Growing Grapes Article 4 - Grapevine Kniffing Training Systems
In order to assist in the cultivation, harvesting, and pest control of your grape garden and to achieve high production, grapevines need to be trained to a specific system. The most popular and most effective training systems for backyard grape gardeners and grape farmers like yourself are the four cane and six cane Kniffin systems, and the single curtain system. Here is a quick guide to grapevine training that you should familiarize yourself in order to have a successful grape growing garden.
Lets start off with the first grapevine training system called the Four Cane Kniffin System. This system is well known and practical because of its straightforwardness. The system involves four canes, 2 on each side of the trunk, trained onto 2 trellis wires. (More on Constructing a Grape Trellis in Article 3.) Then you have four renewal spurs, short 1 to 2 bud canes, which produce canes in the desired direction the following year.
Similar to the four cane Kniffin system is the six cane Kniffin system. The only difference in this grapevine training system is that it trains six canes to three trellis wires instead of four canes to two trellis wires. Then you have six 1 to 2 bud renewal spurs. Keep in mind that the six cane system is best used for the less active varieties.
Finally we have the single curtain system. This grapevine training system consists of the trunk of the grapevine attached to a wire six feet above the ground. You have two horizontal cordons growing along the wire and extending about 4 feet in each direction. The fruit crops are produced by teh five bud canes on the cordons while the single bud renewal spurts provide for next year's canes.
Grapevine training systems are highly fundamental to growing grapes. Although the above guidelines should familiarize yourself somewhat with grapevine training systems, you should also check out some of the advanced training systems designed for both the professional and the hobbyist grape growers found in this fantastic
grape growing website.