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Prune a Grape Vine

You will need: Secateurs, Fungicidal Spray, Plant Ties, Potato

This is the time to prune grape vines, before they burst into growth.Train stems horizontally if they are growing against a wall or fence to encourage even growth using a ‘cordon’ system with the main branches (or ‘rods’).

Best time to do it:

Step 1

Using a pair of secateurs, prune the strongest shoots back to two buds from the rod and cut weak shoots back to one bud (or remove them completely).

Step 2

Re-tie the main stems (rods) to allow for growth

Step 3

After pruning, spray with a protective fungicide to kill off any fungal spores from last year, and give a clean start for this year

Step 4

Finally, if you need to make any large cuts and they start to bleed, cover them with a slice of potato to stem the sap flow.

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