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Prune a Transplanted Grape Vine

Posted by RedSun Z6 Central NJ (My Page) on
Sun, Nov 16, 14 at 15:19

I'm on the cheap and transplanted a grape vine. Do not know the exact variety, but my friend says it is blue seedless. And "sweet", of course.... I guess it is something like Mars, Venus or even seedless Concord. I left two holes for spring planting, so I used one now. I plan to use the traditional 4-arm Kniffin system.

I cut most of the top vine growth, but left some. So I can decide on how to train it. The rootball is about 1.5' wide and I kept a couple of extra long roots that I saved.

At the base, there are two main canes. I think to train the vine, there are a few ways I can do:

1. Aggressively cut the vine to a long single stick. This will be the central trunk and I can grow the arms.
2. Keep two main trunks and train two arms from each trunk;
3. Save some canes as the arms for this year. Continue to train them for next year. I'm not sure about this.

I think since this is the first year, I should be on the aggressive side and cut a lot of the old growth. I do plan to leave one cluster to see what grape this is.

 photo 20141116_145523.jpg


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: Prune a Transplanted Grape Vine

Suggest you cut it back until looks like a bareroot grape you would buy.

Or could retain just one sturdy cane, then train as suggested in this pub at the link below ..
In other words, handle that one cane as if the vine completed a year's growth.

Here is a link that might be useful: grow grapes at home


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RE: Prune a Transplanted Grape Vine

  • Posted by RedSun Z6 Central NJ (My Page) on
    Sun, Nov 16, 14 at 17:02

A single long cane, or a cane down to the 2nd bud? I just do not know how conservative I should be.


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RE: Prune a Transplanted Grape Vine

I agree with Jean, select one as if it were your central cordon (which it will be). Cut it at the height you plan on vineing out a quarter to half inch above that bud (depends on local recommendations). If you want a two tiered arrangement then cut at a bud around the height of the lower tier and let it grow up and two shoots grow out from around there this spring.

One exception would be a fan arrangement in which case you can use all of those vines. (see link for ideas. For a home owner I don't think there is a right or wrong or one way to do grapes. Yours is out in the open so will need some form of support. The doc is for commercial production outside your residence so some of what is said does not apply.)

Nice looking vine BTW!

Here is a link that might be useful: Training and Trellising Grapes


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