As climbing plants, grapevines depend on climbing aids in order to thrive. From the numerous training systems, the following three basic types and clever further developments have emerged for the garden.

Grapevines are true climbers

The Gobelet system - tried and tested since ancient times

The traditional bush education based on the Gobelet system is particularly common in southern Europe. The vine trunk is kept comparatively short at 30 to 65 centimetres. The pruning is done in such a way that only 3-5 upward-growing legs remain. Individual wooden posts serve as supports. In autumn, these thighs bend to the ground under the weight of the grapes, like an open umbrella.

The Guyot system - popular throughout Europe

Named after the French scientist for viticulture studies, Jules Guyot, the system is still very popular today. It works just as effectively in commercial vineyards as in private hobby gardens according to this principle:

  • stretch a wire frame between wooden posts, on which the vines tend
  • Shorten the fruit cane closest to the trunk to 2 eyes in winter
  • tie the second closest fruit cane with 6 to 15 eyes along the lower wire

The height of the trunk varies between 25 and 70 centimetres, which gives hobby gardeners a welcome amount of flexibility. With a row spacing of 1.10 to 1.50 meters, several vines can be planted in this way, even in a small garden.

The cordon education

This variant scores with such an uncomplicated technique that it can be mastered without extensive manual skills. One or two legs of a grapevine are tied horizontally to a wire frame. This system can also often be found in facade greening with vines, as variants in a T-shape or as a one-sided angle are possible.

The ideal length of a leg is 1.20 meters, with a wide range of heights from 50 centimeters in the tub to 6 meters on a facade. A vertical outlet is drawn from every second bud or at a distance of 15-20 centimetres.

tips

If hobby gardeners also value a decorative appearance when training the vines, they opt for the pergola. The vines climb in the form of a 2 meter high arbor or a stretched wire net, so that maintenance work is carried out exclusively from below.

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Trees