Pruning grape vine
Advice for October in the Netherlands
A grapevine needs winter pruning and sometimes green maintenance. Its training system and dormancy determine what to cut, so start by choosing the right situation.
Which situation matches your plant?
Grape vine — I do not know — October
Check this first
Do not prune hard while the training system is unknown. Look for permanent arms with short spurs or long canes renewed annually. Choose the appropriate method; a single calendar rule does not fit both.
Pay attention to this
- Identify whether the vine uses permanent arms and spurs or annually renewed fruiting canes before pruning.
- With Guyot the main trunk remains, while fruiting arms are replaced by suitable one-year-old canes. Keep those replacements.
- Avoid hard frost and check dormancy; greenhouse vines may become active early.
Frequently asked questions
- Why not simply prune in February?
- Sap may already be moving, particularly under glass. Do not rely on a fixed winter month.
- Can I remove the thick main arm?
- Not during routine maintenance of a spur-trained vine. It carries the spurs and is part of the permanent framework.
- Is summer pruning the same as winter pruning?
- No. Summer work trains and limits green shoots. The woody framework is managed during dormancy.