Summer pruning of vines in England
 

I have had some very useful discussions on this group recently,and
particularly with regard to removal of sub-laterals or sideshoots
during there vigorous growth in the summer.My latest advice found by
talking to vinegrowers in England is as follows.Herefordshire in
England is not a high rainfall county as the average rainfall is about
28".

1) I have noticed myself,and this is confirmed by others,that new
vines (say second/third year) can be considerably more fruitful than
older vines.This is believed to be because one trains a single shoot
initially up a 5' cane to initially form a single Guyot cane for the
first cropping.In forming this single cane,one is advised to remove
all sideshoots.

2)Vinegrowers have told me that whenever possible,they pinch out some
of the sideshoots when small,but later prune them back to one leaf.The
idea from some is that leaving one leaf helps to feed and mature the
adjacent next years fruit buds.

3)Another point is that from middle summer,energy should not be wasted
in forming sideshoots,and these sideshoots get in the way of efficient
spray coverage for powdery mildew.

So I am still unclear about the contribution made by these
sideshoots.By removing them early,they cannot produce large enough
leaves to provide energy input for ripening the grapes.So one would
rely on the 4' of leaves on the main vertical lateral.

Comments very welcome.
Michael