Winter Care for Grapevines

Pruning

• The winter season is the time for pruning and cutting back your vine. When the vine is dormant, water and food is not flowing through the mature woody vines. When you cut the vine, you should see no water bead up at the sight of the cut. Pruning should be done following the first frost after the loss of the vine's leaves. Cut your vine back to the desired size, and remove cuttings from the area to prevent the spread of any fungus or disease that may be residing in the wood.

Staking

• If your vine has not yet matured, and its diameter is less than 2 inches across at its main trunk, consider staking it against a garden stake or dowel. Vines in areas that are subject to large amounts of snow and sleet can suffer from snapped trunks, effectively killing the plant. Some gardeners cut old plastic pots and place them over the base of the trunk to form a ring, preventing the full weight of the snow from resting upon the wood of the vine.

Disease Inspection

• Go over your vines in winter and look for any signs of disease or fungus. Spots of white or black mold present on the bark and within the wood can be signs of serious diseases such as black rot. These diseased vines should be identified and cut, with their wood burned or otherwise disposed of and not left at the base of the main vine. Prune back each shoot at least a foot behind the last occurrence of the fungus, and treat the entire vine with an approved fungicide.

Fertilize

• Each winter, fertilize the soil surrounding the vine with a high quality fertilizer or manure. Care should be taken to ensure that all of the roots are sufficiently covered with soil and have not become exposed due to erosion from rainfall. If exposed roots are found, cover with high quality top soil prior to fertilizing.