How to Prune Grapevines in the First Year

The first three years of a grapevine’s life are largely to train and establish the vine, as opposed to producing wine or table grapes. Grape vines, as a rule, are pruned heavily each year to promote growth and good crops. During the first year, your goal is to help the plant establish itself on the trellis system and develop a strong root system. Here are the basic steps.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Gardener’s gloves
• Pruning shears
• Twine
• Stake
• Trellis

Prune One-Year Old Grape Vines for Good Roots

1. Stake and tie the vine to enable the development of a strong trunk. As the vine grows upward, continue to tie, using twine.

2. Remove all lateral shoots. These side shoots naturally spring up along the upwardly growing main vine, so you want to remove them until the main vine reaches the desired height at the top of the trellis.

3. Remove any grapes. The reason is to minimize the amount of energy the plant has to invest in growing the grapes so it can route it elsewhere.

4. Top off the vine. When the vine reaches the desired height, pinch off the end shoot. This starts the vine growing laterally across the top horizontal wires of your trellis. These new lateral vines will become cordons from which the next year’s growth will spring after winter dormancy.

5. Trim any stray shoots during winter dormancy. The young cordons may have put off some additional side shoot vines. Trim or pinch these off during late winter/early spring before the plant shows evidence of growth.

Tips & Warnings

• Pruned grape vines don’t need to be tossed. They can be used as wreaths, easily shaped when they are freshly cut and supple; dried grape vine clippings are popular as a flavoring wood for barbecues and grilling.

Resources

• Grape Vine Pruning Years 1-3
• Trellising Techniques (illustrated)