Post by Admin on Dec 9, 2013 20:46:47 GMT
Here's the link to a 2001 Viticulture Notes that sums up some pruning strategies:
www.sites.ext.vt.edu/newsletter-archive/viticulture/01mayjune/01mayjune.html
Also of concern: Bud Abortion seems to be worse in years following a rainy May/June, which we experienced in 2013.
From the bulletin:
"BN incidence will vary from year to year. In the future, you might want to examine buds prior to pruning. Pruning could be adjusted to compensate somewhat for primary bud loss.
We found that the incidence of BN increased as you went out the cane, so spur-pruning generally retained a greater proportion of good primary buds than did cane-pruning.
Cane selection was also important, even if only a spur is retained. Canes with abundant laterals and those from shaded regions of the canopy had a higher proportion of necrotic buds than did moderate-sized, well exposed canes. Keep your canopies relatively thin and well exposed during the growing season to maximize sunlight exposure of developing buds. Keep a log of cloudy days in the bud-break to bloom period and compare that log to the incidence of BN at the end of that season."
www.sites.ext.vt.edu/newsletter-archive/viticulture/01mayjune/01mayjune.html
Also of concern: Bud Abortion seems to be worse in years following a rainy May/June, which we experienced in 2013.
From the bulletin:
"BN incidence will vary from year to year. In the future, you might want to examine buds prior to pruning. Pruning could be adjusted to compensate somewhat for primary bud loss.
We found that the incidence of BN increased as you went out the cane, so spur-pruning generally retained a greater proportion of good primary buds than did cane-pruning.
Cane selection was also important, even if only a spur is retained. Canes with abundant laterals and those from shaded regions of the canopy had a higher proportion of necrotic buds than did moderate-sized, well exposed canes. Keep your canopies relatively thin and well exposed during the growing season to maximize sunlight exposure of developing buds. Keep a log of cloudy days in the bud-break to bloom period and compare that log to the incidence of BN at the end of that season."