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While we’d love it to rain, we’re taking advantage of the dry weather to get a jump on pruning. This #mourvedre vine is one of the first to get its winter haircut.
So, on this occasion, a quick thread on why we prune. Did you know that pruning does three main things? 1/
So, on this occasion, a quick thread on why we prune. Did you know that pruning does three main things? 1/
First, it stimulates new growth in the plant, which ensures that there is new one-year-old wood each year. It's that one-year-old wood that produces the most fruitful buds each year. The buds on older wood are less productive and less predictable. 2/
Second, it allows you to shape the structure of the vine for the next growing season, allowing light and air to circulate while protecting the fruit zone from sunburn. Often, this goal is to make a three-dimensional plant more two dimensional, ensuring even sun & air exposure. 3/
And third, pruning reduces the plant to an appropriate number of buds, concentrating flavor and varietal character while also making it more likely that all the vines in a block will ripen at the same pace. The more fruit (buds) you leave, the slower the vine ripens all of it. 4/
