Autumn Vines

With time, it was discovered that better quality fruit will grow on vines that are pruned back to distribute the bearing wood evenly over the vine. So in the winter months, when the leaves have dropped and the vines are empty of sap, they are pruned back almost to the main stem. In the Northern Hemisphere, this activity may occur anytime from November to March depending upon the local climate and weather. Pruning is an art of delicate balance; too much will cause small, uneconomical crops; too little will cause over-cropping and low-quality fruit. Pruning also facilitates cultivation, disease control and harvesting, when the vines are trained to a grow in a particular shape. It is a skill that requires experience and judgement and cannot be done by machine.