Pruning Information for Mars Seedless Grapes

Mars Seedless Grapes

• Mars seedless grapes hail from the University of Arkansas breeding program and feature large bunches of dark, strongly-flavored grapes. These grapevines grow from U.S. Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zones 5 to 8 and bear early- to mid-season bunches of fruit.

Pruning at Planting

• Prune the grapevines when you initially plant them. Cut each grapevine to include a single whip with two to three growing buds. This initial pruning encourages healthy, fresh growth. Give the canes a trellis system for growing and future training.

Annual Pruning

• Prune Mars seedless grapevines every year in early spring. Prune the vines while they're dormant to limit damage and healing time. Mars seedless grapes bear their fruit on new wood, which must grow from established canes. The University of Minnesota Extension warns that poor pruning practices will lead to reduced harvests while over-pruning produces vegetative growth rather than fruit production.

Pruning Guidelines

• Prune each Mars seedless grapevine to train it along a trellis. Cut away any shoots that grow between the wires of the trellis and leave four canes on each wire. Cut two of these four canes short to contain only two growing buds; these are renewal spurs for future growth. Leave the second two canes on each trellis wire longer, with five to 12 buds each. These canes produce new growth, foliage and fruit. End with two short and two long canes on each wire trellis.