We prune our beloved plants to create a more lush plant, higher produce yields and to increase the health of plants. Grape vines are no exception.
Keeping the vines pruned keeps them producing higher yields each season, makes the individual bunches of grapes larger, healthier and juicier, and allows air flow and sunlight to penetrate the entire vine allowing the vine to sustain the grape clusters.
There is no exact science to trim grape vines. If you accidentally cut off a branch you wanted to keep, wait a year, and another branch will grow into its place.
Gather Your Tools
For grapevine trimming you will need hand pruners and a pair of gloves (optional).
Decide When to Trim the Vines
Ask four different gardeners when the best time to trim a grapevine is, and most likely you will get four different answers. There are reasons for both summer and winter pruning of grapevines.
The absolute best time to trim personal grapevines is when they need it.
They need air flowing through the leaves, and sunlight hitting the clusters and leaves to produce the best flavor, so begin by pruning the vines to keep them open and not shading themselves with overgrown shoots.
Start Trimming
For higher yields make your cut beyond the second bud on the shoot. A shoot is the smaller, pencil width vine which holds the grapes, and a bud is the place where the shoots emerge.
Buds look like leaf or flower buds. Grape clusters grow on last year’s growth, so leaving at least two buds on each shoot will allow the vine to produce the following season.
Cut-away any shoots that are growing straight down or in odd directions, as these won’t receive enough sunlight or air flow to produce healthy fruit, or they may also shade parts of the vine where production is normally higher.
Clip any branches that are growing from anywhere on the vine other than on the cordons.
Cordons are the lateral branches where shoots begin.
Grapevines are very hardy, and they try to make new stems anywhere there is a bud, so you may need to trim extra growth from around the bottom of the vine as well as from the cordons and shoots.
If you accidentally cut more off the plant than you wanted don’t worry. Grape vines are very hardy and can handle it. I have cut the vines completely and started over more than once, and they always come-back stronger than before.
great article!
The photos in the grapevine article have considerable grass growing around the vines. Is competition a very big issue for their production?
Thank you. I’ve been pruning a grapevine for years and doing it wrong. I can’t wait until next season to see the results of my proper pruning.
Is this the right method for Muscadines, too? Mine are pulling the supports over and I need to prune soon but it’s still so warm here, just had a couple of 56 deg. nights and that’s the coldest so far.
TJ,
As far as I know, yes, that’s how to do them. Some are grafted so you should check the variety. Depending on where you live I’d still wait for them to go dormant, or as dormant as they are going to get.
I am moving out of my house and have Niagara and Concord grapes that have done exceptional the last couple years, even though I only have had them for 2 years. I pruned heavy last year and this year they went insane. I was going to wait until winter to dig them up to transplant them to my new home. Will digging up and definitely messing with the roots prevent them from doing well in the future if I end up cutting some of the roots (they are next to a chain link fence, so I imagine the roots will get lopped pretty good.)
Michael,
As long as they are dormant when you move them they should transplant fine. Normally by this time in November we’ve experienced a hard freeze here in Ohio and all of our plants are dormant. But this year we still haven’t had that hard freeze. The first hard freeze where the temps dip down to about 28 F. or so and stay there for a few hours is considered the hard freeze that we need. In some places that has happened but here in Ohio were still waiting.
Another benefit of pruning grapevines is that material for making wreaths is acquired. The round wire bases that are used for making wreaths makes a nice reusable jig for grapevine wreaths.
Contrary to what a previous poster (Gale) has listed here a long time ago. Cordons are indeed the lateral branches of the growing grape vine. Mike was correct with his description.
Growing grapes since 1964, now have 150 varieties
I prune in morning so it looks good to me-then go to lunch
After lunch I go to same plants & remove 50 % of what I left this morning
Works every time
I have a question, I planted a Niagara grapevine this spring. I planted it in full sun , it is not really growing fast. I am in N.C., , does anyone have any ideas or solutions to my problem?
This is normal. Usually it take 3 years of training and growth to get grape production from any grape. If you do get grape flowers in the second year you should cut them off. Grape plants need a large root base to produce well. A hint I can give you is every spring give them a full can of old skunky beer. It is a good fertilizer that doesn’t overdo it for the plant.
Thanks for the info, we didnt get any flowers this past spring but it had a little growth spurt, but it was a super hot summer and seemed heat stressed. Hopefully this year will be better. if not do you think I should lift and amend soil or move it in the fall? It was a bareroot so I dont know if thats why its taking so long! Its only maybe 3 ft tall? Im going to cut it back 2 inches soon since we finally got some cold weather hopefully that will get it growing this spring, and it will get a good drink of beer too,lol !!! Any more advice or ideas would be great!
My bare root took off later than my pot that I bought. About 4 yes.
The pruning method described in this article is called “spur pruning”. Another method is cane pruning. Some varieties of grape plants require one of these pruning methods. However, both of these pruning methods work for the tree varieties of grape plants I have, and I can even mix these two methods for one plant.
If you want to know more about these pruning methods, please do a Web search. There are many good articles and videos on these pruning methods.
Also, grape plants require, winter pruning and trimming in late spring and early summer.The best time for spur or cane pruning is February or January, During the growing season, vines eight-leaves away from fruits should be trimmed. I do this trimming almost every week.
I always like to read your advice on plants. You have definitely been around plants but not grapes. Wherever you got your info on pruning grapes evidently has not had grape vines. Cordons are the wires that hold the vines. Normally I plan on 5 laterals each side of the main trunk. This makes each vine stretch about 10 ft. This is for Concord grapes. Thompson Seedless prunes differently.This may help get more grapes for your readers.
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I hae concord black grapes. Unfortunately, I did not realize the need for pruning, and now it has overgrown with lengths of cordons. I have cut a lot this year and now I have practically naked cordons that had growth on the ends of them. Any suggestions will be appreciated
Elki,
Grape pruning is usually done in a pretty aggressive manor, I think you’ll be fine. Prune aggressively again next winter.
cordons are NOT the wires
Our grapes developed some sort of disease. The grapes would turn black. This is the second year. Should we cut it back to the ground? get rid of them totally? spray with something?
I have grapes here at the park I work for and our grapes were black and worthless last season. I found out from a vineyard that it was probably a fungus from the humid wet summer we had. An anti-fungal spray would have probably fixed it (might be your problem too) I don’t spray them here though.
was it mummy disease?
Sounds like black rot. Its a fungus and is prevent by getting a spray program started. I use immunox by spectracide.
Here in North Central Nc (Piedmont area) we have a problem growing table grapes. We were told that if you plant your vines in an area where pine trees have grown and the land has been logged, The pines leave a fungus in the ground that will kill the grapes. The fungus stays in the ground for at least 50 years after the pines (roots) are gone. It was a big disappointment for us!!!!!
Karen,
That sounds really odd to me, I’d talk to the local extension office.
I’m looking for an answer to this question also. My grapes do the same thing every year. The growth of the vines were unbelievable, I have a garden patch that has wire surrounding it and the grape vines grew all the way around this patch very aggressively. Last winter I cut back aggressively. This spring it is growing but I still think that it has a disease. Should I get rid of the plants and start again. I have never gotten any grapes. They went black before they could develop. BTW, one grape was a white seedless and the other was a red grape. Neither grape vine produced edible grapes. I really want to get rid of them and start again. I’ve had them for many years.
Trudy
Trudy,
I don’t know but I’d probably replace them with something that is more likely to produce with little effort.
We moved into a house near Baltimore with lots of grape vines, but two seasons of no fruit. Location gets lots of sun and the fig plants usually give a large harvest. Back yard gives apples, pears plumbs and blackberries.
We have an abundance, but want grapes. Last years crazy Winter accounts for some pf the poor growth; we had to cut back heavily but were buried in plumbs. Any ideas?
Is it better to cut back potted shrubs when you take them in for the winter or when you bring them out in the spring ?
It depends on the shrub, if you want to reduce or maintain a specific size, when it flowers, and if it flowers on new or old wood. With the botanical name and your location you can be more certain when to prune.