Do you know what it means to shave the buds off the vine?

Hello! In this week’s article I ask you the following question: do you know what it means to shave the buds off the vine? I continue talking to you about the vineyard, in the previous article I told you about the spikes and the importance of their choice and today I talk to you about another no less important task that is usually carried out to a greater extent on the low vineyard depending on the type of pruning that is carried out. apply to it.

What is a yolk?

The first thing is to explain to you that a bud is what will become a shoot in a few months and that next year it will become the thumb of the vine. The buds are the indispensable part of the vine, since they are the ones that will produce the fruit of the vine, the grape. So we have to take care of them just as if they were our children.

What does it consist of plucking the buds from the vineyard?

This task consists of removing the upper or long buds as they are called here, from the thumbs of the vine. As I said at the beginning, it depends on the type of pruning, since if we have carried out a short pruning (by this I mean that we have only left two buds on each thumb), it would not be necessary to do it.

But it is very common that from time to time we miss a thumb with three fingertips, in this case the top one would have to be removed. Also, it is mandatory to do this to new vines until they are old enough to be able to prune two buds.

New vines usually have their thumbs much longer than older vines. This is done mainly to be able to tie them to a fork or stick that will serve as a guide and support so that the new vines do not tip over. That is why in these new strains it is essential to carry out this work, since otherwise, the head that would form would be disastrous, full of ups and downs.

Why is it important to scrape the yolks?

First of all, by the appropriate path that the thumbs should follow, by this I mean that it is advisable to leave the fingertips closer to the arm, so that the aforementioned does not lengthen so quickly. But you may think that if you leave all the buds, the following year you will be able to choose and leave the right one. I tell you no, because the topmost yolk is going to pull much harder than the bottom one and generally it’s going to prevent the proper yolk, which in this case is the bottom one, from being born.

Secondly, to control the amount of grapes that a thumb must produce. I think that at most, it should produce 4 clusters, two for each shoot. This way it will not be overloaded and you will have higher quality clusters.

When are the buds shaved and with what tool?

The ideal time is during the months of January and February, before the buds begin to appear, it can be extended until the beginning of March depending on the terrain, since there are areas in which, due to the temperature, they are born later than in the rest. and others just the opposite. That is why it is important to know the habits of our farm or area, so we will arrive on time.

The tool that we usually use in this area of Montilla is the typical pocketknife that we also use to harvest grapes.

I hope I have been able to resolve your doubts about the question I asked you at the beginning and you already know more or less how to answer it, so, do you know what it means to shave the buds off the vine?

By Rafael Espejo.