Managing excessive vine vigor is one the greatest battles in Eastern viticulture and this problem is exacerbated in seasons with high rainfall and warm spring temperatures. Many vigorous varieties and variety/rootstock combinations are quickly beginning to increase in shoot length. Obviously there are differences in bud break timing among cultivars and regions of the state so you need to know the critical time for each cultivar/location combination in your vineyard. This is a critical time to do some basic canopy management chores, shoot thinning and positioning especially in vertical shoot positioned (VSP) trellises with movable or static catch wires.
Some may question the importance or necessity to shoot thin, contesting that they might not have large enough crop if they thin down to the suggested level of shoots. Shoot thinning down to the recommended three to five shoots per linear foot of trellis for VSP is critical for both pest management and optimal fruit quality.
If your goal is fully ripened, disease free, high quality fruit, this is a critical management practice that needs to be accomplished very soon.
To access a printable version, click on Download document below:
Timely Viticulture is designed to give those in the Maryland grape industry a timely reminder on procedures or topics they should be considering in the vineyard. To view other topics you can go to the Timely Viticulture page that is located on the Grapes and Fruit website.