#232 - March 11, 2013 Submitted by tkmartin on Wed, 03/13/2013 -
08:28 The temperatures are warming, the snow is melting and the
pruners are starting to prune. It does not take long before the
memories of last year’s early bud break and those devastating
April frosts come to mind while working in the vineyard. Now
might be a good time to review the many ways one can go about
protecting vines from frost damage: Long Pruning: AKA Double
Pruning is the process of leaving 1-2 times more fruiting buds
than needed when making your first pruning pass through the
vineyard. You end up pruning away 80%+ of the canes during your
first pass. The apical buds on the remaining canes are the first
to break and suppress the lower buds to break approximately 3-7
days later. The final pruning pass is quickly completed after
budswell. This allows the final pruner to get a better idea of
the amount of winter damaged buds that are present on the vine
and then pruning to compensate. Site Selection: Not much you can
do once the vine