1. How to Prune Grapevines Part One
Buds, Nodes & Shoots
Tim Creagh
Lecturer in Viticulture

2. Introduction
Pruning is one of the most important operations carried out in the vineyard and is one of the most expensive and time consuming

3. Introduction Pruning time gives the opportunity to:
Regulate the form and size of the vine
Regulate the vigour of the vine
Regulate the quantity (yield) and quality of the grapes

4. It Starts in the Bud
The bud contains the shoot, the leaves, tendrils and flowers, ready to burst and grow in spring A bud is found in the nodes of grapevine shoots These buds appear single but in fact, comprise at least three 'true' buds and a lateral bud

5. Bud
Node

6. Internode

7. Cut the node in half and you can see the buds

8. Shoots Tendril Leaf Flowers
In spring the main bud bursts to become a shoot
The shoot will produce the flowers that become the fruit
Flowers

9. Shoots
As well as producing fruit for this season the shoot develops the buds for next seasons growth Later on the shoots harden, turn brown and become canes

10. The shoot……….
becomes the cane

11. Canes A shoot becomes a cane after periderm formation
From these canes will come the shoots that will carry the crop for the next season
But canes will only produce fruit if they come from buds that have been left deliberately (if you can count them)
Otherwise....

12. They are Watershoots
The difference between a watershoot and a count shoot is....

13. Watershoots
Watershoots from nowhere
Count shoots from count nodes

14. Therefore… Pruning is a matter of leaving count nodes
Count nodes are the nodes that you deliberately leave at pruning
Count nodes are always from wood (canes) that grew in the last season
These canes come from count nodes from the previous season
They are not from watershoots

15. Recap…… Nodes contain buds The main bud bursts to become a shoot
The new shoot produces the flowers which become the fruit
At the same time the new buds are forming in the shoot
Shoots become canes when they turn brown
Only canes that come from deliberately left buds are used for pruning which are found on count nodes

16. Before we move on Blind buds Basal bud
Buds that don’t burst
Basal bud
A bud at the base of a cane
They don’t normally burst in the same season as buds at nodes
These can remain dormant for many years
But when they do burst they produce....

17. Watershoots Watershoots come from buds that have been dormant
But during this time they lose the fruitfulness
And that’s why they look like they come from nowhere!

18. One last thing! Bud swell and bleeding
Bud swell is when the buds swell and become fluffy just before budburst

19. Bleeding
When a cane, spur or cordon is cut close to bud burst time the cut 'bleeds'
Bleeding is due to increased sap flow within the vine, which brings carbohydrate from the roots and trunks
It can also bleed early on in the pruning season if it rains heavily followed by warm weather

20. Next…..Cane Pruning