Pruning grape tree

[axescot]

I'm getting ready to prune my grape tree. I've been reading up on it on the net but wanted to make sure I am going to cut in the right place. From the images below, am I labeling the parts correctly? Do I cut the canes to leave only a short spur? And do I cut the Cordons to length and stretch them across the bottom of the trellis?

I got this terminology from the University of Minnesota. https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-grapes-home-garden#pruning-986013

Thanks in advance for the advise.

 

[Marck]

First, I should say there are many ways to prune a grape vine for good crop production and the pruning of a single vine in a garden does not need to follow all of the conventions of a vineyard with rows of vines trained on wire trellises.

It might be good to see a shot of the entire vine. Do you know the cultivar of this vine?

Also, how many years has it been since this vine was planted? Is this vine still being established? The reason I ask is you mention pruning spurs but I don't see any spurs in the shot. Is your intention to begin spur-pruning this vine now?

 

[axescot]

First, I should say there are many ways to prune a grape vine for good crop production and the pruning of a single vine in a garden does not need to follow all of the conventions of a vineyard with rows of vines trained on wire trellises.

It might be good to see a shot of the entire vine. Do you know the cultivar of this vine?

Also, how many years has it been since this vine was planted? Is this vine still being established? The reason I ask is you mention pruning spurs but I don't see any spurs in the shot. Is your intention to begin spur-pruning this vine now?

I'm probably getting confused with the terminology so there may not be any spurs. Here are pics of the entire vine. I purchased this vine from Home Depot and if I remember correctly, the label said Vigoro. I purchased bare root and planted 6-8 months ago. I know it's a red, seedless grape. My intention is to prune it in a couple weeks for optimal fruit production. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Marck]

Vigoro is a brand of plants sold at Home Depot, not a cultivar. Red and seedless suggests a table grape, which also makes more sense for a home garden. The cultivars 'Flame' and 'Ruby' are common but it could be something else. In any case, care will be similar. Table grapes are vigourous, so cane pruning would be recommended over spur pruning.

Most of the growth you see was produced in one season, so you will want to prune much of it away to encourage new fruitful branches.

Looking at your vine, I would prune back to four to six canes with four to six buds. Select thick, healthy canes that are as far-spaced from each other as possible. Next year you will do this again selecting either canes from the lowest bud of the previous years canes or sometimes from canes that came off the older trunk. Health, vigor and placement will be the criteria for selection. As the vine gets older you may consider leaving more canes and buds.

 

[axescot]

Vigoro is a brand of plants sold at Home Depot, not a cultivar. Red and seedless suggests a table grape, which also makes more sense for a home garden. The cultivars 'Flame' and 'Ruby' are common but it could be something else. In any case, care will be similar. Table grapes are vigourous, so cane pruning would be recommended over spur pruning.

Most of the growth you see was produced in one season, so you will want to prune much of it away to encourage new fruitful branches.

Looking at your vine, I would prune back to four to six canes with four to six buds. Select thick, healthy canes that are as far-spaced from each other as possible. Next year you will do this again selecting either canes from the lowest bud of the previous years canes or sometimes from canes that came off the older trunk. Health, vigor and placement will be the criteria for selection. As the vine gets older you may consider leaving more canes and buds.

Thanks for the response. My concern is that I might be misunderstanding the terminology. I am seeing 5 canes labeled in the below picture. Is that correct? Do I count 4-6 buds and cut these? Also, do I cut the offshoots from these canes? I labeled those as well.

 

[Marck]

Yes, I agree, those look like good canes to keep. Also yes, you should do take off the skinny, offshoot branches.