The main role of grass cover is to protect the soil. Cover cropping with grasses includes a wide range of techniques that differ by their nature (spontaneous or sown grass cover) and in the way they are managed (permanent or temporary, mowed, clipped or buried in the case of green manures).
When the rows are spaced one meter apart, it makes it difficult to manage the soil with a permanent cover crop.
On wider vines, however, it is much easier. There are several reasons for this:
- The zone of the trunk where the canes are formed is higher up, which means the grass can grow to a considerable height without impacting the clusters.
- Sheathing is easier in this context, keeping the mulch in continuous action. Indirectly, this helps to manage water resources more efficently.
- It is easier to adjust the amount of competition to which you expose the vine (width of the grass strip...)