Early in the season, vineyards that grow unevenly gets tipped to give the slower shoots a chance to catch up. By removing the growth tip you temporarily change the flow direction of nutrients and water in that shoot from upwards to downwards. This means that the other shoots gets a chance to grow to the same length so that you have a more uniform canopy.
This change of trans location direction also helps the shoot to attach firmer in the base eye. This helps the shoot to withstand wind a bit better.
Tipping also helps create side shoots. This is new growth with new leaves, which means new photosynthetic stations. It is important not to tip too early. You want to have a minimum of 5 leaves above the second bunch. Anything less will create a side shoot below the bunch and that shoot will take more energy away from the bunch.
Lastly tipping is done late in the season to stop/control vegetative growth in the vigorous blocks. This is to force the plant to contribute most of its water and nutrients to the bunches instead of new growth. Ideally, a vineyard block should be managed so that no tipping is necessary after Véraison (the onset of ripening visible through the change of color of the grape berries).
Tipping can be done with manual labour (the best way - better control as to the amounts taken off) or mechanically.
Here is a mechanical tipping mechanism.
That is pretty much the info you need on tipping. Here is a picture of a little warrior of the vineyard to end this post...
This change of trans location direction also helps the shoot to attach firmer in the base eye. This helps the shoot to withstand wind a bit better.
Tipping also helps create side shoots. This is new growth with new leaves, which means new photosynthetic stations. It is important not to tip too early. You want to have a minimum of 5 leaves above the second bunch. Anything less will create a side shoot below the bunch and that shoot will take more energy away from the bunch.
Lastly tipping is done late in the season to stop/control vegetative growth in the vigorous blocks. This is to force the plant to contribute most of its water and nutrients to the bunches instead of new growth. Ideally, a vineyard block should be managed so that no tipping is necessary after Véraison (the onset of ripening visible through the change of color of the grape berries).
Tipping can be done with manual labour (the best way - better control as to the amounts taken off) or mechanically.
Here is a mechanical tipping mechanism.
That is pretty much the info you need on tipping. Here is a picture of a little warrior of the vineyard to end this post...
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