Pruning the Vineyard

Yesterday I explained what the prepruner was and how it works. After the prepruner is finished, hand pruning is done to further prepare the vineyard for fruit production. We (the children and I) are now hand pruning the rows which have been prepruned.

Below, you can see what a vine looks like after the prepruner. The cuts are rough and jagged.

As with any job, it seems getting started is the hardest and most time consuming part of it. To get us started, John gives instructions on how many spurs and buds are to be left. The spurs are the wood coming up from the cordon (the horizontal trunk of the vine). The buds are the bulges which contain new growth on the spurs.

Even after John returns to prepruning, there is much discussion and questioning among ourselves.

Finally, a picture of a finished vine – pruned and ready for spring.

Our goal is to prune an acre a day. We are close to that goal and as we go we do get faster! That means, we should be finished in a little over 20 days!