Training Grapevines on an Arbor
Form
a sheltering canopy by guiding the vines to the top and pruning them annually
On a hot summer day, sitting in the
shade of my grape arbor is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Sunlight filters
through a haze of green leaves, and clusters of enticing fruit dangle above my
head. But without some guidance, a grape arbor can also be a gardening
disaster, with vines running amok, bearing little fruit among their tangled
stems. The difference is in how you prune your grapevines.
When I was ready to plant four
varieties of table grapes at the bases of the posts of my newly constructed
arbor, the books I consulted showed the grapevines trained on a fence but
offered no pruning advice on how to train grapes on an arbor. I decided to
press on, and after seven years of working with my vines, I have learned that
there are actually two phases: training and pruning.
I spent the first few years training
the vines up the posts to form the canopy’s permanent structure. Once the vines
were established, I pruned the new growth each year using the modified- cordon
method to keep it under control and to encourage the best fruit production. Now
my vines provide me with lots of grapes, and my arbor is the best room that’s
not in the house.
1: Select permanent trunks
1.
Select one or two permanent trunks
for each vine and mark your choices with a length of ribbon.
2.
Remove all unmarked growth, then cut
the remaining trunks back to where they are as thick as a slim pencil.
3.
Tie the trunks to the arbor posts
with twine to keep them off the ground.
2: Encourage trunk growth
1.
Choose one stem growing from each
trunk to remain and mark it with ribbon.
2.
Remove all unmarked growth.
3.
Loosely retie the trunks to the
posts.
Notes and observations
I planted my vines in the spring but didn’t prune them until late winter the following year, because the vines needed a full season to become established. Before I even picked up my pruners, I simply stood back and observed the vines.
I planted my vines in the spring but didn’t prune them until late winter the following year, because the vines needed a full season to become established. Before I even picked up my pruners, I simply stood back and observed the vines.
Once I had tied ribbons on the
trunks I wanted to keep, I went ahead and made my cuts. Establishing a single
trunk will work, but I chose to have two because I live with chewing dogs and
errant soccer balls.
3: Choose the cordons
1.
Select two stems from each trunk as
the permanent cordons, or arms (or four stems if you have only one trunk), and
mark them with ribbons.
2.
Remove all unmarked growth and
shorten each cordon to 5 feet.
3.
Loosely tie the cordons to the
arbor.
Notes and observations
During the third summer, my vines grew to the top of my arbor, which indicated that the trunk growth was complete. That winter, I chose the cordons, or arms, to fan out across the top of the arbor. By annually trimming the cordons to 5 feet, I am able to grow four types of grapes across the top of my arbor, each one pruned to its own quadrant.
During the third summer, my vines grew to the top of my arbor, which indicated that the trunk growth was complete. That winter, I chose the cordons, or arms, to fan out across the top of the arbor. By annually trimming the cordons to 5 feet, I am able to grow four types of grapes across the top of my arbor, each one pruned to its own quadrant.
4: Maintenance prune to stimulate
grape production
To spur prune:
1.
Select 20 to 30 stems, which grew
from the cordons (full number not shown here).
2.
Create spurs by pruning the stems to
two buds.
3.
Remove all other growth.
Notes and observations
During the fourth summer, my vines produced their first grapes. In the fourth winter, I started maintenance pruning, or selectively cutting back the stems. When maintenance pruning, remember that grapes grow from the buds formed on the previous summer’s stems, so don’t remove all the stems or you won’t get any fruit.
During the fourth summer, my vines produced their first grapes. In the fourth winter, I started maintenance pruning, or selectively cutting back the stems. When maintenance pruning, remember that grapes grow from the buds formed on the previous summer’s stems, so don’t remove all the stems or you won’t get any fruit.
To
cane prune:
1.
Select four stems per cordon.
2.
Cut two stems back to 8 to 12 buds
to create two canes.
3.
Cut the other two stems back to
two-bud spurs.
4.
The following year, reverse the
pruning by cutting the spurs, which will have grown into long stems, back to 8
to 12 buds to make a cane. Then prune the previous year’s canes back to two-bud
spurs. Alternate the pruning on these spurs and canes each year.
5.
Remove all other growth.
Stems can be either be spur
pruned (cut short) or cane pruned (cut long), depending on the variety (ask the
nursery when you buy your vines). Most grapevines respond to either
method, but some vines will fruit only on buds located farther out on the cane.
All vines, no matter how they are pruned, should be left with 40 to 60 buds
each for good fruit production. When cordons, spurs, or canes decrease in
vigor, choose new ones from the new growth.
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