Grape Pruning: An Overview

Along with weeding and pest control, pruning your grapes is one of the top three tasks that every grower should master. Pruning grape vines is important for controlling your grape production and the quality of your grapes. If the vine produces too much fruit not only will it not be able to ripen on the vine, but next year's crop will not be as bountiful. On the other hand, if you overdo it, you could end up pruning away too much and the vine may end up with more wood than fruit - which is equally undesirable. The right balance is therefore critical.

Do Not Prune Your Grape Vines in the First Year

The first year of growth the grape vine needs to establish itself, so no pruning is needed. Let the stems and leaves grow abundantly and the main upright stem strengthen. During this time the root system will be establishing itself. Once the plant is dormant (during the Winter) you can select the strongest stem, and prune all remaining stems around the base of the one you have selected to be the primary stem. Watch the plant during the fall and continue to snip away any stems that emerge. In a large vineyard, pruning may continue through the dormant period if you have not reached all the plants, and should be completed by early Spring.

During the second year, the stem will put out arms, which can be trained along a trellis or fence. The idea is to let two of the strongest side stems become the fruit bearing arms of the vine. You can prune all the other stems that shoot out from the main trunk during the second year of growth. Encourage growth from the sides of the vine by pinching the top of the main trunk if necessary. While the plant is still growing in the second year, you will be focusing on developing the basic frame of the vine, which is a strong stem with two main arms or branches that bear the fruit. As new branches grow that do not fit within this basic framework you can clip them off. By the time you reach the dormant period of the second year, your vine should be in good shape.

Growing the Vine

Over the next couple of years, continue to prune the grape vine to maintain its shape and train the two main arms along the trellis as they develop. You will probably want to tie the main trunk to the trellis, as well as the two main branches, to ensure they grow in the direction you desire.

Controlling Fruit Production

Too much shade created by an abundant canopy of leaves can prevent your grapes from ripening. Prune the leaves during the growing period so that the clusters of grapes are exposed for ripening.

Your vine branches must produce new canes or spurs every year on which to grow the grapes. It is important to leave some of the buds growing from year to year, removing the old ones and controlling the number of new ones that develop. You will recognize the new buds by their one or two leaf joints. Clipping back the new ones will encourage more to grow, thus increasing the fruit production in the following year.

Tools

To avoid injuring the plant, using the right tools is important. Typically hand pruners are used for delicate clipping jobs, loppers are used for larger stems and handsaws can be used for stronger limbs.

Experience Counts

With a little experience pruning your grapes you will soon get the hang of what to clip and what not to clip. Practice is the best teacher, so just give it a try and monitor your results to develop your own successful techniques.