Advice sought on how and when to whack back my grape vine. I last pruned it in spring, inspired in part by the spare vines I had just observed on a weekend trip to Kelowna. I used that image plus consultation in a pruning book to guide the shape and take off a lot of growth. Unfortunately, this seemed to spur on even more vigorous growth. The thing has exploded! At this point, I don't know how to prune it or where to begin, as it has become a green monster, taking over that whole section of the yard. Does anyone have sage words about how to approach this?
In this climate grape vines can be pruned at any time. Just cut off any non-fruiting canes that you don't want to save for next year. Canes that you want to keep for next year should be allowed to grow long enough for the cane to mature before cold weather stops further growth. I remove all side shoots that appear on next year's canes.
Thanks, Vitog. Do you cut them straight back to the stalk or do you leave short spurs, like on an espaliered apple?
