On 26 June, 01:08, Billy > wrote:
> In article
> >,
>
>
>
>
>
> *michael > wrote:
> > Last year,I received some very useful comments from this Group on how
> > to control the vigour of my vines in
> > England(Bacchus,Schonburger,Regent,Rondo).
> > I was advised by some to regularly put compost on the vines in the
> > winter,and by others to leave alone.Also some recommended removing
> > sideshoots from the verticals (Double Guyot ),some not as they help
> > with grape ripening.
> > Well,I put compost +balanced fertiliser on 50%,and only peat on the
> > other 50%,and there is no discernible difference in vigour.
> > The vines are carrying a good crop this year and I will keep as much
> > leaf on as possible,consistent with being able to get good penetration
> > with powdery mildew spray.However,it really is strange that the vines
> > are flowering now,and the vertical rods are already over the top wire!
> > My books suggest that the rods should reach the top wires in early
> > August.This season has slightly above average temperatures,but very
> > very low rainfall.
> > I would really like some advice on how to reduce vigour.I should add
> > that all my vines are from cuttings,and that they all look incredibly
> > healthy.
> > Hope you can help
> > Michael
>
> June is typical for flowering here in California. Then, ideally, you
> have at least 90 days to harvest.
>
> How tall are we talking here? These are cane pruned? You may want to
> prune top and sides to give a rectangular look to your vines, as this
> allows better penetration of sunlight and air, to keep leaves dry and
> protected from mold and mildew.
>
> How old are vines?
>
> Don't feed. Don't water, unless they become stressed.
> --
> - Billy
> "Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
> merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3l...s-your-brain/- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Hi Billy and Paul,
Yes,these vines are cane pruned,and the top wire (already
passed) is 5 ft 6in.I regularly tie all the vertical shoots into the
trellis,and do not usually have to side prune.The vines are from
cuttings and about 6 years old.I clearly cut off the tops of the
verticals,but as late as possible,since this encourages side
shoots,which can themselves inhibit penetration of the wettable
sulphur spray I use regularly to prevent powdery mildew.Paul suggests
that it is difficult to control vigour,and possibly have a downward
growing vine arrangement,but I am not sure what this involves. Since
the vines are very healthy,I refrain from using fertiliser very much.I
have been putting on wood ash (potash) in the winter to encourage
fruiting,and have always assumed that this does not encourage
vigour.Perhaps I will just leave the vines alone for a couple of
years.
One other question.I always tie in the vertical shoots to keep them
separated as much as possible,but find this very time consuming.I
usually tie to every other wire,since the string does not firmly grip
the wire and slides about somewhat.There is also considerable work
cutting off the string at pruning time.Some of my books suggest twist
ties,which are plastic covered wire,but I have always resisted this
approach,since they must be even more difficult to remove.
Michael