EARLY GRAPES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 178, 30 July 1932, Page 17 (Supplement)

EARLY GRAPES

ATTENTION TO THE VINES. Vines that arc being forced fur early use by the aid of artificial heat, will soon be starting into growth and will need special attention. Ono of the most important matters in forcing early vines is to keep up an even, moist temperature, gradually increasing the beat as the vines advance in growth. If too high a temperature is maintained during their earlier stages of growth, weak. long-jointed lateral growth is almost sure to result, ■whereas, by allowing the vines to start slowly until strong laterals and a good show of bunches is apparent, they can be pushed on more rapidly with little or no risk of injury. A genial moist atmosphere is an important factor in producing an even break and strong, sturdy growth. To assist in securing this, the vines should be freely sprayed in early morning and later in the day when closing the house, while evaporating pans placed upon the hot water pipes, will assist in keeping up a moist temperature. As soon as sufficient growth has been made to enable the strongest and most promising laterals to be selected, the vines should be disbudded, removing all but the strongest shoots that grow out around the base of the spurs. Disbudding and Stopping. As the growth advances, disbudding and stopping will need frequent attention. so that a lot of growth will not have to be removed at any one time. This is important, for apart from the advantage of always being able to keep the work well under hand, there will be little risk of the vines being checked by too much loss of sap, which must naturally result when too much growth is removed from the vines at one time.

The stopping of the laterals must be regulated as the growth proceeds, by the space they are required to fill upon the trellis. The stopping may be made two or three eyes beyond the bunch, but there should not be less than two, and only then when the laterals are long and the bunch is formed well out from the base of the shoot. Plenty of good, health foliage is an important factor in the production of good fruits, I hough the foliage should be allowed ample room to develop without becoming overcrowded. As soon as the laterals have made a fair amount of growth, they should be lightly tied to the trellis to secure them from breaking off. This operation requires care, as the shoots at this stage are very brittle and easily broken. It is at this stage unsafe to attempt to bring the laterals at once

into their permanent position, as this can only be done with safety after more growth is made and the wood has become more hardened. Cool House Vines. In cool vine houses all seasonable work should by this time bo well under way. All the earlier varieties should have been primed as soon as the vines ripened and matured their wood, and shhuld not be deferred until the latest varieties are ready. In almost every instance, vines under glass are trained on the rod and spur system, so that the pruning is practically the same when trained in this way. The pruning then

consists in cutting back the laterals to within two of the strongest buds at the base of each lateral, not necessarily that two shoots should be allowed to grow to each spur, but as a safeguard, as one can always be removed or be kept shortened back after the shoot showing the strongest and most promising bunch is secured. Protection From Pests. The pruning completed, the next important work is to endeavour to rid the plants and house of the various pests that are such a source of trouble to vine growers. First remove all the loose bark from the vines, but do not scrape the canes with the knife as there is a danger of wounding the inner bark. The loose bark can, in most instances, bo easily removed by rubbing with a coarse cloth or brush, so Jong as reasonable care is taken not to injure the buds left on the spurs. The loose bark being removed, the vines should be well dressed with insecticide. Gishurst's compound, though an old remedy, is an excellent material for the purpose. As the object in dressing the vines with insecticide is to destroy any insect upon them as well as to check fungoid germs, every portion of the canes should be treated with the compound.

Finally make up a paint composed of clay, soot, and sulphur, mixed to the consistency of thick paint, and paint the vines so that a smooth, even surface is formed. Iu addition to cleaning the. vines, all prunings, leaves, and other debris should be burned, while, if the floor is composed of earth, it is better if a portion of this is removed. Clean and spray the woodwork, trellis, and every portion of the house where insect pests are likely to have secreted themselves.