Walking along the vines and pulling off the suckers is a simple task. The suckers can simply be bent and they will come right off. Their removal encourages sap to rise in the vine. I discovered the act of removing suckers to be quite pleasant. One is out amongst the vines doing a task that permits the mind to wander. At the same time there is a strong life force going on in the vine. Leaves have now burst forth. It was only a few days ago the buds were swelling. Soon the small grape clusters will flower.
One needs to be vigilant in removing suckers. It seems as though another will spring forth within seconds of removing one. Actually it may take a few days and it was more likely that I just didn’t originally see the one that appeared to grow in seconds. So now my vineyard task is to remove the suckers and marvel as the vine produces leaves and berry clusters.
Cheers,
Terry
New growth on the Dornfelder vines
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