Pruning the cayuga grapes in the vineyard

in #photo5 years ago

Yesterday I spent the day pruning the cayuga grapes in the vineyard. It was rainy and overcast all day but I had a rainsuit on so I kept warm and dry.

Cayuga grapes are a Cornell hybrid that grow really well in the finger lakes. We have over 2 acres planted that now need to be pruned ap they grow correctly next year and give us a good harvest. Here is what the vines looked like before I started.h4a195xn9w.jpg

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To prune them I do a mixture of 2 things. The first is to count the nodes and cut each whip so there is only 8 to 12 nodes left. Nodes are where it can bud next year. The little bulge next to my pruners is a node.
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The second thing I do is try to tuck as much of the plant in between the 1 wires we use as trellises. This differs from what I will be doing on the other types if graps in the vineyard.
Here is a picture of the end result.
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