Pruning and training

Abstract

It has often been said that there are as many training systems for vines as there are people doing that training. It might be also said that books or articles written on pruning and training are as diverse as the authors themselves. Nevertheless, while books necessarily repeat many common aspects, most take a particular view that, in many cases, can be complementary to those published elsewhere. I hope this book is no exception.

I have written it from the standpoint of cool climates in the belief that such climates bring with them specific benefits and problems that can affect the way we approach pruning. You will notice that I have adopted a number of new approaches to analysis and interpretation of pruning and training in the hope that these will add to our understanding of the vine and its management.

To some extent this is a detailed elaboration of the pruning and training section of an earlier book (Jackson & Schuster, 1994).