Wait Until Very Early Spring to Prune Grapes

Q. Should I cut my grape vines back?  They're on a trellis, and are 1 year old.  During the summer they spread out very well, and produced several large groups of table grapes.  I've attached a photo.

A. Regarding your grape vines, I would wait until late February or early March to prune them. We still have some potentially difficult times to go through this winter for grapes. Cutting them early may result in a loss of bud wood and fruit production.

            When pruning, you will cut back this past years growth (it will be a different color) so that only one or two buds remain. I prefer two. Also I usually prune it back so that ten or twelve buds remain if I do it early. Then just before bud swelling in the spring (like about early March) I cut then spurs back to two buds. This way if there is dieback during the winter I won't lose the fruit producing spur.