michael wrote:
> 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
I use the plastic coated twist ties but they will still slip around.
I, and other growers in my area also use "C" clips. An example is he
http://www.orchardvalleysupply.com/o...p?idproduct=72
I am assuming you have your catch wires on both sides of the posts and not a
single wire. If so, then you just pull both wires together and put a clip
on them. You can bracket about a half dozen shoots at a time and just put
a clip on each end. If you need to add a shoot or rearrange, just unclip,
reposition and put the clip back on.