Feral Grapevines - Ask Extension
I recently inherited a small farm vineyard 6 rows 150 feet long well established trunks I have removed the entangled blackberry bushes and cut the 3'...
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Feral Grapevines #922915
Asked December 16, 2025, 5:34 PM EST
I recently inherited a small farm vineyard 6 rows 150 feet long well established trunks I have removed the entangled blackberry bushes and cut the 3' to 4" feet high grasses out. I know nothing of pruning I have viewed the videos available but they all deal with cultivated vines I have a forest, with vines growing on the ground vines that grow 3 trunks over plenty of suckers I am 82 years old and want to get this in shape before I'm too old to work
Coos County Oregon
Expert Response
For overgrown grapevines, the best way to prune is to cut back the vines to their trunk. Cut back all the wood until you can find the main trunk. This will allow the vine to grow new shoots from the trunk in spring. It will grow very vigorously, and you will want to remove extra shoots and start selecting only a fraction of the shoots that you wish to train onto the trellis. You will not have much fruit (if any) this first year, but it will help you rebuild the structure of the vines. Then you should be able to prune more normally next winter. At that time, you should remove 90% of the wood that grew the season prior and leave only spurs or canes to lay on the trellis.
If you have not already referenced these resources, please see the following:
How to Grow Table Grapes from OSU Extension - although you have wine grapes, the basic concepts in this guide will be helpful to you.
How to cane prune grapevines (video) - this will help you with how to prune in future years and some basic concepts of pruning and vocabulary.
How to spur prune grapevines (video) - this will help you with how to prune in future years and some basic concepts of pruning and vocabulary.
If you have not already referenced these resources, please see the following:
How to Grow Table Grapes from OSU Extension - although you have wine grapes, the basic concepts in this guide will be helpful to you.
How to cane prune grapevines (video) - this will help you with how to prune in future years and some basic concepts of pruning and vocabulary.
How to spur prune grapevines (video) - this will help you with how to prune in future years and some basic concepts of pruning and vocabulary.
