So a few weeks back we started our pruning. Its a time when you get the first sense of how the vines have made out through the winter.
You start cutting off last years growth and leave enough growth for this years canes to sprout from. We generally leave 50%-100% extra buds in our first go at the pruning as there is always a chance of a late spring frost that could destroy the crop.
Leaving this many extra buds does 2 things. First the extra buds slows the emergence of the new growth as the vine has to support double the crop load. Second...if there is a frost there are that many more buds on the vine that then increases the chance of a decent secondary crop. Risk management in the vineyard.
Cutting away last years growth and observing the canes shows you how healthy they are. Green tissue that extends nearly the full length of the cane is a really good sign.
Generally as the canes start to go dormant for the winter they are hardiest near the trunk and least hardy towards the tips. So its not uncommon for a good portion of the cane to die. This year with the mild winter that only went as low as -18c, there is very little die back.
Good news as we are taking cane prunings to propegate into new vines. We will be starting some L'Acadie, Vandal Cliche, GR7, Foch and Marquette.
