The Cordon or Wall System of Growing Grapes

There are those who have tried out the Labruscan varieties from Ontario. These cannot be grown under Guyot pruning methods but must be cultivated by a simpler system such as one main rod plus six strong side growths, which are pruned back hard each January.

In the spring choose the stoutest and strongest growth and tie this perpendicularly to a stake. Cut out all other growths and concentrate on this one. Do not carry out any summer pruning, just let this strong rod develop naturally. Next January cut this rod back to within 3 buds of its base. When the 3 buds grow out, keep them, tying them to stakes or bamboos so as to form a goblet shape. Do not do any summer pruning.

The leaves of the vines grown against walls are often attacked by Red Spiders, and the answer here is to syringe the under surface of the foliage in the evening, twice a week, from the beginning of June onwards. In cases of bad attack some liquid derris should be added to the water.

Do not, however, allow 12 rods to be produced or you may not be able to ripen the fruit. Stick to 6 or 7 rods tied to strong bamboos or stakes to form a goblet and gradually these shoots will bear more bunches of grapes up to, say, 8 per rod. Do not be tempted to reduce the pruning by cutting say to 5 buds, and do not be tempted either to try and make the vine crop more heavily.

Some people give each vine one stake, 4 feet out of the ground, and then, instead of tying the rods out to ‘form a goblet, they merely tie the tips of the rods to the top of the stakes to form an inverted cone. By the way, do not allow the young cane to go on growing after the requisite number of bunches of grapes have been produced. You should always pinch out the growing point at 3 leaves beyond the top hunch.

Those who don’t believe in straw mulching may like to know that the prunings and foliage of healthy vines may be roto-tilled shallowly into the soil, in November, and so help to keep up the humus content. By rotary hoeing you smash up the prunings which then soon decompose.

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