(21 Exclusive Ways) How To Prune Grape Vines – Beginners Guide

A grapevine takes time to grow, and it requires a lot of maintenance to get maximum production. Pruning is an essential operation in regular grape production. Grape pruning regulates fruit production and growth.  The concord is a type of grape from which most of the juices , jelly, grape soda have been produced because of its distinct flavour. So this makes concord grape pruning very essential process, to produce great vine.

How To Prune Grape Vines
How To Prune Grape Vines

The main aim of pruning vine is to increase the amount of a year-old wood without promoting the plant to produce many grape clusters. Also, pruning grape vines creates an orderly pattern for the same vines.

Learn about when and how to prune grape vines during growing season .

How To Prune Grape vines In Summer?

You must have heard about pruning grapes in winters, but it’s essential to do a bit of maintenance during summers. Regular grapevine maintenance is required to keep the grapes fungal-free. 

Step 1

Always look for the long vine that passes from a bunch of grapes. Now, cut it so that foliage of leaves just covers the bunch. 

Step 2

Clip back the trellis to non-producing grape vines. In the beginning, they used to protect the grapes from rain, and now they are just creating a dense canopy. 

Cut the right vine to improve airflow. 

Steps 3

Open up the canopy so that sunlight can pass through the almost full-size grape. However, the sunlight increase sugar content, and bunches become more delectable. 

After a month you will see grapes ready for being harvested. For a quick guide take reference from the below how to prune grape vines video step by step.

How To Prune Grapes

How To Prune Grape vines In Spring?

Pruning grape vines spring can improve the growth and production of grapevine. As the vine grows fast, there may be foliage and dense canopy on the upper part. It will block the airflow and sunlight, which can reflect the photosynthesis process.

Check how to prune grape vines in spring.

Step 1 – Safety guard 

Wear glasses and gloves before pruning. Always cover your eyes with glasses to save them from twigs or leaves.

Step 2- Trimming

Now, examine the extra canes. Trim the extra canes from the trunk.

Step 3 – Selection of Shoot

Select the one shoot per cane. Remove extra nodes to prevent the trellis from the heavy mass of vine. 

Step 4 – Cut the Suckers

Cut off the suckers completely. If you see any sprouts below the graft, cut them too, as these won’t produce fruit like the fruit-producing canes. 

How To Prune Grape vines From Home Garden?

The best for prune grapevine is march and February. Check the procedure of how and when to prune grape vines in your home garden. Check how and when to prune the grape vines in the home garden.

#1 Starting with Young Plants

You will notice a robust root system with several barren shoots at the top in a new plant because it’s not be pruned.

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During the spring season, reduce all these shots to one. Also, cut it back with the three buds. 

Step 1

After the plantation, the vine will grow, and new green shoots will push out. When the shoots grow 8-12” long, choose one shoot and support it using stake from top and bottom. And remove the remaining shoots.

Step 2

When the shoots are growing through the summer season, keep it straight and prevent it from breaking. However, the shoot will become your permanent trunk and lasts the whole life of a vine. Keep the shoot straight always. 

#2 Dormant Pruning 

After one year, the first trellis wire may reach up to 30”; cut it down to 3 buds again. Setting a second trunk is essential. 

  • Tie the long shoots to stake and cut the 4 to 5 buds away from a tie and bend the remaining shoot down to the wire. 
  • Sometimes shoots may grow above the wire. Choose 2 laterals very close to wire and prune three to five buds.
  • How to train a grape vine– For training grape vines the latest shoots to the next wire and cut down the shoots that grow from the summers’ root area. 

#3 Pruning of Establish Grape Vine

The canes which already produced fruit this season won’t grow again. So, the pruning of old canes is required. 

There are different methods of pruning grapevines like Cane pruning, Kniffen pruning, or the Cordon system. 

Cane Pruning – In cane pruning, a permanent trunk is set, and new canes are picked every year from the head. Only one or two canes are kept with every 7-10 buds long, and the rest of the canes cut down. Always choose thin canes and leave spur canes by cutting two buds each. 

Kniffen Pruning – It is somewhat like Cane pruning, but at the main trunk with the two levels. The two levels one at a lower height and the second one is at 30”. Due to climatic conditions, the upper shoots overshade the lower level shoots, so the Kniffen pruning is not used much. It is avoided to use and is not much effective as other types of pruning.

#4 Thinning of Shoot

Due to high nitrogen content in the soil, sometimes grape vines are vigorous and produce too many unproductive shoots. It is known as canopy management. The thinning node aims to balance the amount of productivity and leaf growth. Too many nodes can block the sunlight, and there won’t be effective photosynthesis. 

#5 Grape Arbor’s

It can add shade and fruit to the garden. You need to set a permanent trunk above the Arbor with short spurs. If there are many old canes, cut half of them completely.

However, the new shoots will provide renewal canes for the coming year. Find below my top pruning cutters and shears picks for you

How To Prune Grape vines On A Fence?

You can grow grape vines on a fence; it will enhance the backyard’s beauty and provide a green environment. Check how to prune grape vines on a fence.

How To Prune Grape Vines
How To Prune Grape Vines

1 Use of Existing Fence

An existing fence can be tough to grow and prune grape vines. The existing fence will make it difficult for you to reach all the grape vines, making them vulnerable to rodents. 

Your fence should provide proper sunlight and wind to the grape vines for better production. Even you can grow a low yield of grape vines to decorate your backyard fence. 

2 Requisites

  • Grape vines need 60 and 100 square feet of space and 6-8 hours of sunlight daily. It’s advisable to keep the area of the 4-foot diameter of base weed-free.
  • Grapes can grow in different soils. The roots of the vines can go deep up to 15 feet. You can grow table grapes in richer soil, while the wine for grapes is often planted on rocky soil.
  • Under rocky soil, there is less fruit and more skin- which is required in wine production.
  • Choose a disease-resistant cultivar; it will minimize the chances of pests and other plant diseases
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3 Materials Required

Specific materials are required to enhance the growth of the grapevine. Build a strong metal or wooden stake to increase the yield. 

It’s suggested to use a thick wire like 12 gauge. You can get all these materials from nurseries or hardware stores. 

4 Approachability

If you are growing grapevine in your fence, the whole vine should be easily accessible. Allow small space around the fence to monitor the growth, pruning, and trellising. 

All the grapevine parts and areas should be easily approachable as you need to maintain the vine regularly. 

You may also like to read below tips and tricks on gardening.

How To Prune Grape vines Video

There are numerous videos available on the internet on the pruning of grape vines. Few organizations and people have posted the whole procedure of pruning grape vines during different seasons. 

The videos can help to understand the requirements and procedures of pruning thoroughly. 

Moreover, you can take an idea of how to grow grape vines in a fence or trellis. 

How To Prune Grape vines Pictures

You can find several pictures related to the species of grapes and pruning procedures. Go to the internet and search for the kind of pictures related to grapevine you want to see. 

Universities and professional producers of grapevine uploads photos to describe the pruning fully. 

How To Prune Grape Vines On Trellis?

Have you ever come across the wild or abandoned grape vines?  Grapevine can survive up to 100 years with proper care. Check how to prune grape vines on the trellis below:

Trellis is the best choice to grow your grapevine. Implement sturdy trellis if you wish to grow grape vines for the very first time.

Step 1- Plantation

Plant the new grapevine and set up the trellis according to your space.

Step 2 – Management of the grapevine

During the early stages, you need to tie up the plants to hang on themselves till they become tall

Step3- Grapevine Support

Use a support system to manage the heavyweight of grown-up grape vines. Support your Grape vines

  • Grape vines grow fast. The weight of a fully grown vine can’t handle by small structures, so build the trellises sturdy initially. 
  • Plant lines of rootstock followed by stake and wires. You’ll find it best during the pruning of grape vines.
  • You can use walls and trails to grow a grapevine in your small garden. 

How To Prune Grape vines In Winter?

It is better to prune the grapevine during late winters. Removing all the damage and extra canes will help the plant to produce fruits next year. 

  • Prune during late winters – Prune the grapevine during late winters, when there is no fruit on the vine. By chance, if you prune at the beginning of the winters, you will have many canes.
  • Use loppers to cut off the canes – Check the base trunk and trim away all the extra canes. They can get entangled with fruit breaking parts. Attach the fruit-producing canes to the cordon. 
  • Keep track of pruning – Look for the tangled canes, carefully separate these entangled canes from each other
  • Remove the damaged canes – Examine the grapevine thoroughly to check the plant’s splintering or faded part. Use loppers to cut that damaged part completely. 

How To Get Grape vines To Produce Fruit

Usually, it takes almost three years to get fruits from an established grapevine. And these three years are worth waiting as it can give you fruit production for nearly 40 -50years. Proper grape tree care and nourishment on vines during the first year can speed up the fruit-producing process. 

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Check how to get grape vines to produce fruit below.

Step 1- Check the PH

Examine the pH of the soil before starring plantation of grape vines. And keep monitoring it periodically to enhance the growth of the plant. The pH should lie under 5 to 6 values. If the pH is lower, add the lime, and for higher add sulfur to the soil. 

Step 2- Add fertilizer

Pour eight punches of fertilizer to grape wines within the first week of the plantation. Then pour 1-pound fertilizer before the 30 days of spring.

Step 3- Watering the grapevine.

During the first two years, frequent irrigation of grapevine is required. 

Step 4- Pruning

Prune grapes regularly to prevent overcrowding or entanglement of canes.

Step 5 – Check for infestation.

Check for the disease of insect infestation regularly. The insects or rodents can damage your grapevine. Consult with an agriculture expert.

Step 6 – Maintenance

Regular maintenance of the grapevine is essential. The yield of the first two years may be less, but it can increase with time. 

What Is The Best Time Of A Year To Prune Grape vines

When we grow grapevine, we must know how and when to prune grapevine. Regular pruning is essential. But there is a specific time to prune the grapevine to enhance its growth and fruit production. 

The most convenient time to grow grape vines is late winter and they are more dormant in February. Plus, the growth of the vine will begin in spring. There won’t be any fruit-producing shoots. You can easily cut off the extra canes. 

The bottom line

Grape vines can be grown in the backyard too with a small investment. By investing for three years, you can get up to fruit production of 40 years. You should always do pruning to increase the growth of grape vines. 

I hope now you will be well versed with when and how to prune grape vines. You should try various procedures and techniques to prune the grapevines. You can try canes or the Kniffen method to prune the extra canes. It is one of the best pruning techniques.

Below are some most asked FAQs on How To Prune Grape Vines.

Q1: What happens if you don’t prune grape vines?

The drawback of not pruning grape vines is that the plants produce a lot of foliage that becomes huge bushy. This restricts the plant’s capacity to produce buds.

Q2: Are coffee grounds good for my grapevines?

coffee beans furnish grape producers with a few advantages. Their natural material added to soil helps water maintenance and goes about as a nitrogen-rich compost for the plants, which energizes development.

Q3: What is the best fertilizer for grape vines?

Apply 5-10 pounds (2.2-4.5 kg.) of poultry or bunny compost, or 5-20 (2.2-9 kg.) pounds of a steer or bovine excrement per plant. Other nitrogen rich grapevine manures, (for example, urea, ammonium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate) ought to be applied after the plant has bloomed or when grapes are about ¼ inch (0.5 cm.)

Q4: How do you increase the yield of grapes?

Yield in wine grapes must be expanded by expanding the number of powerful buds per plant or by improving the adequacy of a similar number of buds. A successful bud is ideally rich and sprouting will consistently occur.

Q5: Can you prune grape vines during growing season?

Yes. We can definitely prune grape vines during its growing season, the fruiting shoots that that produce during this time will be managed better. So it will not harm the fruits and their canopy.

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