Due to the unusually warm temperatures the past couple weeks, I nearly was too late for the grapes. The blueberries and gooseberries were past time. The blueberries are only second year plants and it wasn't critical to get them this year.
Getting the grapes pruned, however, is very important. Grapes need a lot of air flow to keep them healthy. If you struggle with powdery mildew on your grapes you may want to check if the grapes can breathe.
Keeping the vines pruned and high grass below them knocked down is the most important thing you can do to your vines to keep them healthy and productive.
I look at each vine to determine the best place to prune. I remove dead vines and any stragglers by pruning back to the nearest healthy bud. Sometimes I can get fairly brutal in my pruning, and as you do prune you may hesitate thinking you are hurting the vine.
Remember, the vines will produce new growth at any cut. Keeping this in mind you can plan future growth by selective pruning.
The other thing to keep in mind is sharp shears. You can damage the plant with blunt pruners.
I have been reading through some of your posts. All I can say is great minds think a like. As you can see I love to try to plant seeds for God in each of my posts! It is awesome to see others doing the same! Also, you have lots of good post and I can't wait to read more.
ReplyDeleteHey Clint,
ReplyDeleteI have also been reading your blog, you are a good source of info. God and gardening go all the way back to the beginning, and I think it's important for peaople of faith to keep them tied together. It's a great way to share the gospel with a neighbor.