How to Prune Budding Grapevines

Prune your third-year grapevines in early spring, when the plant is still dormant and will suffer less damage from the cutting. Cut all one-year-old growth (the parts of the cane that grew in the last growing season) so that only five nodes remain. Some of the new growth may not have five healthy nodes; in this instance, cut them back so only three or four nodes remain.

Prune the vines with single cuts made with sharp pruning shears or loppers. Use only sharp instruments so you can avoid having to make multiple cuts or digging into the flesh of the vine. Try to cause as little damage as possible; this will help the plant recover faster and avoid infection in the wounds.

Store all pruned one-year-old wood in a single bag or box as you work. You must keep all of the wood you prune together, since it will help you determine how to deal with the buds when they appear.

Weigh all your pruned, year-old wood together, and record the weight in pounds. Observe your vines until you see the buds start to emerge; once the buds are large enough for you to notice them, you must prune those as well.

Calculate the number of buds to leave in place based on the weight of the pruned, year-old wood. The amount of pruning you do gives you a good idea of how your vines will produce each season. Leave 30 buds for the first pound of pruned wood, and 10 buds for each subsequent pound. For example, if you pruned off 4 pounds of year-old wood, you will leave 60 buds in place on the vine.

Carefully count your buds and remove buds as necessary with pruning shears. The number of buds, as well as where you remove them from the vines, will vary depending on the shape and size of your vine, but try to keep the buds evenly distributed across the different branches of the vine. You want the buds to be as evenly spaced as possible, so one section does not become too crowded or heavy.

Dispose of pruned buds in a compost pile or garbage. Water the vines thoroughly so the soil at their base is completely moist. This will help them recover from the pruning.