Hi Dear Readers! From this point on in the Blog series, I will be focusing on pre-harvest practices . This canopy management post may be seen as reaching you a little late, but as we should avoid hedging or topping after Veraison, there is still room for this discussion. The information from the following posts was gathered from several sources. Please see the bottom of the article for links and more information. Why focus on hedging specifically? Most of us take on the practice, but we may not understand that the timing of the practice has important implications for fruit quality. By this time of the season, most canopy management practices may be finished- or if not – completed very soon. Shoots should be tucked (to avoid “scalping when hedging!) and leaf removal/hedging close to completion. What is Hedging/Topping? Hedging is the removal of about 25 cm or more of the shoot apex (shoot tips) of vigorously growing primary shoots (these may be lateral shoots if growin