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4 6 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | N o v - D e c 2 016 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m and weather concerns, dormant pruning requires fewer decisions. But for young, cold-damaged or disease-impacted vineyards, deci- sions can be much more complicat- ed and necessitate patient training ormant pruning can be a daunting task. It's often full of pressure to keep a vine- yard healthy, balanced and maxi- mally productive while avoiding lengthy deliberation when standing before each vine. In "General Viti- culture," Winkler et al writes, "The purposes of pruning are: (a) to help establish and maintain the vine in a form that will save labor and facili- tate vineyard operations, such as cultivation, control of diseases and insects, thinning and harvesting; (b) to distribute the bearing wood over the vine, among vines and, over the years, in accordance with the capacity of the spurs (or canes) and vines, so as to equalize produc- tion and get large average crops of high-quality fruit; and (c) to lessen or eliminate thinning in the control of crop." In older, established vineyards with minimal disease pressure + Late winter or early spring is the optimal time to prune. + Examine buds, canes and trunks for evidence of winter injury. + Treating pruning wounds is essential for disease management. + Balance is the ultimate goal. AT A GLANCE and substantial rehabilitation. Any discussion of pruning concepts quickly muddles due to myriad complications and tends to digress into pros and cons of training sys- tems, since pruning and training are tightly woven together. However, there are universal concepts at play regardless of whether cane or cor- don pruning rules the roost. TIMING In the past, many growers were led to believe that pruning vines as early as November would reduce vine cold hardiness. But Tony Wolf, viticulture extension special- ist at the Alson H. Smith Jr. Agri- cultural Research and Extension Center (AREC) in Winchester, Va., advises the actual impact is mini- mal. "While there's some concern about the potential effects of very early pruning, the scant research µµCUTTING] µµITµDOWN] µµTOµSIZE] Creating dormant pruning strategies for long-term sustainability BY JANICE CESSNA