table grape questions - Ask Extension
Hi, I live in portland and moved into a house with established grape vines. They are grown to about 5' high and then T. I have tried to manage them ...
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table grape questions #925088
Asked February 26, 2026, 10:48 AM EST
Hi, I live in portland and moved into a house with established grape vines. They are grown to about 5' high and then T. I have tried to manage them but they are very vigorous and I'm not sure exactly what to do. Now the old trellis has broken and I'm wondering if i can build a taller one and train them to grow up onto that so i can get underneath them. Is that possible with older vines?
Also, I read your grape growing guide, very helpful. If I keep them as they are, do I need to just prune new growth constantly all summer? I assume the idea was that just grew shoots toward the ground, but they are very vigorous and if i try to keep them small and just having a few shoots growing down, I will need to be pruning them almost everyday. Is that just how it is? see pics.
Thanks!
Multnomah County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Kristi,
Thank you for using Ask Extension.
Yes, it's possible to train/prune your table grapes on to a new trellis. However, how you do this is relative to your goals. When you talk about a taller trellis, how tall? Since these are table grapes, I would expect you would want the grapes to be a comfortable height for harvesting which would typically be between four and six feet.
If you are considering a trellis that would cover a seating area, that might be 8-10 feet that would make harvesting more challenging. Also, when the fruit is ready to pick, you may have a mess if it starts to drop on your seating area.
My recommendation is to build your support first and that will determine which vines you should keep for training. For winter pruning, it is recommended to choose the vines you want to retain for fruiting and tie them to your support and then cut everything else off.
For summer pruning, the need is really to allow for light penetration to the fruit and air circulation after the fruit has set.
Thank you for using Ask Extension.
Yes, it's possible to train/prune your table grapes on to a new trellis. However, how you do this is relative to your goals. When you talk about a taller trellis, how tall? Since these are table grapes, I would expect you would want the grapes to be a comfortable height for harvesting which would typically be between four and six feet.
If you are considering a trellis that would cover a seating area, that might be 8-10 feet that would make harvesting more challenging. Also, when the fruit is ready to pick, you may have a mess if it starts to drop on your seating area.
My recommendation is to build your support first and that will determine which vines you should keep for training. For winter pruning, it is recommended to choose the vines you want to retain for fruiting and tie them to your support and then cut everything else off.
For summer pruning, the need is really to allow for light penetration to the fruit and air circulation after the fruit has set.
