Spur Pruning Part 2.

So once you have developed spurs how do you prune them once they are established?

Letting spurs produce only two shoots has the advantages of making regulating fruit easier, preventing overcrowding of growth, producing stronger canes and making pruning easier.

In this way the pruning couldn't be easier you simply cut away the cane furthest away from the cordon (branch or arm if you prefer) then prune the lowest cane to two or three buds to produce the fruit and two canes for next year.

Cane Pruning.

The Regent vine has made a lot of growth this year. With such a large  number of canes to choose from only two or three well placed canes are needed to produce next years crop.

Here most of last years growth has been pruned away leaving these three canes (there is one cane behind the trellis).

A huge difference I think you'll agree. Since the shoots can't be trained in opposite directions because of space limitations they are trained in the same direction making tying in and growth positioning even more important during the next growing season.

Spur Pruning Part 1.

Although there are many grape training methods practised world wide the actual pruning under each method involves just two tecniques, cane or spur pruning.

The first thing to understand when pruning any vine under whatever system is that you are going to prune most of this years growth away, 90%-95% so don't be too timid with pruning.

Let's start with spur pruning. Here is an unpruned vine that I want to train as a four armed cordon. Last year canes were placed in position and fruit was produced on the upright shoots.

Now the same vine after pruning with shooots retained at around 9 inch (22cm) spacings and pruned down to two buds to make well spaced spurs. (The two longer shoots at one end are so the arms (cordons) can be extended at that end while being reduced at the other end where the Merzling grape vine will need more space.)

Next year each spur will produce two new shoots and a potential four grape clusters, two on each shoot. At pruning this time next year one shoot will be cut away with the remaining shoot pruned to two buds. Repeat this indefinately.