How to Prune Grapes The Correct Way - Complete Guide

[@kikonut]

Thanks Luke, that's very informative, I had no idea of the serious pruning involved in growing grapes. Now I understand trunks, runners and ladders.

[@JanieOlmsted]

This information is super helpful!! Thank you 😊

[@karenbell8155]

So interesting..you are so good at explaining things

[@amygriffith3598]

Interesting approach. Very different structural framework than what we typically see. I love grapes from the garden! I have 4 varieties of table grapes and the flavor is just so much richer than store bought.

[@jhorsch94]

Can you clarify the training method you’re aiming for and whether you’re using spur pruning or cane pruning? It seems like you’re considering a double-trunked, 6-arm Kniffin system, which is quite uncommon in viticulture. Additionally, I noticed you’re suggesting fall pruning, which is typically not recommended because it can stimulate new growth that may be damaged by frost, weakening the vine. Could you explain your approach?

[@Murlockingqc]

Same, I've never seen this technique before.

[@lori2182]

There are grape pruning videos out there that make this a bit more understandable. Watching several different people can be helpful.

[@joesqudy]

I can’t tell you how timely this video is, I was just thinking the same thing the other day. I need to prune my grapes, for a successful harvest next summer. Thank you for the info. ❌⭕️🙏🏽♥️

[@Mase326]

Pruning season is just as critical FYI! Prune when fully dormant in winter. If you have issues with early bud break in spring getting damaged by frost, wait to prune until 3-7 days before what you believe is the last frost (even if the distal buds have leafed out already). It will delay the bursting of the basal buds and keep them dormant and safe from freeze longer.

[@Mase326]

Delay pruning works best with spur pruned vines fyi. Not so much with cane pruned vines.

[@GardenFreshHomestead]

We had grapes the first year but, the extreme heat was too much.

[@lisaliteration2552]

This was just the video I wanted to see, because we have a grape that went crazy this year and, never having grown grapes before, we have no idea what we’re doing.

[@michellewilson7868]

Can you root the pruned off pieces of the vine? Do you have a video on propagating grape vines?

[@jonniegreen6962]

I'd love to know, too!

[@Murlockingqc]

yes you can, unless they are grafted on a rootstock.. then you probably don't want to propagate it

[@rodneysharon9654]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I never know quite when is the right time to prune my fruit trees. Still learning.

[@emkn1479]

I finally got my mind around it after watching a bunch of videos from Dave Wilson Nursery featuring their pruning expert Tom Spellman. Highly recommend.

[@MushroomMagpie]

I personally like to prune right after fruit is set or harvested, while the tree is still actively growing. Then it has time to establish flowering fornrhe next year, rather than prunning all the bud sites off while dormant.

[@GardenFreshHomestead]

We had grapes the first year but, the extreme heat was too much.

[@terrivance8750]

Thank you, Luke. 😊

[@ddubsr5886]

What happens if you reach the top of your trellis? Do you always cut to keep it in check? Where does the new fruit product from? We need a part2!

[@harrymusgrave2131]

Grapes on a stake, or head pruning. Grapes on a trellis, or cane pruning. Run the first (lowest) level of wire at a comfortable level to harvest the fruit. Train the canes, from the vertical trunk, on this one. Next, one or two more levels of wire trellis. Depending on the variety and climate. These wires give the new growth something to attach to. Helps protect against wind damage. Also hold them where air can get around the vine. A third top wire is used in hot sunny climate. Another layer of shade for the vine. I know when head pruning, some varieties, like French Columbine, require two heads. These techniques were developed by farmers that had to have a payday. Use variations of these methods for a more artistic look. I do the hard pruning in the dead of winter. I leave a lot of extra on the vines. It helps in the spring. I let them bud out. The spring frost will kill the end of the vines(buds at the end first). Then I prune back to where they should be.

[@hollibrooke3644]

I enjoy your videos. We have a grape vine going on it's tenth year or more and we never prune it. It has produced more and better grapes with each passing year.

[@KathleenMoran-x4e]

Love this video ,I have two grape vines and wanted to know when to spray fungicide and what type or kind ,thanks

[@lyndalent]

Love it!!! thank you

[@jefferypatanella2884]

I'm so glad for this video we have a huge vine that we just run wild we picked almost 30lbs this year would like to up the growth

[@Mase326]

Great summer pruning video Luke!

[@Prairiehawkmn]

Wow! Learned a lot!

[@jeas4980]

I need this! Thank you, Luke! I'm going to need to translate this to an overhead structure; but, I think I can do that.

[@JH-ds2dt]

Can you get cuttings from what you prune off?

[@backyardmetalcasting]

🎉 we have a wild grapevine, going up and over our dog kennel where we keep our rabbits. So it’s great to give us shade in the summer. The only place I really pretty though is where it starts. Going over our entrance door. It’s probably a wild muscadine down here in North Carolina.

[@karolynMe7044]

More info on making grape trellis and what types of trellises. Also fertilizer or info on what keeps them happy. I bought a grape plant years ago late season and it's always looked sad.

[@tinabloomfield7228]

Perfect timing on this....hubby and I are talking about growing grapes next year. Can I use big heavy T posts for this?

[@elizabethgreen5991]

Thank you so much for explaining pruning! Here in SC we never prune until February to keep the vine from 'bleeding'. Is that just a southern thing?

[@danastavney5687]

I prune a few weeks before last day of frost. When the leaves are all gone it is easier to see the structure of the plant. Plus you have accounted for some losses due to frost kill.

[@jakoblarok]

Hope you made some good dolma out of the better looking leaves you trimmed. Delicious!

[@DanlowMusic]

QUESTION: hey Luke, do those old runs need to be trimmed off after the next run is producing

[@suzistumpo9532]

any tips to prune if we want them growing on an overhead arbor?

[@sister_num7516]

I was aLways told to prune in February while dormant??

[@amygriffith3598]

So do I. I thin out during the growing season, but leave the structural pruning for when fully dormant right before spring.

[@GardenFreshHomestead]

We had grapes the first year but, the extreme heat was too much.

[@thepraticalgardener]

Now I need help with my blackberries! LOL

[@IAMGiftbearer]

My grapevine got some sort of leaf spot so I cut off everything and it's bare vine now; just one or two runs.

[@ctimms417]

My table grapes are only on their second year of growth. As recommended, I snipped off most of the brand new little clusters of grapes in early summer to allow the young plant to focus on establishing itself. I knew I shouldn't but I couldn't resist keeping a few clusters of grapes to mature so that I could taste them before I invested a long time into their growth. The clusters were doing so well until early August when I went out to my garden and some creature had dined on each and every one of them overnight, even though they weren't even close to being ripe. What I failed to do as a responsible new grape grower was taken care of by some mystery creature in the night. Now the challenge will be to figure out some intervention for future years to prevent my crop from being the smorgasbord for the raccoons, squirrels, birds, or whatever else loves them.

[@danastavney5687]

It's pretty common to put netting over the plant to keep the animals away. Just make sure to put it on early because sometimes they will eat the unripe fruit without any problem! It can get pretty messy when the vines start growing through the netting, but as long as the grapes are on the inside you are good. The vines that grow through the netting will get pruned off later because you want your grapes to get as much sunshine as they can, with no extra energy spent on growing more vine.

[@Kristen-603]

I did everything you said not to do a few years ago. It's on year 4 and I get tons of grapes. The pattern would be nicer to keep the way you did it, much easier to harvest the grapes. Mine went crazy and covered my chicken run, so I have to go inside to snip them. I love the look and they love the shade -so it turned into a happy accident, it's not not as easy to cut the grapes.

[@catherines506]

This is perfect timing. I have two 1st year grape plants that are starting to prep for winter. Should I prune them first year? They're also in pots as I live in an apartment temporarily to finish school.

[@MIgardener]

Definitely, you can prune them! Thanks for watching.

[@GardenFreshHomestead]

We had grapes the first year but, the extreme heat was too much.

[@joy-unhinged]

Any chance to get the Link from when these grapes were planted?

[@DragonBabyLove]

So you prune grape vine in the Fall, not early Spring?

[@jhorsch94]

I’d recommend pruning in the spring rather than the fall. Pruning in the fall will lead to new growth that may be damaged by frost, weakening the vine.

[@thelazynortherngardener7607]

I prune in spring. Hard pruning back to a T shape. We had a fantastic harvest this summer.

[@kericarlson1194]

Question: if we have an unruling out of control grape can we wait until dormant in winter to prune to be able to see better whats what? Also, once you have all your runs on your particular trellis then what? If every year you go up one, when you run out then what? Do old runs still produce new ladders for fruit?

[@donnareeves5894]

I've heard that you only prune in the winter, when the vine is dormant.

[@angellacyr1702]

Will you still get good grapes if you only have 1 variety? I had 2 but one didn't survive the winter (zone 4); planted another variety the following spring and that one didn't survive the winter either. Should I keep trying or just focus on the variety that's been surviving for the last 4 years? Thanks! Love your content!

[@jeannamcgregor9967]

Sorry, Luke, but I don't feel you really explained WHY you shouldn't force a run into a different trellis level. What's the downside? Thanks. Good timing as I'll be pruning my huge Vitus Californica as soon as the leaves drop.💚

[@Prisoner072385]

Hey Luke. My wife and I were just discussing the Concord grape that finally produced for us this year - even though it has gone wild. While I'm pruning back, is it realistic to take some cuttings and attempt to root them?

[@cindysquires8092]

Wanted grapes so got cuttings from a friend. I did it in late winter and put in my greenhouse to root..out of 30 cutting all took but a few. I was able to turn around and share those with others.

[@caroldragon7545]

I've seen grapes growing on overhead arbors with literally dozens of bunches hanging down. It seems to me to be an easier and more successful way to grow them. Any comments about that method would be appreciated.

[@kevinhipps1236]

Some video say you prune when vines are dormant

[@Murlockingqc]

When to prune ?

[@lyndalent]

Awesome, my grapes have suffered because of disease

[@GardenFreshHomestead]

We had grapes the first year but, the extreme heat was too much.

[@karens.woltering420]

When do you expect to have new seeds available for 2025?

[@pilsplease7561]

A lot of this is not as accurate as I would want, Considering im a winemaker and have hand pruned like 30,000 vines by now in my career, im hands on with every aspect from vineyard to the finished wine.

[@karenromando4939]

I am tired of having animals eat my grapes My grape vines are 7 years old