How to Grow and Prune Grapevines

Growing a successful grape crop depends on pruning and training individual vines.

Grapevines are among the first fruit cultivated in recorded history. Long before men domesticated the plant, wild grapes were used to make wine. Today, the process for cultivating grapevines is essentially the same as it has been for thousands of years. Grapevines that are properly pruned and maintained may last 100 years or more. The key to growing long lasting grapevines is to establish and prune them properly.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears
• Shovel
• Bamboo stakes
• Soft cloth plant ties

Instructions

1. Examine young grape transplants. Young plants have multiple vines. Prune away all of the vines except the single strongest vine.

2. Plant the grapevine in full sun and well-drained soil. Grapevines grow well on the south slope of a hillside. Place the grapevine beneath a grapevine trellis that has support wires placed 3 and 6 feet off the ground. Open a planting pocket in the soil that is twice as wide but no deeper than the grapevine root ball. Fill in the space between the grapevine root ball and the wall of the planting hole with soil.

3. Place a bamboo stake in the soil behind the grapevine to train the vine upward. Tie the vine to the stake with soft plant ties. When the vine is long enough to reach the trellis, remove the stake and tie the vine to the trellis. Remove all side shoots to encourage the vine to grow upward.

4. Pinch off the tip of the vine when it reaches the top of the trellis. Allow four side shoots to develop. Tie one side shoot to each trellis wire. The grape-bearing vines will grow from the side shoots.

5. Prune the vines each fall to keep the grapevines at a manageable size. Grapevines that bear fewer fruit will produce fruit of higher quality. Cut back 1-year-old canes at the end of each season to a length of four buds.

References

• University of Missouri Extension: Home Fruit Production: Grape Training Systems
• Ohio State University Extension: Pruning Backyard Grapevines in the First Three Years
• Iowa State University Extension: Pruning Grapevines

Resources

• University of Minnesota Extension: Growing Grapes for Home Use