The care of the vineyard is absolutely essential to obtain a wine of the highest quality, a prerequisite and a cornerstone in Bodegas Arzuaga. Therefore, we work in our vineyards paying attention to every detail. In our blog we have already talked about other processes such as the winter pruning. Today, we focus on a very delicate work that takes place in May: the green pruning.
Green pruning, also known as weeding, is a task that is generally carried out in May, once the vine has finished its budding and we already have the first buds on the vines. In order to start with the green pruning without damaging the plant, the branches must have reached 5 or 10 centimetres.
This is a process of vegetation control that is performed manually, without scissors, cleaning well the part of the vegetation that has no interest to remain: trunks, lower parts of the arms, base buds or old buds that grow along the vine due to an excessive sprouting. These parts of the plant could condition the grape ripening, since they would compete for the necessary resources for their growing, as well as for water and nutrients. For this reason, just the two buds that were previously marked in the winter pruning will be left. Only the shoots of those buds are the ones that will give the clusters sought.
Moreover, this task is a natural way to treat the vineyard so that it is healthy, avoiding the appearance of diseases because we achieve an improvement in the aeration of the plant, and thus avoiding the appearance and intervention of fungi. In order for this situation not to occur, it is also essential – as we indicated earlier – to carry out the process manually, without scissors or other devices. And is that after budding the sap is going up by the plant and the cuts can cause injuries that lead to fungal infection of the vine.
Once the green pruning is finished, it will be time to hold the vegetation with the wires, to prevent the external agents as wind, rain or severe storms during the month of June break the stems.
You can watch the video about green pruning in Bodegas Arzuaga at https://youtu.be/kxIq6BW8I5Q