Hardscrabble Journal

Pruning Shears

A winegrower’s most important tool is the pruning shear. For most growers it is an appendage. When not in use it is usually carried in a worn leather holster strapped on the hip like a Western gun slinger ready at a moment’s notice.  This is pruning season and we now have our shears in hand for eight hours a day, every day. Early in the season we have to start by pruning only a few hours a day as we need to build up our hand muscles. 

There are two kinds of pruners one can purchase: expensive or very expense. Expensive are the Felco brand. Almost every grower I know uses them. They are Swiss made, extremely durable and have replaceable parts. I usually go through a couple of blades a year. Not because they break, but because I wear them down with daily sharpening. Very expensive are the off-the-shelf pruners one would buy at the local hardware store. They are inexpensive to buy initially, but only last a matter of hours before they fall apart with the constant big cuts required in the vines. 

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most physically demanding variety to prune. Its canes are of larger diameter and the wood is dense and hard. We will finish the last block this week. My right hand seems larger than my left. All bulked up. Good thing hand shaking is now taboo. I could unintentionally hurt somebody.

Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal: April 2, 2020