During these first months of the year we are carrying out an essential task for the care and cycle of our vines: pruning.
With our vines resting, without leaves or fruit, in a state that seems lifeless, is when we must carry out the processes that will allow them to continue their growth and productivity.
In the case of pruning, it is a matter of cutting the shoots, and leaving the thumbs with their corresponding buds, depending on the type of pruning to be carried out. In this way we remove the part of the plant that is no longer functional in order to allow it to grow again during the spring.
In our case, we carry out trellis pruning with double Cordon Royat. This type of pruning is defined by leading the vine through a cordon, hence the name. The aim is to form two main branches in both directions that contain the buds. This type of pruning needs three winters to allow the plants to grow and to lead them in the form of limbs, so that the vines can grow correctly.
Once we have the two cordons, during pruning we leave two buds that will form the different shoots, we could call it a short pruning.
Once cut, the vine has “wounds” which must be protected so that no harmful micro-organisms can enter. Following our philosophy, we proceed to seal them with an ecological product.
It is a mixture of sulphur and copper that has a very particular colour due to its components. This sealing, together with the frosts that the vines suffer in winter, protects them until spring arrives.
As soon as the temperatures rise, the sap will alter and begin to circulate through the plant, giving way to the swollen buds and the whole process that they undergo of
sprouting and flowering. Here are the blog entries on the awakening and evolution of the vine:
