Cane Prune Thompson Seedless Grapes

Q. Two years ago I planted Thompson Seedless grapes. The first two years there were no grapes and I did expect any fruit. This year there are leaves and no fruit. They were pruned the same way as my Red seedless grapes which were very prolific. Is there something special that I must do to make the vine produce?

When pruning the past years growth on grape, canes (long spurs) are sometimes left instead a very short spurs because the majority of fruiting may not occur on the first eight buds on these varieties.

A. If the vine is healthy, it is all in the pruning. Thompson seedless may need to be cane pruned, not spur pruned like many other grapes. When you cut it back, leave about 8-ten inches of last year’s growth and don’t prune it back so hard.

Canes are nothing more than long spurs that have at least 10 buds. When pruning spurs, only one bud, possibly two, are left behind.

            Thompson Seedless, Black Monukka and Crimson Seedless should be cane pruned.