Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Growing in Greenhouses & Polytunnels => Topic started by: AlaninCarlisle on February 02, 2017, 16:44
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Any experience-based tips on pruning and when to do it? The vine is now heading into its third year and has developed two separate branches, each about fifteen feet long that I have trained along the upper framework of the tunnel. I forget the name of the variety but last year it produced dozens of bunches of small black grapes, each with one rather large pip. I think "Capetown" featured in its name.
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I'll be keeping an eye on this thread, because I've just planted a vine in the greenhouse.
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Any experience-based tips on pruning and when to do it? The vine is now heading into its third year and has developed two separate branches, each about fifteen feet long that I have trained along the upper framework of the tunnel. I forget the name of the variety but last year it produced dozens of bunches of small black grapes, each with one rather large pip. I think "Capetown" featured in its name.
It's essential to prune whilst it's fully dormant or it will ' bleed'.
Year 1 after late autumn /winter planting prune back main stem hard,cut back by upton2/3rds. If there are any sideshoots cut these to 1 bud immediately above the bud- this is the same process for any pruning
Year 2, allow main stem to grow to reach the top wire. Also you can allow a couple I'd bunches of grapes to grow if growth is vigorous - 2 laterals 1 bunch each. Pinch out the tips at 2leaves pass the flower truss. Non fruiting laterals should be cut back to 5 leaves before they get too long. Tie in as necessary. In early winter after the leaves have fallen, prune the new growth on the main stem is cut back by half! The laterals are cut back to leave 2 buds again.
Year 3 & hereafter - in midwinter untie the main stem & allow it to hang down horizontally almost to the ground, support with a string to the roof, this encourages even bud break along the length of the stem. When buds start into growth retie to normal position.
Each lateral Shoot can now be allowed to carry a bunch of grapes, prune backto 2 leaves past the flower truss asbefore. Leave the strongest Shoot & rub out the othersat an early stage. Tie each lateral to a horizontal wire, but do it gradually over time.
In summer pinch back the sublaterals to 1 leaf before they become too long. Any laterals without fruits should be cut back to 5 leaves.
After harvesting the fruit reduce the laterals by half their length.
In winter after leaf fall slightly cut the top of the main stem or rod & cut back all laterals to leave 1 growth bud.
This is all taken from the Collins Aura Garden handbook, Grapes by Alan Toogood. Not sure if it's still in print, shame I cleared out my late dad's copy a few months ago, never thought to put it with my copy.
Hope that helps
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Thanks, Snowdrops
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I've got a Lakemont seedless vine growing here in Derbyshire in our PT.
It's about 3 years old and last year produced quite a few bunches of nice but small grapes.
It has been trained at about 4 ft above the ground along wires left and right of the main stem.
The biggest worry I had was that it was going to be hard to stop it puncturing the PT polythene so the golden rule I applied somewhat unscientifically was to hack it back if it looked like getting near the skin.
So far so good but I suspect that this year might be more difficult as it's now going to be more vigorous and will require more looking at more frequently.
All the best
Adri
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I'll be keeping an eye on this thread, because I've just planted a vine in the greenhouse.
Im with you on this one jve got 3 vines this will be the 3rd year and i was thinking of moving 2 into the tunnel i'm
a bit worried if they damage the tunnel,,,
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Have you planted it all in the greenhouse, or in a bed outside and led the stem into the greenhouse? This seems to be the practice in all the 'walled garden' programmes on the box just now.
Cheers, Tony.
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My vine is planted in the corner of the greenhouse, but the roots can grow freely into the outside soil - so don't see a problem, whether they are planted in or outside.
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Planted inside. Near the wall of the PT.
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You should plant the roots outside the greenhouse or poly tunnel as the roots dont like to be too warm.
You don't need to really water them either (unless they are in a rain shadow or extreme drought) as they don't like too much water and the roots will search out the water giving them a better root system.
Thats why the (propper) gardeners from the old walled kitchen gardens of the 1800's planted the roots outside.
Andy
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as the roots dont like to be too warm.
Tell that to vines in Italy and Spain, where the heat makes for a better crop 8)
I would suggest that the glasshouses in old gardens had very good/deep foundations, due to their huge size, so the vines did indeed need to be planted outside just to make watering less necessary. However, modern greenhouse bases, are usually shallow and the vine roots are free to grow outside for water and nutrients; after all there is really only a foot difference in position, in planting inside and out.
This makes interesting reading though
http://www.wineanorak.com/struggle.htm
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as the roots dont like to be too warm.
Tell that to vines in Italy and Spain, where the heat makes for a better crop 8)
I would suggest that the glasshouses in old gardens had very good/deep foundations, due to their huge size, so the vines did indeed need to be planted outside just to make watering less necessary. However, modern greenhouse bases, are usually shallow and the vine roots are free to grow outside for water and nutrients; after all there is really only a foot difference in position, in planting inside and out.
This makes interesting reading though
http://www.wineanorak.com/struggle.htm
The vines and fruit do like it warm but the roots dont, the foliage from the plant shades the roots.