Shoot thinning is a critical canopy management step in the vineyard. Shoots are removed in spring to avoid too much shoot density and over-crowded vine canopies. Removing extra shoots increases air flow and canopy sunlight exposure, which helps reduce disease issues when incorporated with a preventative fungicide spray program.
This video shows you how to conduct shoot thinning in a cane-pruned vineyard during early spring. Shoots are less than six inches in growth at this stage and are at the earliest stage that you would want to conduct shoot thinning in a vineyard. Waiting until shoots are at the 5-6 leaves stage is the ideal time to shoot thin the vineyard, but often growth is so rapid that the process has to be started early (<6" growth stage) and completed before the shoots lignify and require more effort to remove.
