How to Double-Prune Grapevines

Grapevines are double-pruned to protect from disease and cold.

Double-pruning a grapevine is a common practice in regions where a hard frost occurs in the spring. This practice protects the grapevine from damage during a cold snap. Other grapevine growers double-prune their grapevines regardless of frost issues to reduce the spread of disease, in particular Eutypa lata. This disease cannot be killed with chemicals and is best controlled by delayed or double-pruning to reduce the spread of spores in good weather.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears

Instructions

1. Prune grapevines early in the year, in February or March, removing most of the vine brush and getting rid of old, diseased or dying vines. Pruning while it is still cold also reduces the chance of disease spreading from vine to vine.

2. Cut back the remaining wood, node by node, until you reach green wood.

3. Wait until the first bud-break later in the spring. If your main canes were left longer, the apical buds will come out before the basal buds. Once the apical buds break, the chance of frost is usually small and you will be able to prune more efficiently the second time.

4. Cut any shoots or buds that developed much earlier than the basal buds on the same cane. This will ensure productivity later in the season. Any buds injured by cold should also be cut.

References

• Rist Canyon Vineyards: Grapevine Pruning and Training
• North Carolina State University; North Carolina Winegrape Grower's Guide; Pruning and Training;
• University of California, Davis; Double Pruning of Grapevines: A Cultural Practice to Reduce Infections by Eutypa lata; E. Weber, F. Trouillas, and D. Guble