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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Karen Atkinson on April 01, 2012, 08:24:50

Title: This was a mistake wasn't it?
Post by: Karen Atkinson on April 01, 2012, 08:24:50
So..I know I left it too late to prune my vine in the (unheated) greenhouse but I had to tackle the triffid in the end..and did so..yesterday. Sap was dripping from where I pruned it. That's bad, isn't it?
Title: Re: This was a mistake wasn't it?
Post by: saddad on April 01, 2012, 12:17:07
As long as it stops by dinnertime it should survive...  :-X
Title: Re: This was a mistake wasn't it?
Post by: ed dibbles on April 01, 2012, 14:21:42
Late pruned vines pruned do "bleed" as a way of re-adjusting the sap flow to the remaining buds.

This often look very alarming but we are led to believe has no effect of either subsequent leaf growth or fruiting this year. It's most unlikely to kill your vine as they are tough plants bursting with life as your triffid perfectly demonstrated last year.;)

Once the vine has reached equilibrium and the cuts healed you will hardly believe the vine looked so much in trouble now.
Title: Re: This was a mistake wasn't it?
Post by: laurieuk on April 01, 2012, 14:46:22
Vines under my care were pruned late whilst I was off work and we had a ---------- job to stop them bleeding. Almost everything we put on was pushed off and the crop from those vines that year was very poor. I am talking of indoor vines rather than out door and they were pruned late Feb after the heat has been turned on.

Quote from: ed dibbles on April 01, 2012, 14:21:42
Late pruned vines pruned do "bleed" as a way of re-adjusting the sap flow to the remaining buds.

This often look very alarming but we are led to believe has no effect of either subsequent leaf growth or fruiting this year. It's most unlikely to kill your vine as they are tough plants bursting with life as your triffid perfectly demonstrated last year.;)

Once the vine has reached equilibrium and the cuts healed you will hardly believe the vine looked so much in trouble now.
Title: Re: This was a mistake wasn't it?
Post by: ed dibbles on April 02, 2012, 08:17:00
laurieuk, Shame your last years crop was poor.

How was the growth? Both severe pruning and poor fruit set means the vine will put all it's energy into growth perhaps with even more top growth to prune in the dormant season.

We had very poor weather during flowering last year and many vines had a poor set - but you should have fared better inside. So I would say it was either the late pruning, the generally poor weather at flowering or that the vine wanted to put all it's energy into leaf/stem growth rather than fruit.

Let's look forward to better crops this year. :)