Grow Your Own Magazine

I've been trying to understand the seemingly complicated routine of pruning grape vines. I've looked it up in various books, and understand that you prune differently at different times but it all seems double dutch! I'm never too sure on the different bits, eg which are 'laterals' etc. when they start on cut this bit to that bud etc etc it loses me. Is there an easy way of understanding what to do, or an idiots guide to... which doesn't get all technical? I sometimes think these books try to baffle us with tecnique when it's all alot simpler than it sounds!

This was worrying me about growing a vine, but then I read about an easy way of doing so in a container a la Bob Flowerdew. If you can reserve a copy of his book called 'The No Work Garden' through your local library, it goes into simple detail of how to do this - well worth a look. Sorry, I can't remember exactly how it works off the top of my head. Good luck.

When I had a vine I used to prune it like this - There should be a main stem or rod and from this there will be several places that produce side shoots or laterals. Cut the laterals back to 1 bud in the depths of winter, when there is no sap rising or the vine will bleed badly and could even die. Allow the new growth to develop and when there are some flower buds evident SNAP of, don't cut, the shoots 2 leaves beyond the flower.

Vines are very vigorus and during the summer you will need to snap of all the extra side growth to keep it in check and allow the fruit to develop. It is a bit primative but it worked for me

If you have enough you can even make wine with the prunings

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

Hi Stig, I think you're right most of it is written in double dutch & I'm sure it doesn't need to be so confusing.I have a grapevine growing over an arch & all I do is cut back the stems growing off the main branches to within a few buds of the main branches in winter, I did this a month or so ago when there were no signs of growth, as Roitelet says so there is no sap rising,& then in summer I pinch off or cut the stems a couple of leaves past where there are flowers developing. You should also pinch off the flower bunches if you have lots along the same lateral to leave just one or two on each to get a good size fruit.It does get a lot more complicated if you are fan-trianing a vine or following various other pruning methods but this basic one works for me.

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

Thanks, that sounds so much easier than the 'experts' versions. It was a bit of a bargain, reduced to £2.45. I figure if I kill it, it's not a major expense down the pan, but I'm hoping it'll do well and give me lots of yummy grapes in exchange for a litle tlc.

Hi Stig

I have three vines, one very old which covers the terrace in the summer - thick enough for birds to nest in it and two newbies in the potager. The older one - probably the best part of 20 years old gets hacked back in the winter - and I mean hacked right back. An old guy in the village with a similar vine - it's a wine grape not a table grape - told me to just cut everything back to the main branches in January which I did last year and the result was the most wonderful fresh covering across the terrace. So done the same this year.

Table grapes tho, different approach, I agree with Roitelet on those, much more gentle to maximise productivity of the plant.

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TonyF, Dordogne 24220

Hi,

We used to have quite a substantial vineyard in the place where I grew up and this is how my grandfather taught me to prune the vines. I dont claim this to be 100% correct but it worked. This was in a warmer climat, however.

The key thing is leaving two or three shoots on each branch each given year (three for a strong vine, two for a weaker one). You get grapes on these shoots, then at the end of the year the top shoots are cut off leaving just the first one, which then acts as a stem for the next year's shoots.

Here are the pictures.


The first year after you planted the vine, you might want to leave quite long shoots, to let them climb up whatever supporting structure you have.


Next spring, leave three buds on each of the main branches (or two buds for a weaker vine, as I mentioned before). These will develop into green shoots that will bear this year's fruit.


After the flowers have developed, pinch off the green shoots two-three points after the last flower. Also remove any secondary green shoots as soon as they begin to develop.


Late in the autumn (or indeed very early in spring), cut off the two-year-old branch together with the top shoots from the last year. If you had left three shoots, then remove the top two; if you had only left two - remove the top one, leaving just the very bottom one.
(NB! If the bottom shoot is not the strongest one among the three, cut it off close to the stem and leave the strongest one instead)

On the remaining shoot you want to leave just two or three buds for the next year. Prune the rest of the branch off. If the strongest buds are positioned further up the branch - leave them instead and pinch the weaker ones off.

If in spring any of the buds produce double shoots - leave the strongest one and pinch the rest off.

Hope this helps

stuffed vine leaves?

Welcome to Alexx by the way. Looking forward to hearing more of your experience from a warmer climate.

Flum

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

Thanks Flum

By the way - can anyone advise what varieties of grapes can be grown in Scotland without a need for a greenhouse?

Thanks Alexx. I printed out your instructions. Think I may need to study them nearer the time. Its a dessert grape not wine, but if grape growing turns out to be easier than I'm expecting I may be tempted to some wine grapes for outdoors, then I'd just need to get some demi-johns, another shed for storage, some empty bottles......... now there's a thought.

Exactly where in Scotland Alexx? Shetlands to Gretna-Green?

Edinburgh

Alexx if you have any luck finding information on that then give me a shout. I think it would need to late enough to avoid frosts and early enough to ripen before the frosts but the killer is the lack of sun and high rain index.

Siegerrebbe might work.

Hunter I agree that crop-wise lack of sun is the major problem.

I'm rooting a riesling cutting and was told that in 'good years' it produces decent grapes. Seen a few varieties on sale in garden centres allegedly suitable for outdoors but leaving it till the next year as I've got enough garden projects on my plate for the year running. I'll keep looking out for info though.

Yes though the problem with vinifera is that the ripening is later than interspecific hybrids.

Did you hear that Riesling gives 'good' results in Scotland? Or England cause as you know the weather is somewhat better down there. Siegerebbe is similar to Riesling but earlier. I have bought a vine but its got powedery mildew and isn't too healthy looking, been spraying it with the old verderame but going to try baking powder, someone says thats good for killing it off.

Garden Centers will sell whatever they think they will be able to push. They sell apples that are better for france than Scotland so just imagine what they know about grapes!

I've got it through freecycle from a guy who lives virtually next door. His is growing outside on a wall.

I'm going to train mine on a pergola, got a nice sheltered spot that gets sun most of the day. I'm obviously not expecting industrial crops but a few home-grown grapes would be nice.

Thats great news if this guy can get crops from out door growing. Feeling confident now with my trials with Siegerebbe... especially as Riesling isn't the most early ripening grape available.

I still do not understand.

I have a 1 year old greenhouse grape Lakemount.
It is a stem with masses of growth (not woody group) coming from each side (4 creepers in total I think).
Should I cut these back severly? This year it grew a lot but no grapes.

Also as it is in a pot should I feed it a lot?