Hi. I have been told that the 23 of January is the day to prune grape vines back, is there any significant reason for this date.
Thanks
barry

Just one of those 'traditional' dates I suspect. There are some traditional dates in GB too for planting various things. Where I live the traditional day for pruning grapes is December 26th, although it is not Boxing Day here I still treat it as such and nothing gets done except the eating of left-overs! I prune mine during the first week of January - by then I am sick of the daily ritual of sweeping up the dead leaves and tendrils. Had a magnificent crop this year.

Mine were pruned last week...... my stallion 'Harley' came in the courtyard and gave them all a good munch....

It's that time of year when the sap is low and won't make the vines bleed too much when cut. The specific date is probably connected to some custom, saint's day, whatever, to make it easy to remember.

This year we tried leaving the vine in the shape of a T after pruning with the horizontal along the bottom of the fence, and then letting the vertical fruiting branches grow up the fence. This is its second year giving fruit, and from the 4 plants we got 60+ bunches.

Why bother enormous ones in Xativa last week all colours were 75 cents a kilo. Our own ones were eaten by our climbing hens when they resembled tiny hard peas.

I bother because I like the small red seedless, and I can pick them when they are exactly as I like them.

I agree, if I could buy a good seeldless then I might not bother. I just don't like the overripe sickly ones you can buy.

The ones I bought were huge and crisp neither overipe or sickly but each had two tiny pips.

Lucky old you.

There is a certain pleasure to growing your own. Citrus is another. Neither in the UK or here can I find oranges with adequate acidity.

Ours are huge navalinas, The best oranges I've ever tasted and they start in December and last until end of May. Must go have students at 9.oclock.

We have one huge navel tree, and several small ones, and they are the sweetest in the orchard, but if allowed to get too sweet they lack acidity.

Mind you, they are then nice if cut with grapefruit juice, I'm told.