Late December a good time to prune?

[v8rx7guy]

I am in NW washington and we've gotten a week long cold snap of about 18-25F. I have some days off between Christmas & new years that I was planning on dedicating a day or so to prune my newly planted vineyard. Is that about the right time to do it, or should I wait until mid-late January?

 

[Pat57]

I'd wait until at least late January in your neck of the woods?

 

[salcoco]

I would wait util spring and the day temp get around 40 degrees.

 

[v8rx7guy]

I would wait util spring and the day temp get around 40 degrees.

For any particular reason? I thought pruning was done in cold/dormant time weather for grape vines?

 

[cintipam]

I'm betting it is better to wait to verify winter killoff before pruning away potential growth points.

Pam in cinti

 

[Julie]

Granted I'm in PA but my grandfather who was a farmer always told me to trim in any month that had an r and that is what my husband and I do and so far it works well for us.

 

[ibglowin]

Not quite all the important info. Yes you want to prune in cold/dormant timeframe but you want to prune at the END of the cold/dormant timeframe. Pruning a grapevine is like giving it a haircut. Right after you do it the slightest warm period it will wakeup and start to push so you really want to wait as long as you can and let the vine go dormant and harden off for Winter before you give it a haircut in the late Winter early Spring timeframe.

For any particular reason? I thought pruning was done in cold/dormant time weather for grape vines?

 

[Johny99]

Ok, I am contrary. I'd say go ahead and prune since you have the time. If you can wait until later great, but life often intervenes. It has been plenty cold so I don't think you'll prompt early budding. If you think you'll get late cold, and for some reason I think we will on the east side, you can prune partially. That means leave the tendrils long, say 3-4 nodes and perhaps more than you want in the end. That gets 75% of the work done when you have time. Then in the spring, as buds begin to swell, prune the rest of the way. The advantage is it lets you deal with winter kill late spring, and let's you do the bulk of the work when you can. This will let you also deal with an early bud and freeze.

We are 10 degrees tonight on our side of the cascades, so I'm going to wait cause it is just too bloody cold to be out in the vineyard. Of course the 4 muledeer in the vineyard yesterday were helping::

 

[shrewsbury]

There are many studies on this topic and I am in the same boat as you are, being in Ohio and my first year for 120 vines.

From all I have read I have decided to do mine in late January/early February.
My reasons are;

winter damage is already done
vines are nice and dormant
and it gives me an excuse to be out in the vineyard at a time I usually wouldn't be.

 

[AKsarben]

Prune whenever they are dormant. We have already started on some of our hybrids.