How to Shape Grapevine
Properly shaped grapevines produce the highest yield of plump fruit. Vines that are not pruned become an unruly mess that will produce little to no fruit. Grapevine training takes approximately 3 years before edible fruit production begins. With the right amount of attention and adequate vine pruning, grapevines are a lovely addition to any backyard. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Year One
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1
Put the trellis in place. Position the top wire of the trellis at 5 feet in height.
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2
Grapevine Reaching Toward Trellis Wire Plant the trunk of the grapevine so that it is positioned in the center of the trellis. Use a wooden stake and twine to hold the trunk in a straight vertical position. Let the trunk grow until it reaches the top wire of the trellis.
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3
Grapevine Just Above Top Wire Prune all lateral shoots that grow off of the main trunk during the first year of growth, while allowing the leaves to remain. Cut off the tip of the trunk just above the top wire. Pruning encourages growth. This concludes year one.
Year Two
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4
T-shaped Trunk and Canes Cut off nearly all shoots in the spring of year two, leaving the two strongest. Gently bend each of these shoots horizontally and tie them to the top arbor wire. The vine now forms a T-shape.
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5
Continue to tie the growing shoots to the wire until they reach 5 feet in length. This properly shapes the grapevine to allow the best fruit production. The two shoots will harden into cane and and begin to grow vines.
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6
Direct the vines coming from the cane in a downward growth to avoid tangling. Maintain the vines throughout the year, but do little to no pruning during this year.
Year Three
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7
Cut back each vine along the cane with pruning shears, leaving three to five bud nodes per vine. Leaving more than this slows fruit growth.
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8
Weigh the amount of pruned vine to determine the number of fruiting buds you will leave on the grapevine.
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9
Healthy Fruit on a Grapevine Leave 30 buds for the first pound and 10 buds for each additional pound you pruned. This gives the grapevine a nice shape and promotes healthy fruit.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Grapevines produce many shoots. Improper shaping leads to a tangled mass and a minimal amount of fruit.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit cépage et terroir image by rachid amrous-spleen from Fotolia.com Reben image by Danijel Levicki from Fotolia.com entretien des vignes image by Philippe LERIDON from Fotolia.com Vigne sur piquets en granit , Galice image by JYF from Fotolia.com piante di sangiovese image by Lele from Fotolia.com
