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Table grapes zone 4b/a - 2 trunks vs 4? 4 foot canes vs 8 foot?

I am growing seedless table grapes in zone 4b/a.

My plants are in 50 foot rows planted 8 feet apart, 5 plants
per row. The trellis is a Geneva double curtain (2 parallel
wires, 4 feet apart @ 6 feet from the ground). Rows run North – South.

Due to the cold I am growing multiple trunks to have backups
in case of winter kill.

I have the following questions:

1) Is there a benefit to having a fewer number of trunks in
that energy more easily reaches roots? Eg. 2 trunks with 1 or 2 canes each. 4 trunks with 1 cane each.

2) Is it better to have fewer long canes or more shorter
canes? Eg. 2 canes, 8 feet long each or
4 canes, 4 feet long each? Total cane lenght each (mature) plant of 16 feet.

3) General advice it to trim trunk at top wire and in next
year grow a cane from trunk along top wire and then either cane or spur prune.
Right now my trunk has grown up to top wire AND 8 feet along the top
wire. Why can’t I just leave the whole
thing as one long trunk as opposed to trimming and growing a cane to replace
the potion of trunk I cut off. Something
to do with the canes fruiting better right?

I am going to experiment with different growing options and
cane vs spur pruning. Given that I have multiple trunks I will probably try both cane and spur pruning for each plant as well as laying down the trunk vs leaving trunk exposed during winter.

Now onto my training questions. I have several options.
As metioned it is a Geneva
double curtain running north-south with a east wire and a west wire.

Option A) 1 trunk
growing up to east wire and growing cane 8 feet north with other trunk growing
up to east wire and growing cane 8 feet south.
I would alternate plants, eg the next plant in the row will grow on the
west wire.

Option B) 1 trunk
growing up to east wire and growing cane 4 feet north with 2nd trunk
growing up to east wire and growing cane 4 feet south. 3rd trunk growing up to west wire and growing
cane 4 feet north with 4th trunk growing up to west wire and growing
cane 4 feet south.

Option C) 1 trunk growing up to east wire with 4 foot canes
growing north AND south. 1 trunk growing
up to west wire with 4 foot canes growing north AND south.


What do you think?



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