The photos below were collected Thursday, November 12, 2020. Dissecting the dormant compound buds on grapevine canes can reveal damage to the growing points. At the Los Lunas ASC vineyard, the temperatures dipped into the teens in late October...just days before Halloween when it snowed about 6 inches. All vines were in the green vegetative state and were just beginning to "shut down" and begin the acclimation process. When a grower mentioned to me that he was going to cut some buds and inspect them for possible damage I decided to do the same. Most of the buds I cut and inspected were viable and in good shape...some however, were not. Look for yourself at dissected buds visible in the photos below.
First, I selected several sections of dormant canes and brought them inside. They were held for ~24 hours at room temperature and provided with water to keep them hydrated.
The first bud I dissected by cutting the top 1/3 of the bud off, revealed that both the primary and secondary growing points were black and likely non-viable. The third bud or tertiary bud, seen here on the right of the section is green and is likely viable. The tertiary buds can grow new vegetative tissue but is usually non-fruitful. You can do this at home ....simply use a very sharp knife or better yet a razor blade to cut off the top 1/3 of the bud in question. A hands lens is useful to magnify the dissected bud for more clarity, especially if your eyes are like mine.
All three buds or growing points appear green and viable in this bud. Well, they were until I cut the bud open to inspect it! But with only one short section of cane harvested from each vine...minimal to no damage is done, relative to the pruning that will occur later this winter. This bud was taken from the relatively new hybrid variety: Enchantment. Enchantment is a recent release from the University of Arkansas, and is a teinturier variety, meaning its berries have red flesh as well as red skin.
Notice the cinctured area on this cane. It was caused by its own tendril wrapping around the cane as it grew. The tendril is seen here removed, and lying to the right of the cane. Not sure if this constriction hindered the growth of the cane...but it is something to be aware of and if seen, cut away to allow the cane to grow 'normally'.
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| First, I selected several sections of dormant canes and brought them inside. They were held for ~24 hours at room temperature and provided with water to keep them hydrated. |
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| The first bud I dissected by cutting the top 1/3 of the bud off, revealed that both the primary and secondary growing points were black and likely non-viable. The third bud or tertiary bud, seen here on the right of the section is green and is likely viable. The tertiary buds can grow new vegetative tissue but is usually non-fruitful. You can do this at home ....simply use a very sharp knife or better yet a razor blade to cut off the top 1/3 of the bud in question. A hands lens is useful to magnify the dissected bud for more clarity, especially if your eyes are like mine. |
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| All three buds or growing points appear green and viable in this bud. Well, they were until I cut the bud open to inspect it! But with only one short section of cane harvested from each vine...minimal to no damage is done, relative to the pruning that will occur later this winter. This bud was taken from the relatively new hybrid variety: Enchantment. Enchantment is a recent release from the University of Arkansas, and is a teinturier variety, meaning its berries have red flesh as well as red skin. |
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| Notice the cinctured area on this cane. It was caused by its own tendril wrapping around the cane as it grew. The tendril is seen here removed, and lying to the right of the cane. Not sure if this constriction hindered the growth of the cane...but it is something to be aware of and if seen, cut away to allow the cane to grow 'normally'. |
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