The Disadvantages of Spur Pruning

Pruning Types

• Grape vines only produce fruit on year-old wood so pruning, which encourages new growth, increases production. It also prevents the vine from wasting energy on excess growth. There are two main methods: spur pruning and cane pruning. Spur pruning describes a method of cutting away all offshoots – in the case of grape vines these are called canes -- from the main stem of a plant, leaving only about one to five buds on each one. These trimmed shoots are the eponymous “spurs.” This radically alters the appearance of the plant but keeps it manageable and may encourage more fruit production. The other main method of pruning grape vines is cane pruning, which, as the name suggests, involves keeping canes at a longer length.

Lower Yields

• With some varieties of grapes, although not all, spur pruning results in a lower yield. If the strain is not especially fruitful at the base of each cane, removing the rest isn’t going to help. In areas with cold winters, spur pruning leaves the vine open to damage. You should prune in winter, when the vine is dormant, but particularly cold weather can kill off some of the spurs, leaving gaps on the vine.

Other Considerations

• Because it involves more radical pruning than cane pruning, spur pruning can be somewhat hit and miss for the first couple of years, as you learn the optimum technique for the grape variety and the climate. This is especially true if you are a beginner. If you aren’t growing grapes commercially and they are as much for decoration as anything else, this might not be a problem. You might find a severely pruned vine is less aesthetically appealing than one allowed to grow a little more naturally, however.

Other Plants

• The disadvantages of spur pruning are applicable to plants other than grape vines. This especially applies to the need for expertise. Experienced gardeners sometimes use a method similar to spur pruning for certain fruit trees, but if you aren’t sure what you’re doing, it is better to err on the side of moderation.