Pruning Grape Vines - A Farmer'S Guide To Pruning Grape Vines

To keep things growing well, sometimes you haveseason.
to prune, or cut back your plants.  It's not just I know that seems like an awful lot but that's
that way with plants, actually as some say to getwhat needs to be done for the best results.  To
your hair to grow really well you have to trim itchose what needs to be pruned, look at
back.  But when pruning you can't just drag out aeverything that was new from the previous year
pair of pruning shears and cut away.  You haveand pick out two to four of the healthiest canes. 
to have studied the methods of pruning beforeThese should be about as big around as at least a
you begin to cut away.  Same as you wouldn'tmarker with nodes that arise every eight to
want someone to just go cutting on your hair iftwelve inches.  Nodes are important as these are
they didn't know how.  And when pruning grapewhat the fruit and leaves will be growing from in
vines it's not different, you have to know whatthe coming season.
you're doing.Once you have picked out the best two to four
Pruning grape vines is not hard to do once youcanes, you can take the next step in pruning
know the right time and length in which to dogrape vines by cutting off all the other canes
your pruning.  For instance, you will need to pruneflush with the trunk.  Remember, the canes that
your grapevines before Christmas because if youyou have decided to keep will be close to the top
prune after Christmas the vines will "bleed" sap. of the trunk and so everything from those down
Once a vine begins to bleed sap there is no waywill need to be pruned flush with the trunk.
to cure that problem, although when the leaves If you wish you can keep a couple of the
begin to emerge and grow, it will decrease.  Byshorter canes at the very top to have growing
saying that keep in mind that if the bleedingfor the following year you can leave those. 
happens it will never stop, further weakening thePruning grape vines is like a work of art, doing it
plant, which could result in a dead vine.  Thatjust right will end in a masterpiece.
would really be terrible.  So remember, try toNow, everything is pruned that needs to be and
prune grape vines before you go hanging youryou will need to clean up the mess of cut vines
holiday ornaments.that are at the base of your vine so that you can
The main problem that is seen with pruning grapesee what you have created.  This is part of
vines is that people who grow them for homepruning grape vines so that you can be sure you
use seldom prune enough.  When you go todidn't miss any and also to make sure that your
prune your grape vine you will need to cut backvine has nothing in its way to bother its
approximately seventy-five to ninety percent ofabsorption of water and fertilizer.
the new wood that had grown in the previous