one of these 6 branches may carry six or seven bunches of grapes and the following January again they will be cut back to within two buds.

Red Spiders can be detected by examining the back of the leaf with a magnifying glass. Red Spider is a bad name. Yellow Mite would be better.

Some people give each vine one stake, 4 feet out of the ground, and then, instead of tying the rods out to 'form a goblet, they merely tie the tips of the rods to the top of the stakes to form an inverted cone. By the way, do not allow the young cane to go on growing after the requisite number of bunches of grapes have been produced. You should always pinch out the growing point at 3 leaves beyond the top hunch.

When growing a vine against a wall the pruning may be similar. The rod instead of being taken along a lower wire can be trained, with a main rod growing upwards and with side permanent rods trained out at right angles. Thus a series of horizontal cordons are formed and the laterals they produce are pruned back hard each January. These are tied to wires stretched tightly in between the main wires. - 15266

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