The Guoyt is an arched cane pruning system that’s used internationally with great results. But what does this entail, and why is it not used more frequently in South Africa? Johannes Richter investigates.
The Guyot system is described as a pruning method much the same as the one used with table grapes. This is what Thomas Babl’s father Ludwig, a German, was known for when he started farming in South Africa in 1995. “We have successfully applied Guyot to Chenin Blanc for the past 25 years,” says Thomas from the farm Lindenhof outside Paarl.
Method
Guyot is run on the same principles as vertical shoot positioning, but involves the bending of long bearers for arms and two-eye taps – preferably between the long bearers – for next year’s arms, “explains Victor Rossouw, farm manager of Thelema….
