GroGuard - Innovation in vine and tree establishment

Training vines onto the wire

Once vines come out of the GroGuard and reach the wire, they must be trained regularly. Routine training trips through the vineyard, as with traditionally trained vines, begins at this point.

Leaving vines to "look after themselves" risks damage to the vine and lost growth.

Training vines unilaterally (one way, "L"-shaped)

GroGuard’s unilateral top shape holds the shoot securely until it reaches the wire.

As soon as the shoot is long enough to reach the wire, it should be secured – e.g. with a taping machine.

Training vines bilaterally ("T" shaped)

GroGuard’s bilateral top shape encourages the growth of the top two laterals to make two permanent arms.

Vines being trained bilaterally ("T" shaped) must be secured while the leader grows sufficiently to be ready for heading or "topping", and after that there will be a period of a few weeks while the two uppermost laterals grow sufficiently to be trained onto the wire.

The vine is very vulnerable during this period and several simple methods have been developed to secure the shoot. The simplest is to stuff a small piece of old newspaper in the top of the GroGuard to stop the shoot moving about. Another method is to secure the shoot with a piece of string, or a rubber band put over the top of the GroGuard when it is installed.