Should You Spur-Prune or Cane-Prune Muscadine Grapes?

Pruning

• Prune muscadine grapes in the late winter, and use the spur-pruning technique. Annual pruning while the grapevines are dormant, just before the leaves appear, removes excessive plant tissues so the remaining few buds receive the most energy, water and nutrients from the roots. Pruning also assists in disease management, as any moldy or damaged canes are removed before the onset of summer rains and humidity.

Spur Technique

• Train muscadines on a trellis system with a basic cordon shape --- a main upright stem with two lateral, parallel vines growing horizontally on the trellis. Spur pruning requires removing any thin, weak shoots from the main cordon arms, which are one year old. Cut back the strongest side vines on the cordons to stubs or spurs 4 inches long, each spur with two or three healthy buds. Space the spurs every 4 to 6 inches along the main arms of the cordon.

Benefits of tje Spur Technique

• Spur pruning is the best technique on muscadines because the plants are so vigorous in their growth, with lots of sprawling side shoots. The buds on year-old wood, which are retained when the spurs are created during pruning, reliably flower and set fruits. The quality of muscadine grapes is more important than the number produced. Muscadines do not create long, large, picturesque grape clusters. The grapes are in loose clusters with relatively few grapes. The individual grapes ripen separately, and drop off once they're ripe. Quality of each ripe grape is paramount, as is picking them every couple of days.

Young Plant Insight

• Newly planted young muscadine grapes need extra attention in the late winter when you're pruning them. In addition to tidying up the plant, tying the cordon arms to the trellis and making spur-pruning cuts, the tendrils should be removed. Clip off any tendrils that are starting to coil around the main vines and spur shoots. As the muscadine grows, the tendrils can girdle the vine and prevent the flow of water and nutrients. This tourniquet effect results in vine death above the girdling point. Once plants are at least four years old, the main cordon branches are thick enough that the tendrils cannot effectively wrap around them to cause girdling.