Vineyard: Pruning Time

Last week I was able to take a break from cork sensory to spend some time in the vineyard and catch the end of pruning.  They let me jump in and do a few vines but I'm too slow for them.  The highest skilled guys can do 60 vines an hour.

This is what the vines look like after the fruit has been harvested and all the leaves have fallen off.

Pruning happens during the winter months while the vines are dormant.  Skilled vineyard workers remove the unnecessary tissue and leave only enough wood to support the buds that will grow next crop.

They collect all that material into piles for another crew to pick up.

These guys pick up the piles of wood and feed them through a chipper.  Sometimes the clippings get mixed back into the soil.

Pruning is time consuming and requires skill, so only the best workers do it.  The guys that are a little slower go behind the pruners and paint the wounds.  A fresh cut is susceptible to entry by airborne, wood-killing-disease spores such as Esca, especially when it is rainy.  The pink looking paint seals the cut and reduces the likelihood that spores could enter the wound and kill the plant.

A third team of vineyard workers has the job of tying down the canes the pruners have pruned.  Tying the canes to the trellis system is important for training and getting the vine to grow in the desired direction. 

The workers who tie the vines down use an electric machine that speeds up the process.  Many places still tie the canes down by hand. (See Video for an example of the Pellenc machine at work)

And yet another separate crew is out cultivating the fields.  Cultivation this time of year is important because it's been very dry this season in California.  This hoe plough is ripping up the grass that was growing during the off season, this will prevent the grass from stealing the moisture in the soil and save it for the vines.  Additionally, cutting down the grass is important for frost protection, also a concern this year. The tall grasses can trap cool air and prevent good air circulation.  To combat frost we usually use sprinklers, but due to low water availability this year we are going to rely more heavily on huge ass fans to move the freezing air.

Well, back to corks for me.

-L