Grapevines, whether grown for dessert fruit or wine-making, either under cover or outdoors, need regular pruning and training to keep them under control and producing good harvests.

The two main options are the rod and spur system and the Guyot system. In a small space, you could also grow a vine in a more compact ‘standard’ form. Which method you choose will depend mainly on how much space you have and where you want to grow your vine(s).

Pruning and training should be started in the first winter after planting the vine, then continued consistently every year. It will take two to four years before you get your first bunch of grapes, once the vine is well established.

Rod and spur system

Also known as

A plant that is restricted by pruning to usually one main stem, either upright or at a 45 degree angle, with short fruiting side-shoots (spurs). Apples, pears, gooseberries, tomatoes, redcurrants and whitecurrants are often grown as cordons, especially where space is limited. Sweet peas can be grown as cordons to produce large flowers for exhibition.

In a large greenhouse, you could grow several single-stemmed cordon vines  (photo: RHS/Lenka Cooke)

Guyot system

Guyot training is widely used in vineyards, both large and small, for outdoor dessert and wine grapes. But it’s also suitable for vines in gardens and allotments. It’s a ‘renewal training system’, based on either one or two fruiting ‘arms’ (horizontal branches) growing from a short permanent main stem (single or double Guyot, accordingly). After fruiting, the arm(s) are removed annually and shoots that formed the previous season are trained to replace them.

Guyot training is ideal for rows of vines, keeping them manageable  (photo: RHS/Mike Sleigh)

Standard

If space is limited, you can train an indoor or outdoor grapevine as a standard. This has a single stem with a head of branches at the top, like a lollipop. It’s ideal for containerised plants and makes an attractive garden feature. However, you will only get a modest crop.

For full details of these methods, see our guides:

• Early winter (late Nov/Dec) is the main pruning time. Pruning later than this can cause the cuts to bleed sap, which can weaken the plant.

  Sap is a fluid that circulates through a plant's vascular system, in a similar way to blood moving through our veins. Phloem sap carries the sugars produced in the leaves by photosynthesis down to roots and other storage organs, as well as carrying minerals and hormones. Xylem sap is watery and transports nutrients absorbed by the roots upwards to the rest of the plant. Some plants leak sap from wounds or pruning cuts, and this is known as bleeding.

  Sap starts to flow earlier in greenhouse grapevines, so it’s particularly important to complete their pruning in early winter. In sites prone to spring frosts, you could consider delaying pruning until early spring – see FAQs, below

• Spring and summer – train and trim back new shoots, and thin out the fruit if necessary
  

  A multi-stemmed vertical cordon looks great trained to cover a wall  (photo RHS/Lenka Cooke)

No matter where you grow your grapevine(s) or which training method you use, you need to install permanent support. See our pruning guides for full details:

The following RHS books are widely available to buy, or can be borrowed by RHS Members from the RHS Lindley Library:

• Grapes: indoors and out by Harry Baker and Ray Waite

• RHS Pruning & Training by Christopher Brickell & David Joyce

Also see our pruning guides: