Pruning a Home Grapevine

A grapevine must be pruned each season in order to prepare the vine for the next round of new growth. Old dead vines must be trimmed off so new buds can form. Of course, you should not cut the grapevine back so much that there are big spaces between the vines. Here are a few tips on pruning your home garden's grapevine.

Pruning a grapevine: When to prune

The best time to prune a grapevine is during the winter months, after the previous season's crop has been harvested. In colder climates, the first frost of the year is taken as a sign that it is time to begin pruning. Try not to do your grapevine pruning when the temperature is below zero because the cutting may damage the vines. All dead foliage should be trimmed off before the last frost of the season so the grapevine will be ready to sprout new growth as soon as the weather becomes warm again. Trimming off dead growth during the fall may cause frost damage because it will stimulate new growth at the wrong time of the year. Unseasonably warm autumns can also be problematic if you prune your grapevine early. The warm temperatures can wilt the newly sprouted buds.

Pruning a grapevine: Why pruning is necessary

Pruning your grapevine will help foster new growth. Cutting off the old dead vines makes room for new ones to sprout. Trimming off extra weight will also make the grapevine easier to support in your home garden. If the grapevines get too heavy, they can easily snap off the hanging wires and can destroy large sections of your crop at once. However, you do not want to prune too much growth from your grapevines or there will be large gaps between them.

Pruning a grapevine: How to trim off the old growth

To prune your grapevine, use lopping shears or a pair of large garden clippers. Each grapevine in the garden must be trimmed differently, depending on its size and the number of buds on each vine. Walk between the rows of grapevines and inspect each vine individually. Ideally, you want to prune off all the old growth so that only two or three long vines are left hanging on the wire in each direction. There should be between 90 and 150 buds on each of the grapevines. Once you become familiar with the approximate number of buds per vine, you will be able to make a close enough guess just by eyeballing them instead of counting out each bud. Prune the grapevines so that they do not overlap very much, cutting back the growth where it runs into the neighboring vine.