Pruning vines – the right way to do it

Grapevines (Vitis vinifera) are not just decorative; with the right care, they also produce delicious grapes. But do vines need to be pruned? The answer is a resounding yes! Find out why and how to do it here.

Do you need to prune your vines?

You should regularly prune your vines to get bigger and sweeter garpes and healthy plants.
This is why to do it:

The buds at the end of a shoot are best pruned to ensure the sweetest grapes grow on the new shoots.
Regular pruning ensures that the plant concentrates its energy on a few strong canes.
When vines are pruned regularly, they grow more loosely. Air circulation is improved, which helps to prevent fungal diseases such as powdery mildew.
Regular pruning also prevents the vines from shooting up, which would make harvesting more difficult.

When to prune vines

Timing is everything! Vines are pruned twice a year, in winter and summer.

✂️ Winter pruning (January – March)

Vines grow quickly and need to be pruned back vigorously. Winter is the best time to prune because the vine is dormant.

Cut off the one-year-old shoots. They can be recognised by their reddish-brown, smooth bark.
Shorten the shoots to two buds, leaving only one branch. One or two new fruit shoots will grow from the eyes of the branch.
There should be about 20 centimetres between each branch.
Cut the shoots at an angle so that no water remains on the cut surface.

✂️ Summer pruning:

In May break out water sprouts, downward-growing sprouts, sprouts that are too dense and sprouts that are wilting.
Cut off any shoots that cast shade on the grapes. You can also thin out leaves that shade the grapes too much.
Leave two grapes on each shoot and cut off the rest. Cut long stems by a third. However, leave 10 leaves on each cane.
In July, overhanging shoots or shoots that are too long are trimmed.