From Seeds to Serenity: Production Of The Best Grapes Quality

1- Winter season

During December and January, pruning is yearly practiced to manage the quantity harvested and produce very good quality. There are many training methods depending on the variety and location

2- Spring season

• During March and April, plowing eliminates weeds that usually compete with grapevines for nutrients and water
• Fertilization: takes place between February and March where soil condition is taken into consideration through annual soil tests. It is manually. The type and amount of fertilizers depend on many factors: soil type, plant’s age, training system and environment conditions.
• During March and April, tying down the vines’ canes after the vines are first punned. This is vital for the future success of the crop. It is also key for producing the following year’s growth.
• Manual weeding is a part of integrated weed management that consists of removing the weeds between the vines to eliminate any kind of competition with the vines.
• Cluster thinning used to achieve yield quality during May and maintain adequate vine strength. It’s better to cluster thinning late in the development stage to allow greater precision in estimating harvest yields.
• Spring deleafing: from April till June consists of removing leaves from the vines in the area around the clusters to improve air circulation and limit diseases.
• Green pruning: during May, consists of removing the canes that has no fruit (suckers) to enhance the quality of the fruitful canes h) Berry thinning: during May and June after fruit set, is removing berries which help to produce clusters of better quality in shape and size.

3- Summer season

• Summer deleafing : during July and August , helps improve color from Green to yellow or red to purple when needed
• Cane topping during August, is the act of cutting off the canes in the middle of the row for better grapes maturity and coloring. It also helps canes lignification
• Harvesting generally starts beginning of September until November. Harvesting start usually when color turns from green to yellow or red to purple and when we usually have an increase in sugars and decrease in acides inside the fruits.