Method and apparatus for raising vine plants

A method of raising vine plants, comprising the steps of:

• A. growing a plurality of vine plants in the earth arranged in substantially parallel rows with a trunk of each of said vine plants extending generally upward from the surface of the earth on a trellis structure within their respective rows;
• B. growing a plurality of canes from said trunk;
• C. segregating said plurality of canes to form one or more fruiting canes and one or more renewal canes, said fruiting canes for growing a crop therefrom during a first growing season and said renewal canes for growing said crop therefrom during a second growing season but not during said first growing season;
• D. extending each of said fruiting canes generally upward from said trunk along said trellis structure;
• E. training each of said fruiting canes on one or more upper support members of said trellis structure to form an upper canopy;
• F. training each of said renewal canes on one or more lower support members of said trellis structure to form a lower canopy;
• G. forming a zone of separation vertically disposed between said upper canopy and said lower canopy;
• H. growing said crop in a generally pendant relation from said fruiting canes during said first growing season, said crop extending generally in the direction of the earth surface substantially in said zone of separation;
• I. harvesting said crop from said vine plants;
• J. removing said fruiting canes from said vine plants;
• and
• K. moving each of said renewal canes from said lower canopy so as to extend said renewal canes generally upward from said trunk along said trellis structure to convert said renewal canes to a plurality of new fruiting canes for said second growing season.

A method of raising vine plants, comprising the steps of:

• A. growing a plurality of canes from a trunk of a vine plant;
• B. segregating said plurality of canes to form fruiting canes and renewal canes, said fruiting canes for growing a crop therefrom during a first growing season and said renewal canes for growing said crop therefrom during a second growing season but not during said first growing season;
• C. training said fruiting canes on an upper support member of a trellis structure to form an upper canopy;
• D. training said renewal canes on a lower support member of said trellis structure to form a lower canopy;
• E. forming a zone of separation vertically disposed between said upper canopy and said lower canopy;
• F. growing said crop in a generally pendant relation from said fruiting canes during said first growing season, said crop extending substantially in said zone of separation;
• G. severing said fruiting canes to dry said crop on said vine plants;
• H. harvesting said crop from said vine plants;
• and
• I. moving said renewal canes from said lower canopy so as to convert said renewal canes to a plurality of new fruiting canes for said second growing season.