How to: Pruning Method for Hybrid Grapes

Pruning to Train Young Grapevines

• 1

  Familiarize yourself with the growing habits of the grape cultivar you selected. Certain cultivars have upright growth and other cultivars have downward growth. Knowledge of the growth patterns of a particular cultivar is important to selection of the pruning style. Grape cultivars with upright growth habits are trained on a low-cordon trellis. Grape cultivars with downward growth habits are trained on a high-cordon trellis.

• 2

  Prune the newly planted grapevine back to one cane. In cold climates or with less hardy vines, leave two canes.

• 3

  Stake the grapevine. Insert a sturdy 5- to 6-foot-tall wooden or bamboo stake into the ground beside the grapevine.

• 4

  Set posts in the ground 10 feet from the grapevine on either side, creating a bilateral cordon-style trellis. Set posts 2 feet into the ground. Brace the posts with treated lumber set at an angle from the post on the inside of the grapevine row. If a row of grapevines is planted, set posts along the row, 10 feet from each grapevine. Brace only the outside posts. Bracing prevents the weight of the grapevines from pulling the wires down toward the middle of the row. Run rows of galvanized wire from the first post to the last post. Place the first row of wire 3 feet from the ground. Place the top row of wire 5 to 6 feet from the ground.

• 5

  Tie the main shoot on the grapevine to the training stake when the shoot reaches 6 to 10 inches long. Remove the other canes.

• 6

  Remove lateral buds during the growing season to promote stronger, faster growth of the main cane.

Second-Year Spring Pruning

• 7

  Remove any suckers arising from the root.

• 8

  Remove all lateral buds.

• 9

  Tie lateral canes near the bottom wire to the wire.

Third-Year Spring Pruning

• 10

  Cut off the tip of the cane and tie it to the top wire.

• 11

  Train canes growing in close proximity to the wires. Cut the lateral canes back to five nodes. Tie the canes to the wires. Cut canes growing off the lateral canes back to one bud. Remove any fruit buds. Fruiting before the vine is mature weakens the grapevine.

• 12

  Remove suckers arising from the roots. Remove any buds that develop on the trunk of the vine.

Maintenance Spring Pruning

• 13

  Remove all fruiting canes except those that are close to the cordon wires.

• 14

  Cut back the canes that are near the wires to 5 or 6 nodes.

• 15

  Weigh the 1-year-old canes pruned off of one grapevine.

• 16

  Apply the "30 Plus Rule." If the prunings from one grapevine equal one pound, leave 30 buds on the grapevine. If the prunings weight two pounds, leave 30 plus 10 buds on the grapevine. If the prunings weight three pounds, leave 30 plus 10 plus 10 buds on the grapevine. If the prunings weight four pounds, leave 30 plus 10 plus 10 plus 10 buds on the grapevine. Sixty is the maximum number of buds to leave on the grapevine.

• 17

  Remove suckers that arise from the ground and keep the trunk free of buds.