Many summer residents grow grapes on their plots. To get a good harvest, this crop needs proper care. In the spring, bushes are opened, vines are tied up, and top dressing is done. With the advent of green leaves, they begin to carry out other work related to strengthening the bush, improving its growth. These include pinching grapes, pinching and chasing. Novice winegrowers are often interested in the question of pinching. The need to perform this procedure, as well as the timing and methods will be discussed in the article.
Why is it necessary?
Many growers, especially inexperienced ones, do not know whether it is necessary to pinch grapes, and why this should be done. However, this is a necessary procedure that helps to increase productivity.
Stepsons are considered to be shoots that appear from the axils of the leaves. Their natural formation depends on the degree of load, weather and climatic conditions, and the agricultural background.
It should be understood that stepchild greens are necessary for a grape bush, its presence leads to a stable work of photosynthesis. But by the time the clusters begin to juicy and increase in sweetness, the need for such greenery is already lost. As a result, growers have to cut off axillary shoots.
Stepping allows you to get rid of unnecessary shoots. As a result of green operations:
the growth and development of the bush begins to accelerate;
there is an improvement in the processes of photosynthesis;
bunches begin to be more effectively irradiated by the sun;
thinning the bush contributes to the fight against fungal diseases.
The number of such events depends on how quickly the shoots will ripen. Proper operation makes it possible to increase the yield of the bush by 25% or more.
It should be understood that on bushes with a large number of bunches of stepchildren there will be much less than on bushes with a small amount of crop.
They begin to grow most actively after chasing and pinching, carried out before the flowering of the grapes, or after that.
Picking or pinching leads to better crown formation and growth.
There are two ways to carry out a dive.
When performing manipulations before flowering, strong shoots are broken off. Due to this, the growth of the vine is delayed, which subsequently leads to an increase in the ovary.
Pinching is done by breaking off the tops. Three young leaves are left on this site.
If the green mass is not pinched or removed, there will be quite a lot of clusters on the vines, while the berries themselves will be smaller, with sourness. Carrying out the procedure will allow you to grow a crop with sweet ripe and large berries.
Deadlines
Carry out work several times during the season. With the selective removal of shoots of the second tier, the correct load is created on the bush, which leads to the direction of useful components not to the foliage, but to the berries.
Stepping is carried out in the spring, when the first leaves appear on the branches. To do this, a few lower leaves are left, removing the shoot crown and upper leaves. As a result, the main and a couple of new leaves remain on the vine.
Usually stepchildren begin to develop strongly in June, so in the summer it will be necessary to continue the activities that were started in the spring. In July, the procedure is carried out again. In the process of work, it is also desirable to do the removal of the lower leaves on the vine. The grown stepchildren will not allow the bunches to fill with juice, accumulate the taste and aroma inherent in the variety. The thickening of the bush often becomes the cause of the appearance of diseases.
Further, the procedure is carried out regularly throughout the summer, checking the bushes every 7-10 days. In the process of work, stumps are left, they will save the remaining fragments of the vine from wounds.
August is the period when chasing is done – cutting off unnecessary tops. This procedure differs from pinching by removing a significant part of the shoot.
Methods
Pasynkovanie can be done in different ways. It directly depends on what stage of growth the culture is in. Tips for beginner winegrowers will allow you to remove stepchildren at the right time and in the most appropriate way.
Once a sprout appears, it is still very thin and can be easily removed by simply pinching or breaking it out. It is enough just to squeeze with your fingers, and tear off the extra sprout. This method can be called one of the simplest. Its disadvantage is that when the shoot is removed, the fruiting bud is often damaged. Almost immediately, she begins to grow a new process, taking strength from the main one.
Other an equally popular way is to cut the stepson with sharp scissors and then leave one leaf on it. In this case, the pruned shoot will not interfere with full growth, but the growth of the kidney can be stopped.
There is another way when the top of the stepson is cut off, on which 4 leaves remain. Their presence will ensure adequate nutrition. Next, you need to remove the leaves that appear, leaving their optimal number.
Following the classic method of stepsoning, certain actions are performed.
The pinching of the upper stepchildren located above the bunch is performed. When axillary shoots of the second order appear, they are completely removed.
The lower ones below the bunch must be broken out completely. And you can also leave one sheet by removing branches of the second order.
Pruning the grape bush should be done gradually, as the vegetative mass grows. If you leave everything without thinning, it will be difficult to achieve a normal harvest. In this case, the clusters will either not ripen, or will have sourness that is not inherent in the variety.
Those who do not know how to stepchild grapes should heed the advice of experienced winegrowers:
all work related to the thickening of the bush, to be carried out in a timely manner;
try to leave 2 to 5 leaves;
pruning to produce, inspecting all the shoots;
it is not recommended to completely break out the shoots;
it is necessary to count the number of stepchildren on the run;
in the case when the vine rarely grows, 5 leaves can be left on the shoots.
It is recommended to remove green shoots while they are still soft, hardened and have not changed color. It is during this period that they are easy to break without harming the plant. During the procedure, vines are usually tied up as well.
No matter how pruning is carried out, in the form of breaking off or with the help of cutting tools, such a procedure can lead to a weakening of the immunity of the vine. After the procedure, a mandatory fungicidal treatment is recommended. When gray rot appears on a bush, it is better to spray the bushes with soda solution or potassium permanganate.
Removed green shoots do not leave, they are best disposed of, as they can cause any infection.
