Grape vine dropping canes - Ask Extension
Hi
Our grape vine was doing great at the beginning of spring, but we have been seeing it's canes fall off one after the other. These are 2-3 ft canes...
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Grape vine dropping canes #869005
Asked May 18, 2024, 11:02 AM EDT
Hi
Our grape vine was doing great at the beginning of spring, but we have been seeing it's canes fall off one after the other. These are 2-3 ft canes with full leaves. The part that attaches to the vine looks scarred, photo attached. What is going on?
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
I guess what I was trying to say is that the part that attaches to the vine looks callused.
We've seen examples of this from other areas (an Ask Extension question from Oregon, for example, at the same time of year), and it apparently can be normal for grape stems to have quite weak connections between younger growth and older growth, to the point where it doesn't take much force to knock them off. Perhaps a wild animal scrambled through the vine and dislodged a few stems. If the plant overall appears healthy and no dieback progresses down the stem, it likely isn't an issue of concern. Still, feel free to send additional photos if symptoms worsen over the next couple of weeks, and we can reassess the issue.
Miri
Miri