During this period the bush is already spending a lot of strength on filling the berries. If you leave all the young shoots to grow further, a significant part of the nutrients will go to the leaves, not to the harvest.

What needs to be done?

• Examine the bush and find long green shoots that continue to grow actively.
• The tops of such shoots should be pinched or cut, leaving approximately 10–12 well-developed leaves above the upper cluster. Exactly they will provide the berries with nutrition, and the excess growth of green mass will stop.
• If there is a lot of foliage near the clusters and they are constantly in the shade, carefully remove only a few leaves from the sunny side. Do not overdo it — the leaves are necessary for photosynthesis, so completely bare the clusters is not worth it.
• Also remove weak, damaged and barren shoots. The bush will ventilate better, and the risk of fungal diseases will decrease.
• After pruning do not forget about moderate watering and feeding with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. Exactly they help the berries accumulate sugar and ripen faster.

A little work at the beginning of August often gives a noticeable result already during harvesting: the clusters look neater, the berries grow larger, and the taste becomes richer and sweeter.

This material was prepared by the editorial team using artificial intelligence tools. All information has been verified and edited before publication.