This years crop and cluster thinning

[wood1954]

My grapes are doing the best ever this year. Early in the spring I was afraid I overpruned, but now they are doing very well. I’m experimenting with cluster thinning on four rows and letting the other rows be as productive as they are. I’ve thinned to one cluster per shoot. There is a lot of contradictory data on cluster thinning, I couldn’t find anything specific for cluster thinning Marquette grapes. Most research focuses on European grape varieties which generally have a long growing season compared to northern grapes. Anyone have experience thinning Marquette please chime in.

 

[Vern]

My grapes are doing the best ever this year. Early in the spring I was afraid I overpruned, but now they are doing very well. I’m experimenting with cluster thinning on four rows and letting the other rows be as productive as they are. I’ve thinned to one cluster per shoot. There is a lot of contradictory data on cluster thinning, I couldn’t find anything specific for cluster thinning Marquette grapes. Most research focuses on European grape varieties which generally have a long growing season compared to northern grapes. Anyone have experience thinning Marquette please chime in.View attachment 101883

They look really nice. Two years ago I tried a similar test, didn't notice much difference.

 

[ChuckD]

What % of clusters would you say you are removing? I believe I’ve read elsewhere it may affect both yield and quality. Do you plan on fermenting them separately?

 

[wood1954]

What % of clusters would you say you are removing? I believe I’ve read elsewhere it may affect both yield and quality. Do you plan on fermenting them separately?

On the four rows I did, I took them down to one cluster per shoot so 50%. I’ll probably ferment it all together, but analyze the juice separately. I think Vern is right probably won’t be a lot of difference, Marquette can handle a lot of clusters, last year I stopped counting on one vine at 160 ripe clusters. Every vineyard is different, Vern has better soil and warmer climes than I do, so maybe I’ll have less but bigger clusters. It’s still a new variety so we need to experiment with it.

 

[Vern]

On the four rows I did, I took them down to one cluster per shoot so 50%. I’ll probably ferment it all together, but analyze the juice separately. I think Vern is right probably won’t be a lot of difference, Marquette can handle a lot of clusters, last year I stopped counting on one vine at 160 ripe clusters. Every vineyard is different, Vern has better soil and warmer climes than I do, so maybe I’ll have less but bigger clusters. It’s still a new variety so we need to experiment with it.

My testing was limited to brix, ph, and taste.

 

[wood1954]

Can’t hardly tell the difference between the thinned and unthinned vines. The vines are super productive this year. Average cluster size is biggest I’ve had yet. The fertilizer I put down the last two years must have finally worked down to the roots.