Machar
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Apr 04, 2015 8:40 am

Grape fruit yield and pruning

I've heard grape vines only produce fruit once (in a year's time) and stop, but I've read that new branches also produce fruit (even when the main branch stops producing), is this true? And if it is, do we cut the new branches each time they produce fruit, and let them regrow (will they still produce fruit this way?). Thanks.

JONA
Greener Thumb
Posts: 812
Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2014 7:11 am
Location: Sussex. England

Hi Machar
Grape vines will crop for far more than one mans lifetime.
They are a tremendously tough plant. The method of growing varies according to how tight you are for room and the support that is there for them.
In general there will be a main structure consisting of one , two or more 'leaders'. these are the branches that remain as a permanent part of the plant. From these side shoots will grow, and it's these that carry the fruit. Each year once the crop has been harvested and the plant has gone dormant for the winter, these side shoots are trimmed back to just a Couple of buds.
It's safest to leave two buds just in case an early frost should singe the first one to break.
The vine will then crop every year for as long as it stays healthy.
Our Californian Red a Ruby Seedless has given us a continual crop for the last forty five years and is still going as strong as ever.

tomc
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2661
Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:52 am
Location: SE-OH USA Zone 6-A

New fruit forms on year old wood. How you prune dictates how many fruit clusters your grape can carry.

Leave on too much year old wood and you end up with steen-thousand clusters with three grapes on each. Leave on too little year old wood and you have three jumbo clusters (but fewer grapes over-all).

Google Kniflin trellis systems. it uses posts and two wires and leaves year old wood with three or five buds on each limb. each bud may make its own grape bunch.

Hope this helps.

Machar
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Apr 04, 2015 8:40 am

Now I get it. Thanks guys.



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