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Overgrown grape vine help for a complete novice

joseph.forrestrgml9jTzjoseph.forrestrgml9jTz Posts: 2
in Problem solving
Hello, I have just moved house and taken on a garden with a trellised grapevine up against the side of the garage. In the two weeks since we've moved in its started to flower and has grown a bit wild. I am a complete gardening notice and wondering if anyone has any advice for getting this back under control. I don't want to cut it back too far and ruin its chances for next year! Any help would be much appreciated.

Posts

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    If it has any flowers (which look like tiny bunches of grapes), count 2 leaves towards the tip and cut just after the 2nd one.  New shoots will form at the junctions of those 2 leaves and you can let 1 or 2 leaves form and nip the tips off that point.  Simply cut any unruly, non-flowering growth off after counting 2 leaves from the main stem.  While they are growing strongly, they can take (and need) that kind of regular pruning.  Some sites may count different numbers of leaves, but this is easy and works.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • joseph.forrestrgml9jTzjoseph.forrestrgml9jTz Posts: 2
    Many thanks
  • helenamcgintyhelenamcginty Posts: 3
    I note that Bob the gardener forgot to mention that any heavy pruning as opposed to thinning out as he describes s best done when the vine is dormant as they can 'bleed' to death otherwise. An old friend of my late father once, when an apprentice estate gardener, had an old vine die after he had pruned it. Not sure why but he never forgot it. You can still see the 2 leaf buds that Bob referred to. I now will post my problem with my vine. I have an old RHS Wisley handbook called Grapes indoors and out which is a great help but probably out of print now. 

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