Have just finished harvesting the grapes which grow on vines two stories high and which provide shade for the house and fruit for us and the birds. When should I prune the four vines? Should I also remove the "stringy bark" from the main "trunks"? Thanks for any help. Margaret
Prune after they have had time to go completely dormant; in this area you would be safe after Christmas to March unless an early warm-up breaks dormancy. Leave the bark; remove all the prunings and compost, best also to rake up and compost the leaves. The "sanitation" is to remove any overwintering fungi. Ralph
I have been given conflicting advice re. pruning and tidying. The vines were originally planted by a gentleman from Italy and our vines have been adopted by one of his Italian friends who still lives in the area. They have both been growing grapes since they were kids and make very good wine but I thought that it seemed a little early to prune as the vines will have spent a lot of their energy in fruiting and probaby need to replenish. Many thanks for your advice - it makes sense to me. Margaret
