(Wines&Vines) - Veteran farmers from Independent Grape Growers of the Paso Robles Area (IGGPRA) will demonstrate critical pruning techniques and discuss the practice during a seminar Jan. 10. 

Organizer Lowell Zelinski is vice president of IGGPRA and owner of Precision Ag Consulting. He consults for or manages some 1,500 vineyard acres in the greater Paso Robles AVA.

Pruning is essential, he stresses. “It keeps the vines in balance, keeps the amount of fruit in line with the growth on the canes and shoots. Pruning is the first step in canopy management. It can also contribute to disease control: Eutypa can be managed with accurate pruning,” he said.

Although many IGGPRA members know the basics of pruning, Zelinski acknowledged, “The seminar will teach the 5-acre growers the basics and teach mid-sized growers with up to 50 acres how to evaluate their current pruning practices.”

While labor shortages have seeded the growth of mechanical harvesting in many grapegrowing regions, mechanical pruning is less accepted. “In addition to mechanical pre-pruning you can actually mechanically prune, but it has absolutely no finesse,” Zelinski said. 

Getting heady

Head-trained vines are a traditional pruning pattern; many of California’s oldest heritage vines are trained in this trellis-free method. Zelinski said about 5% of the vines he tends are head-trained, ranging from two to 66 years old. 

Richard Sauret, who for decades supplied Zinfandel grapes to Alameda, Calif.-based Rosenblum Winery, now farms 21 acres—100% head pruned. He thinks that head-training is returning to popularity due to its efficiency during California’s continuing water crises.

“I’ve been farming grapes in Paso since 1952,” Sauret said. His vineyards are sparsely planted with 604 vines per acre, yielding a scant 2-3 tons per acre. “I dry farm when I can,” although he has supplemental irrigation to keep the vines alive during drought periods, including the past three years. 

“I think vine density should be limited to 750 per acre,” he said. “If ground water levels continue to decline, people will be pulling out every-other vine, and soon will be out of business. I think our water issues are more serious than people are taking them.”

Sauret says he opts for quality vs. quantity. “If you put three calves on a cow, they’re all going to be runts. I’d prefer one healthy calf,” he reasoned.