Pruning Adjustments
I'm sure that by now readers are bored with my constant blah-blah-blogging about the weather, but it is what is on my mind. More rain coming tomorrow, but it is supposed to be clear and warm again by Sunday.This latest stretch of nice weather has caused everything at our Annadel Estate Vineyard to push -- at last -- except for the Mourvedre.
I have been taking advantage of the great weather to make some pruning adjustments in the Pinot Noir at the Estate.
For the last ten years, everywhere I have worked I have been trying to break my pruners of BAD HABITS. But it seems that no matter how much effort I put into telling these guys "I want two-bud spurs - dos ojos solamente", year after year I get three-bud spurs -- or longer. Even when I try to get them to do what I really want by asking for one-bud spurs, I get these monstrosities.
Then I spend the rest of the season paying the guys to trim out excess shoots and drop excess crop. Hey, I have plenty of productive work to keep everyone busy without adding round after round of late crop load adjustment. And I have to worry about too much elongation of the cordon spurs over time. I just don't understand the reluctance to prune correctly.
posted 4/20/2006 04:56:00 PM
1 Comments:
Hi
I know your pain. I think it must be that those men were trained that way and also, I believe it is the nature of the men being that they are (most likely) hispanic in that they like to see more fruit on their own personal trees, vines and etc., over quality. I personally have been lucky. My men will deliver me what I require about 98%. If I have a vine with 12 spurs and I tell them to give me 6 single buds and 6 double buds, that's pretty much what I get. I think if you find one man in the bunch that is qualified to lead them, it might help.
Joseph Filippi
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