Early Season Canopy Management

My husband recently sent me this article about Early season grapevine canopy management, Part I: Shoot thinning. This is a very timely article because that is precisely what we have been doing.
This is what the article said about the benefits of shoot thinning:

• Improving balance between vegetative growth and fruit biomass
• Reduction of canopy density and fruit shading
• Reduction of disease pressure by reducing canopy density

When do to shoot thinning: Shoot thinning should be done early in the growing season, when shoots are approximately 5-6 inches long and not more than 10-12 inches long and performed when inflorescences are visible.
We began by shoot thinning our Chardonnay because we have noticed in the past that the Chardonnay takes off once it has achieved budbreak. The crowding of the Chardonnay canopy occurs very quickly if we are not on top of the shoot thinning.

Our next task was to shoot thin the Cabernet Franc clone 214. The bronze coloration of the new leaves reminded me a little of how Auxerrois new leaves look. We have two clones of Cabernet Franc, clones 214 and 327. Clone 214 was the first to have budbreak compared to Clone 327 and at this point, clone 214 is even ahead of the Chardonnay in terms of growth.
While shoot thinning the Cabernet Franc, my husband and I noticed that the Cabernet Franc already was showing it's tendrils. We can also see the beginning of the inflorescence on the new shoots!

References:
1. Maria Smith and Dr. Michela Centinari, Early season grapevine canopy management, Part I: Shoot thinning, May 19, 2017.