pruning grapes - Ask Extension
How many bunches of grapes should I leave on my grape vine stems? It is producing a lot of bunches this year relative to previous years, with many fe...
Knowledgebase
pruning grapes #870471
Asked May 28, 2024, 4:24 PM EDT
How many bunches of grapes should I leave on my grape vine stems? It is producing a lot of bunches this year relative to previous years, with many fewer leaves than in the past. I would like to get some nice bunches, but it seems like there are way too many. I'm pretty sure I should be pruning some of them off, but how many? and at what type of intervals between bunches? I have Venus, Interlaken, and Muscat (photos attached) THANK YOU
Benton County Oregon
Expert Response
Dear Jennifer,
You can remove clusters from the vines now if you feel there are not enough leaves on the plants and too many bunches of grapes. This should give the plant some time to produce more leaves and make the vines stronger. An all organic dry fertilizer can be applied around the base of the vines. Follow the directions on the package. It is not recommended to mulch under the vines as they like warm soil and mulch will keep the soil cool. Keep the area weed free to enable the vines to take up the soil nutrients and not the weeds.
Developing a strong stem should be done slowly over a few years. Depending on how old your vines are you should have 5 to 6 clusters on one vine. This is usually after the vine is 4 to 5 years old.
You can remove the green grapes (un-ripened or newly formed) when most of the other clusters are ripening. This assumes the ripening grapes will receive more nutrients when the smaller clusters are removed.
There are a lot of clusters pretty close together in your pictures. If you decide to remove clusters, pick the ones that will open up airflow when removed. Better airflow often helps deter mold.
Clusters can be removed at any time during the growing season especially if you notice the grapes rotting. You want to remove them and throw them away. Again, open up the airflow through the vines.
I am adding a link from University of Minnesota. I find their information easy to read/understand. They have put in a timeline for when to prune, etc. Remember this is from Minnesota, so instead of using their calendar months, start with when the vines start to leaf out in our area.
https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-grapes-home-garden
Thank you for contact us, if you have further questions, please send them in. Enjoy your grapes!!
You can remove clusters from the vines now if you feel there are not enough leaves on the plants and too many bunches of grapes. This should give the plant some time to produce more leaves and make the vines stronger. An all organic dry fertilizer can be applied around the base of the vines. Follow the directions on the package. It is not recommended to mulch under the vines as they like warm soil and mulch will keep the soil cool. Keep the area weed free to enable the vines to take up the soil nutrients and not the weeds.
Developing a strong stem should be done slowly over a few years. Depending on how old your vines are you should have 5 to 6 clusters on one vine. This is usually after the vine is 4 to 5 years old.
You can remove the green grapes (un-ripened or newly formed) when most of the other clusters are ripening. This assumes the ripening grapes will receive more nutrients when the smaller clusters are removed.
There are a lot of clusters pretty close together in your pictures. If you decide to remove clusters, pick the ones that will open up airflow when removed. Better airflow often helps deter mold.
Clusters can be removed at any time during the growing season especially if you notice the grapes rotting. You want to remove them and throw them away. Again, open up the airflow through the vines.
I am adding a link from University of Minnesota. I find their information easy to read/understand. They have put in a timeline for when to prune, etc. Remember this is from Minnesota, so instead of using their calendar months, start with when the vines start to leaf out in our area.
https://extension.umn.edu/fruit/growing-grapes-home-garden
Thank you for contact us, if you have further questions, please send them in. Enjoy your grapes!!
