I Have a customer who has newly planted Concord grapes, I was wondering when the proper time to prune those was and haw many years I should wait before I prune these.
Conventional wisdom is anytime between leaf drop in the fall to bud break in spring. Various methods of partial fall pruning (leaving a bit more than you would for final) followed by final spring trimming have not shown to be advantageous or worth the additional labor though some areas at risk of high snow weight may benefit from an earlier canopy reduction (to reduce the chance of breakage) which can be done by less skilled workers. This practice also spreads out the timing for tasks (like cleanup) that can otherwise overwhelm the spring crew. If you are planning to take cuttings for generating new vines, these are usually taken off while still dormant in the early spring, so that would set your pruning time for that batch. Ron's question about region (slap me down if I'm putting words in your mouth, Ron) is likely because different regions have vastly different timing for dormancy and bud break, so while Nov. 15 to Mar. 1 may work for me, it may be completely off the mark for you. Different varieties also will have different timing. Ralph
