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Fruit & Orchards

Grape Vine Pruning

16 years ago

I have a grapevine that grows along my fence. It had a beautiful crop of grapes last year and has had nothing this year. My father in law had pruned it back to nothing last fall except a little stub coming out of the ground and now that it has produced nothing this year he as done the same. Is this the proper way to prune this at the end of the season and why didn't we see any grapes this year?

I am not a green thumb but curious what we should be doing different.

THanks

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Comments (3)

billv
16 years ago
The best thing you can do is to not let your FIL anywhere near your grape vines ever again. Second thing is, leave a selected number of buds from this year's growth to produce the bearing wood for next summer. You don't say how you have the vines supported but on the 4-arm method, I think the recommendation is to prune to keep about 10-15 buds on each arm.
cnetter
16 years ago
Grapes fruit on the previous year's growth, so no wonder you aren't getting any fruit. He's cut it all off.

Definitely keep yout FIL away from the grape.

There are loads of web sites on pruning grapes. I'm not as technical as most of them, but I just remove most of branches, especially old ones, in the spring, and leave plenty of new, previous years branches which will be the ones producing fruit.

I'm de-stemming my forth bowl, and then have to go and pick some more.
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Only being one yr vine there can't be much old growth, what a foot or two? It will only fruit on canes that arise from the wood it grew this year. So save one or two of this years canes about 5-10 buds each. When those buds push the canes that form will set clusters. I'd save no more than about 4-6 clusters next year. I've found grapes overly vigorous in my greenhouse if planted in the ground. In pots they can be controlled. Mine in 12 gal pots bore about 4-6 clusters the second year and 10 the third. That's as much as I'll leave going forward.
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Hi Carol, I have a grape vine that I will have to prune too. I am new to grapes and just moved it last spring, so I'm not sure whether I should let it grow and establish itself this year, or prune it first thing. I do think any pruning in general would be better off late in the winter, because with our crazy weather this year and the warm weather during winter months, I wouldn't want to encourage growth before spring. I think this unseasonably warm weather makes us feel like spring is around the corner and we get itching to get out there and start gardening (g).
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nice looking vine! I'm as clueless as you say you are about grapes, but, I know the old, fruiting canes don't re-fruit the following year. Heck if I know what the old canes look like, so, I just cut back a little of everything. This way, the new growth from last year will fruit. If you cut back the new growth from last year too much, nothing will fruit. If the canes are long enough from last year's growth, they will fruit. It might take another season for your young canes to bear fruit. Sorry if this is confusing. I just cut back a little every year and let it grow on and not worry too much. I'll let the "vintners" out in Calif. worry when they're making my wine. :-)
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bob3
16 years ago
I'd like to suggest using Duct Tape on your FIL the next time he wants to "help".

I've seen the "radical prune method" applied as standard operating procedure to very old vines in France, but the main trunk was as big around as my arm with a big knob on top.
Not using any wire, the vines were more or less just in a big wad.

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