Two basic options: Spur pruning

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Wine

By Jancis Robinson

Published 2006

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Spurs are cut to retain only two buds, while canes are longer, typically with five to 15 buds. In the spring, each bud on the two-bud spur normally produces one shoot. In autumn, these shoots become woody. During winter pruning the cane growing from the uppermost bud on the spur is removed, and the cane from the bottom bud is cut back to two buds, creating the new spur. The vine’s physiology determines that, when a cane is cut, the last two buds will burst. This is the reason for the common two-bud spur. If spurs were left with three buds, the bottom bud would often not produce a shoot, and so the spur position would move further and further from the cordon or head as the years passed.