Fruit-Thinning Semillon

Our weekly meeting is a great opportunity to give our staff row of Semillon a bit of fruit thinning. Fruit thinning is a technique used to concentrate the vines energy into fewer hand selected bunches.

Fruit thinning works in conjunction with trimming of the canopy. Trimming the top off the shoots stimulates the vine into producing lateral growth from this area. The vine now has an extra 30 cm of new, fresh, small leaves just ideal for a photosynthesis ‘boost’ of energy. The vine now converts this new energy into the accumulation of sugars within the berries.

Our staff had a great time clipping off the bunches’ ‘shoulders’, second set, and any substandard bunches. The next step is to protect our premium bunches from the birds!
By Leisha Van der spek