Grapevine Training for Galleries
Climbing plants and especially grapevines are ideal to create green projecting roofs in form of a "gallery." Some examples are illustrated here. This type of façade greening originates from southern countries, where the oven-like temperatures emanating from walls are rather harmful to the espaliered vines. Hence they are trained away from the walls, providing much needed shade at the same time.
For supports, sturdy mountings or wall brackets are required, through which wires or wire ropes can be threaded parallel to the wall. The brackets are available from metalworking shops, and you will need to make sure that their loading capacity is adequate for high fruit yields, windy situations etc.
The interaction of vine and trellis for "gallery greening" occurs as follows: the yearly new shoots first grow upwards, then with increasing weight gradually bend over until they end up lying on the wires, where they get entangled with each other. The images below illustrate some training variations, which can be changed and combined.
- Wine galleries as a green porch
- Photo illustrating Variation 03: Cordon close to wall, predominantly trained in a tight "comb-like form" (see below), before winter pruning.
- Photo illustrating Variation 05: A cordon well away from the wall, trained as a "curtain" (see below), before winter pruning
- Trellis systems for wine-galleries are usually available form the local building fitter.
- Combination of several training variations on a gallery (see below), before winter pruning.
Erziehungsformen für Galerie-Reben
- The Setting
A schematic illustration of a wine gallery above a house entrance, constructed with long brackets and either tensioned wires or fitted rods.
- Variation 01
Near-wall Horizontal Cordon with Spur Pruning, suitable for galleries less than 0.5m wide. For denser foliage, change pruning gradually to Rod Pruning.
- Variation 02
Near-wall cordon for galleries approx. 1.0m wide.. The side shoot positions are approx. 60cm apart and get Cane Pruned. Each year, one new side shoot position is added on each side.
- Variation 03
Near-wall cordon in a tight "comb" form for galleries more than 0.5m wide. This form can be developed from Variation 02. In that case each of the 2 - 4 shoots on the "comb teeth" is Spur Pruned.
- Variation 04
Near-wall cordon in a wide "comb" form, suitable for galleries 1.0m and more metres wide. The side shoot positions on the "comb teeth" are variably arranged and, depending on the distance between them and the desired foliage density, can be either Spur, Rod or Cane Pruned.
- Variation 05
In contrast to Variation 01, here the Horizontal Cordon with Spur Pruning was established further away from the wall. This form is suitable for the "curtain training" with the greenery drooping towards the front.