Techniques for Trimming Home Grapevines for Best Growth
Growing grapes in your backyard garden isn't just a hobby, it's a delightful tradition that offers a taste of nature's bounty. However, maintaining grapevines can be a labor-intensive task. As with other fruit-bearing plants, grapevines require weeding, fertilizing, pest management, and proper pruning for a plentiful harvest.
For a better understanding of proprietary grape pruning and the selection of training systems, we've prepared this informative guide. It's perfect for home gardeners who want to get the most out of their backyard vineyard.
In the initial stages, it's essential to pick the right training system to ensure manageable plant size, shape, and productivity. Neglecting this step might result in grapevines becoming unruly, leading to poor fruiting due to excessive vegetation growth.
Choosing the Right Training System
The training system you select will determine the way you prune your grapevines. Many gardeners prefer the high cordon system (Figure 1a) due to its simplicity, while others opt for a grape arbor (Figure 1b) integrated into their landscape. Young vines are carefully guided to either one or two trunks, and the fruiting area is established as head-trained, permanent cordons with pruned back spurs, or a fan-shaped arrangement on top of a four-post arbor structure.
Cane-Trained System
In a cane-trained system (Figure 2), new canes are laid down each season. Grapevines under this system are typically head-trained at the top wire. New shoots that develop during the growing season harden-off as canes with a reddish-brown tint and are approximately pencil size in diameter. Two of these canes are selected, tied down to the top wire, and tied using cloth, twist ties, or plastic stretch tape. Buds are counted, and the number is adjusted according to the desired fruit load.
Cordon-Trained Systems
Cordon-trained systems (Figure 3) differ in that new spurs are established each growing season as one-year-old canes, which are pruned back to three to four buds per spur. When grown on an arbor, the fruiting wood may be either one-year-old canes or spurs attached to cordons positioned on top of the arbor.
Regarding grape varieties, American and French-American hybrid varieties are usually more winter-hardy and disease-resistant than Vinifera varieties and are more commonly grown in home gardens. Pruning practices vary significantly depending on the type of grapes grown.
No matter the variety, it's crucial to balance the fruit load to maintain proper growth. The 30+10+10 balanced pruning system can help determine the number of buds to retain based on the weight of the one-year-old wood pruned off.
Lyre System, Guyot System, Cordon System, and Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) System are four popular training systems for home gardeners. It's essential to research each one to find the perfect fit for your garden setup and goals.
Learn more about these systems and their pruning techniques here.
Figure 1a. Bilateral high cordon system.Figure 1b. Head-trained system.
Figure 2. Cane-trained system.Figure 3. Cordon-trained system.
Figure 1a. Bilateral high cordon system.
If you'd like more personalized guidance or the latest pruning techniques, contact your county Extension educator for the most current information. Happy pruning, and looking forward to savoring your delicious homegrown grapes!
Glossary of Pruning Terms
- Cane: A green summer shoot that matures into a woody, brown one-year-old cane after leaf fall.
- Cordon: A permanent extension of the grapevine's main structure that is horizontally positioned along the trellis (arbor) wire.
- Fruiting Wood: One-year-old wood that produces the current season's shoots and fruit.
- Pruning: Removal of portions of a grapevine for the purpose of maintaining size, shape, and productivity.
- Renewal Spur: A cane pruned to one node with the primary purpose of producing a vegetative shoot (cane) for next year's fruiting wood.
- Shoot: The green, leafy growth that develops from the compound bud, which normally produces fruit clusters.
- Spur: A cane pruned to three to five fruiting nodes to produce shoots bearing fruit clusters.
- Trunk: The main, upright structure(s) of the grapevine from which cordons, shoots, and canes arise.
Useful References
Figure 1b. Head-trained system.
- Ohio State University Extension Bulletin 919: Midwest Grape Production Guide.
- Ohio State University Extension Bulletin 940: Midwest Home Fruit Production Guide.
Learn more about pruning techniques and training systems here.
Training Systems and Pruning Techniques
1. Lyre System
This system uses a trellis that resembles a lyre, which is perfect for table grapes and ensures good air circulation and sunlight penetration.
Pruning Technique: Prune the best canes for future growth and remove older canes to promote new growth. This can involve cane pruning.
2. Guyot System
Often used for wine grapes, this system involves training two main arms (or cordons) along a trellis or wire. One arm is used for fruiting, and the other for renewal.
Pruning Technique: Prune back the spurs (3-5 fruiting nodes) to promote fruiting.
3. Cordon System
This system trains the vine to grow along a single main arm (cordon) with evenly spaced spurs.
Pruning Technique: Prune back the spurs to 2-3 buds (spur pruning) to encourage fruiting.
4. Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) System
This system trains the vine to grow vertically, with all shoots trained upwards.
Pruning Technique: Remove most of the previous year's growth retaining only the best canes for next year's fruiting using cane pruning.
Figure 2. Non-shoot-positioned grapevines.
While each system has its advantages and disadvantages, it's essential to research each one to find the best fit for your garden setup and goals. Check the OSU Extension fact sheet, Growing Grapes in the Home Fruit Planting, for more details.
General Pruning Tips for Home Gardeners
- Prune during dormancy: Prune grapevines during their dormant season (winter) to avoid damaging the vines.
- Remove old wood: Typically, 90% of the previous season's wood should be removed to promote new growth and fruit production.
- Use both cane and spur pruning: Cane pruning is ideal for table grapes, while spur pruning is better for wine grapes or varieties that produce clusters from older wood.
Regarding trellis systems, many options are available, such as grape arbors, cattle panels, or wooden lattices. Ultimately, the choice depends on your personal preferences, budget, and garden setup.
Figure 3. Shoot-positioned grapevines.
Discover more about trellis systems at our website/factsheet/hyg-1423.
- To ensure a manageable size, shape, and productivity in your grapevines, it's crucial to select the right training system.
- Home gardeners might choose between systems like the high cordon system, cane-trained system, or cordon-trained systems for their backyard vineyard. Each system has unique pruning techniques, such as cane pruning or spur pruning, that cater to different grape varieties and goals.
