Winter management just about done! The pruning started in mid June (something I always do myself). Similar to last year, we have pruned down to one cane (instead of two) and two two-bud spurs – sort of giving the vine a rest by reducing the crop and the closest I can get to Townsend’s principle of crop rotation in monoculture! After pruning we pull out all the cuttings and drop them in the row. With a tractor mounted mulcher we chew them all up, going over them twice – it’s sort of carbon sequestration I suppose, returning it all to the soil. The canes are tied down to the fruiting wire. What follows will be an overwinter housekeeping spray (lime sulphur) to ensure no evil fungal spores are around, some nitrogen into the ground and undervine weedicide to reduce competition. All finished by the end of August (I hope)!
