Grapevines are genetic climbers who will cling to anything, including other healthy plants. As a result, if you do not provide adequate support, they’ll grow wild wherever they wish.
Furthermore, grapes are more susceptible to disease when left to wander on the surface. They are also in the path of ground-living pests, who feast on the fruit at every opportunity.
That’s where a trellis comes in handy for you. This blog post will tell you what a trellis is, plus the importance of having one.
What is A Trellis System
A trellis is a lattice-patterned framed screen or net. It can be placed horizontally in a grapevine garden to maximize growing space and light Penetration. A trellis system can be used both indoors and outdoors.
The goal is to curve and weave shoots through the structure’s holes. Trellising is the process of training vines to grow on a horizontal wire that is connected to overhead cables.
Benefits of Trellising Grapes
One essential factor in keeping your vines productive is keeping them organized. To grow healthy vines, you need to provide them with the right conditions. This begins with the proper spacing and good support.
You can create solid overhead wires that support your vines by trellising them, allowing them to grow long and strong. The benefits of trellising extend beyond just keeping your vines healthy and productive. It also helps to keep your rows neat, tidy, and organized. Let’s explore the many benefits of trellising your vineyard.
- Creates more space for Growth
If you appropriately trellis your crop, you will have massive plants with similarly huge yields. Trellising grapevines is a must if you are serious about cultivating grapes. Monster buds can form due to enhanced Growth and exposure to adequate light.
By providing something for them to cling to, you give the necessary support for their branches to grow swollen buds, which would cause the tree to
Break under standard conditions.
- It becomes much easier to control pests and diseases.
Grapevines are susceptible to various fungal diseases, which are more lethal in stagnant, damp air conditions. Improved airflow is developed with your vine on a trellis structure and appropriate canopy management, minimizing the likelihood of disease outbreaks.
Grape Fruits will not contact the soil when vines are trained to a trellis, thereby eradicating soil-borne fruit rots. Also, spraying your vines and getting more comprehensive and uniform crop coverage on a trellis is easier.
Moreover, with vines trained on a trellis structure, weed control beneath the plants is a breeze. Vine spraying can be done more efficiently without fear of weed-killer damage to the vineyards.
- It helps in light Penetration.
Grapes require light to flower and grow into preferable grapes. All grapes will produce more if grown in full sun than cultivated in shady environments. Photosynthesis in the leaves results in the high production of sugars needed to develop high-quality fruits.
Furthermore, the formation of buds is critical to crop production in the following years. It is dependent on light falling on emerging canes. Pruning, canopy management, and a north-south trellis alignment are all methods for increasing sunlight to grape plants. A well-constructed trellis also makes managing vine size, formation, and canopy easier.
- Helps in Making Harvesting Easier
Grapevines are vibrant climbers; while you can leave them to their own devices, a trellis system will provide additional support. If you do so, they will repay you with an abundant supply of bulky bunches of grapes.
Grapevines grow long tendrils that intuitively twist and curl around whatever they come across, whether an established woody stem, another shrub, or a trellis. They can not cling to walls or fences, so you’ll have to support them. Harvesting becomes a walk in the park with a trellis structure in place.
A sturdy, well-designed trellis makes harvesting easier. The selection of a trellis system differs based on whether the grapes will be handpicked or machine-harvested.
One of the most beautiful things about grapes is that they can stay long before going bad. Grapes that are ready for harvesting will have a whitish coating. Harvest your grapes when they are at their sweetest. You can keep them in a fridge or a plastic bag for two weeks.
The advantage of handpicking grapes is that you can train the pickers to pick just healthy and ripe fruits. Also, the grapes will reach the winery unbroken or undamaged. The downside to this method is that it is tiring and time-consuming.
Machine harvesting is quick, saves money on labor, and can be done at any time of day or night. However, it has many drawbacks. One is that the machines cannot select only the ripe and healthy bunches. So, you can pick mildewed, rotten, dried-out, and unripe bunches alongside healthy ones.
Although machine producers have devised methods to eradicate undesirable grapes, they are not as meticulous as well-trained individuals.
Types of Vineyard Trellising
The following are the most typical trellis systems:
- Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) System
- Cordon System
- Geneva Double Curtain (GDC) System
- Scott Henry System
The Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) trellis system is the most prevalent type. This system uses canes linked to a wire to train vines up it. This method is more frequent in warmer climates because it provides better ventilation around the fruit zone and decreases mildew and fungus danger.
Adding Vineyard Netting to Your Trellis
Vineyard netting is the next step after constructing your vineyard trellis. This method is the most effective and efficient way to protect your vines from birds, insects, and harsh weather.
Netting is available from vineyard netting suppliers.
Install grape netting over your trellis system by stretching it over a rope that runs along the top of the posts. If the rope is pulled tight, birds should not be able to get under the netting.
Drape vineyard netting over the trellis system, allowing it to fall on both sides of the vines while avoiding contact with the leaves or fruit. Pull the netting down over one side of a double-post trellis system, weave it through the posts, then pull it up over the other.
Conclusion
Trellising is an essential part of a vineyard’s system. Its benefits extend beyond keeping vines healthy and productive. It also helps keep rows neat, tidy, and organized.
If you plan to invest in a vineyard, include trellising.
EyouAgro is a world-leading agricultural protection textile company and is always at your service. We offer quality netting products for your vineyard. Our primary goal is to assist you in taking care of your vineyard.
Please contact us and make inquiries here today! Kindly also visit our website https://eyouagro.com for more information.
