Pruning a grape vine in early summer

[Primrose]

My grape vine, pruned back before it started to sprout in Spring, is becoming rather unwieldy and tangling up with other shubs nearby. Would it hurt to do some gentle pruning of some of the longer leafy shoots or should I now leave it until after it has fruited?

[Nature's Babe]

I only prune mine in the dormant season, otherwise they bleed lots of sap, probably just a vigorous grape. Could you train it up and over something?
I think they like the warmer weather, more growth = more grapes eventually
last year we had so many eventually the birds finnished them!

[peter]

I would leave well alone.

It WILL bleed and you're likely to stimulate it into further growth instead.of sugaring the grapes.

[Colin_M]

I wouldn't disagree in principle with either of the suggestions.

However mine often needs thinning out in Summer, whatever pruning I did in the winter. Doing this has never caused major problems. It's also a good idea to keep the number of flower/fruit bunches to a level that will give you good sized grapes.

Whilst some vines drop grapes later in the summer, it seems a waste of the plant's energy to let them grow in the meantime. I therefore cut back the developing bunches when too many are growing. This seems to increase our chances of getting usable grapes in the Autumn (otherwise in poor summers, you can get lots of hard, semi-ripe grapes).

[peter]

Happy memories of dad in the vinery, up a step ladder at the four Black Hamburg vines, with the pointy Edwardian grape thinning scissors, gently removing green grapes from each bunch to get a better final result.

Damm big glasshouse it was, against the fifteen foot kitchen garden wall with its apex at least six foot higher. Vines in the half nearest the, coke fired, boilerhouse and five or six fan-trained peaches & nectarines in the eastern end, Rivers varieties.for the Victorian & Edwardian gentleman of means. All demolished now and replaced by houses.

[Nature's Babe]

My grape vine is an old one, it was here when we bought the house and it's outside the greenhouse I train some into the greenhouse and leave some out, that extends cropping, the roots must be pretty extensive because they all come a good size. I have no idea what the variety is, they are dark and a good flavour for eating. Peter is right, prune too much and overgrowth will compensate later.

[the custodian]

my grape vine is only in its second year so im trying to get some length on it, its out side and im trying to grow it over a pagoda should i prune or leave it alone, my 11 year son bought it so i realy dont want to kill it

[Nature's Babe]

I suggest leave the main leader to grow, and allow another low leader to extend for next years fruit, you should be able to shorten any laterals off the main stem to encourage fruiting. As it is a new plant it is probably concentrating on making roots at the moment, if you are in a dry area see it gets enough water, one good drench every week is better than lots of small amounts, you want to encourage the roots to go deep rather than hang around the surface waiting for the next trickle.

[PLUMPUDDING]

I always take out the new side shoots and also the tips off all the leaders when they gets to 5 feet. I grow it as a double guyot. Only new growth is removed and only when the grapes have set, so there is plenty of leaf up the canes beyond the fruit to feed the plant. New growth doesn't bleed.
If all the spindly side shoots are removed the plant can put all its energy into swelling the grapes or establishing a good root system.

Removing the side shoots also keeps the plant more open and lets the sun in to ripen the fruit.

A new plant can be stopped when it reaches the height you want and the fruit spurs that will produce next years fruit will grow on that. You can also extend the vine each year by letting the strongest spur grow from the end of the previous year's wood. They are very tough and it is also very easy to grow a new plant from any bits of cane you cut off, so pot a few up as a back up.