Pruning Grape Vines

Planting the grape vines in the backyard is one of the oldest traditions. Grape vine plantation give gardeners a delicious and fresh taste of the homegrown grapes. And for that, pruning grape vines is a must. Grape vine pruning is also necessary to maintain the shape and the size of the vines and productivity of the grapes. Pruning grape vines avoids the messy and tangled shape of the grape vines and helps the fruits to ripen fully.

Need for Pruning Grape Vines
There are many reasons for grape vine pruning and so are the precautions that need to be taken. Pruning grape vines in winter season is the best thing that you can do to ensure the health of your grapevines. Winter season is the dormant season for many of the trees hence, it is the best time to prune them. Grape vine pruning is always advisable after leaf fall of the grape vines, which is after late fall and throughout the winter. During the period before fall, important minerals and carbohydrates are transferred to the woody part of the vine for the winter storage. Pruning grape vines in fall season can cause irreversible damage to the health of the vine. After the leaf fall, the vascular system of the plant plugs up and hence it is the best period for pruning grapes.

• Grape vines are called woody tree climbers that climb by attaching themselves with the help of their tendrils. In any case, the maintenance of the shape of the grape vine is an important thing to be observed.
• Bud selection and bud placements are the two things that are done during the process of pruning which actually improve the bud fruitfulness. Hence, pruning grape vines during growing season can be called an investment for the buds of next season.
• Pruning maintains the shoot number of the grape vines. Removing unwanted new shoots and regulating total number of shoots is one of them.
• Improving the quality as well as the quantity of the fruits is one of the prime motives of grape vine pruning. Fruit-bearing capacity of the grape vines depend on the photosynthetic activity and the number of the leaves.

All in all, grape vine pruning is an important task that a gardener must learn to perform. There are many ways to prune grape vine and all that you need is a bit of common sense in selecting the proper technique of pruning grapevines. Pruning grape vines in the first year of plantation is not a great idea. Not pruning in the first year ensures the development and strength of the root system of the vines.

Tips for Pruning Grape Vines
Try following tips to prune grape vines.

• You will have to select the strongest looking stem of the grape vine, to start the pruning procedure. Then, by using a pair of bypass scissors remove all the nearby stems at the base of the plant and as close to the trunk of the selected stem as possible. Stake the remaining of the stem (that will serve as the trunk of the plant) and secure it with a wire or with the grape stake.
• Allow stems of the grape vines to grow only from the main trunk and in the spring of the second year, remove all the stems excluding two of the best looking side shoots that are growing from the trunk. You can also encourage side branching by pinching the top of the main trunk.
• Again, start pruning grape vines in summer or mid summer of the second year. This time, cut back the top of the main trunk just at the time when the grape vine has reached the desired height. This process is called tip pruning and allows the growth of new and healthy leaves along the main trunk.
• Cut all the unwanted side branches during the second winter season, so that you can have the basic frame of the plant which is an upright trunk with two outward side stems.

As I said earlier, pruning of grape vines is an easy job, if done with the selective garden tools and the knowledge of gardening. Now that you know everything about pruning grape vines, I am sure you are also planning to add the charm of the grapes into your garden. Happy gardening!