In order for you to produce a healthy vineyard chock full of luscious grapes, you will want to discover the techniques to prune grape vine. This short article will hopefully provide you a clearer understanding of this grape vine pruning process.

“All first-year-old canes that grew along the cordon shall be pruned back to either three to five-node spurs as fruiting wood or one-node renewal spurs as vegetative wood. The removed end of the spur should measure at least pencil size in diameter. Renewal spurs produce vegetative shoots that are used for the following year's fruiting wood. Grapevines can be considered to be mature and fully productive in year three. Dormant pruning should be finished starting in late February through March. 1-year-old wood (the previous summer's growth) shall be pruned back to three to five nodes per spur. The spurs should be evenly spaced along the cordon."

Legend:

Cane: These are shoots that are mature and have attained all or most of their full length. Dormant canes are the previous season's annual growth.

Shoot: These are the new green growth that develops from buds during the growing season and they mature to form canes.

Spurs: The basal portion of a cane after it's cut back to a length of one to four buds.

If you are just starting out pruning grape vine, the best way is to make sure to follow instructions. Grapevines can become quite wild. If left on their own and unattended, grapevines will grow at an incredible, rapid pace which leads to overgrowth of vegetation and a low crop of fruit. Hence, you will want to have tools such as loppers and hand saws to remove unwanted shoots and wood from your grape vine.