The vines are growing rapidly with the warm and wet weather through November (see earlier blog). The growing canes start to encroach on access to the rows for spraying and maintenance, but I've been reluctant to lift the training wires to tidy up the canes while the weather has been so wet and warm. Leaving them hang looks untidy and some do get damaged by strong winds, but they also dry out more quickly and this reduces the disease pressure.
But there comes a time when you can no longer drive the tractor down the rows without causing damage, so we've been lifting the wires. Lifting the training wires not only tidies up, but ensures that the sun gets better access to the forming bunches of grapes. This vertical shoot positioning (VPS) improves the quality of the fruit. Leaving it late makes for hard work. It is amazing how heavy vines can be.
These before and after photos show the difference it makes.
Before lifting the training wires
After lifting the training wires
