Cuppy leaves and stump shoots
Glenn, and all who read my previous post about leaf shape,
I just finished my morning inspection tour and pruning duty. Now I see what
you are talking about. I was envisioning really tulip shaped leaves which
were very small. Now, having waded into the middle of the plant, hoping that
those snapping sounds were not signs of permanent damage to vines, I see what
you are talking about. The leaves which fight for light are smaller and, as
you say, "cuppy." Probably the answer to the issue of what to do with them
lies in math. Figure the surface-area-per-leaf equivalent factor for cuppy
leaves vs flatties, and prune accordingly to get equivalent areas. Maybe one
of the guys with many vines will be willing to do this in his spare time!
Meanwhile, another issue. It seems to me that each year about this time the
stump goes through a mid-life crisis and tries to produce a whole 'nother set
of vines. The result is that I have to wade into that area of mature, brittle
leaves and hack out these little upstarts so that I will not have mess of
weak growth that invites powdery mildew. Is this common with you all? If so,
what do you do, besides hire a midget with a razor to crawl through the
plant, silently assassinating the upstarts?
John in San Jose
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