Home >
Home And Family >
Other
The type of grape trellis that you choose will depend on the type of grapes you wish to grow, your climate and the area you wish to plant the grapes. A grape trellis is used to bring sunlight to the grapes so that they ripen.Normally grapes in the wild may grow up trees and the fruit will not reach maturity because it is shaded. In an industry where grape is a product it is crucial that the grapes become ripe.
There are many types of trellis systems, the most popular being VSP or vertical shoot position. VSP has a single fruiting wire and the canopy is held above the fruiting zone, vertically. This type of trellis is easy to use machine harvesting and you can use cane, cordon and spur pruning. VSP allows plenty of light and air to contact the grapes and decreases the chance of mildew and rot.
There are specific trellises that are used to control vigor. Excessive growth can be an issue with grapes, as very high crops do not produce quality grapes. Scott
Henry trellis is used on very vigorous vines. Like VSP one half of the vine has shoots growing vertically. But the fruiting zone is split into two sections with a
nother area of shoots growing towards the ground. It resembles a mirror image of VSP with shoots growing both up and down.
In very hot climates such as the Mediterranean a lyre system is popular. The trellis system is shaped like a lyre, with two fruiting zones, one on each side of the lyre. This will provide some additional shade as grapes are in danger of being sunburned and shriveling due to too much sun, but they also allow airflow to get through the canopy.
The Geneva double curtain trellis was developed in Geneva NY and works best for Vitis labrusca grapes or table grapes. These grapes naturally like to grow up and
then have their shoots drape to the ground. The Geneva double curtain works in this way with a tall trunk and the fruiting area at the top. The shoots then are left to
drape back to the ground. Wine grapes do not do well with Geneva double curtain.
There are many other types of trellis systems and types of trellis systems are currently being developed for specific purposes. When choosing a trellis system make sure your grapes will receive enough light and air. You also need to think about how you plan on harvesting the grapes, as certain trellises systems will not allow machine harvesting.