While clearing out some shrubs & bushes and I found a grape vine tangled within the branches which stretch 10-15 feet and must be at least 10 years old. I traced it back to the main stem which is about 25-30 mm thick at the bottom. How should I deal with it to get it growing properly as it is now November here. Should it be cut back short or left to the spring and cut back? How low should it be cut?
TIA
wait until several weeks before bud break and cut it back then.
It depends on where the branches are coming off the main stem. Google "pruning grape vines" and you'll get a lot of sites with basic information on them. Once you know how you want them to end up, you can cut the existing vines and branches to as close an approximation as possible and maybe save a year or so of growth.
If they're over ten feet long, you'll cut off and throw away most of them. Better to prune more now than later. The half-joking advice on how much to prune off is to cut and cut and cut until you're sure you've killed it; at that point you're half-way done.
Paul
Mike;
You really don't know what you have and you won't know until next spring. Grapes need plenty of sunlight, so that can be done now. They generally like mulch which protects the roots from dry weather and from extreme cold, and serves as a natural fertilizer. Be careful of pruning right now. Early next spring would be better. You didn't say what state you're from,; that could be important. I prune my grapes with my apple trees just before spring. Many grape vines can be damaged from cold, dry winters. Some grapes reproduce from canes (branches) and others from the buds on those branches. Now, which type do you have? We don't know. The average bud producing vines uses around 40 buds per branch. Start counting, so come next spring you will know where you can prune SOME branches.
Good luck
Tom
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